Hayden Plaza

Interfacing with public space and communities is more of a personal design ethos and agenda as opposed to an industry norm.  Considering how contentious public space can be, a designer who steps up to the task of designing with the public in mind is often listening to personal calling as opposed to certain industry narratives.   Landscape Architects, in particular, bring a perspective on public space that gives them a slight advantage.  Working at the fusion of urbanism, landscaping, and culture Diane Jones Allen approaches the restoration of a cultural monument with precision and grace.  Using landscaping details to accentuate a cultural site, she not only creates a linear park but uses the existing streets to create key vantage points of the plaza to make the design gestures legible to observers.  The clarity she presents in the site design of Hayden Plaza is seen in the subtleties: the tapering of the greenways, the openness of the monument, and the privacy of the gathering area facing South Rampart St.  One can imagine the experience of walking down the linear plaza and experiencing the different conditions and sightlines of the neighborhood that the plaza affords.