Building on a promise: the 11th Street Bridge Park
In Washington DC, the city's first elevated public park may become an example of urban regeneration, the challenges are far from limited.
Scott Kratz is not an architect. In 2014, he left his position as a museum assistant to devote himself full-time to an idea he has been chasing for some time: to revive the historic Anacostia River bridge in Washington DC.
The 11th Street Bridge Park will be the first elevated public park in the US capital. It looks up to New York’s High Line, but soon turns into a promise to local residents: to create a place that unites communities and leaves no room for gentrification dynamics.
The new park, with a design by OMA, will use the old infrastructure to create a public green space and a cultural hub, as well as reopen the riverfront to bathing, to offer residents a place to meet and gather.
Kratz’s idea, in its simplicity, is in the spotlight of an entire city. The bridge has become a symbol for mending the neighborhoods of Southeast Washington divided by the river, long a real economic and social barrier. Will it live up to expectations?
Featuring
Scott Kratz
Director of 11th Street Bridge Park
Washington DC (USA)
Scott Kratz is director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, the project that will soon transform the Southeast Washington Bridge into an exemplary public green space.
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