A Path To A More Engaging Park
By Will Stewart, Community Member and Taylan Tekeli, Research & Design Assistant
Bordeaux Timothy Park
Timothy Park is a beautiful community park nestled in the Bordeaux community off Clarksville Highway and Kings Lane. After moving to the Bordeaux area a little more than six years ago, I stumbled on the park while trying to find a place where my family could exercise and play some kickball. What I found was a park with a ton of potential; multiple basketball courts, a walking trail, playground equipment and tons of underutilized green space, which from looking at the backstop, was once used for baseball/softball. By removing the huge rocks, leveling the playing field with topsoil and a few other aesthetic upgrades, I truly believe that we can restore the vitality of the park to its former glory and give kids a chance to enjoy recreational sports without the need to travel outside of their own community.
potential Enhancements
Although the park extends far beyond the street, it is important to create a gateway environment to invite more pedestrian activity that could include things such as a coffee shop + bus stop mix-used building, better lighting, ground murals, new sidewalks, and crosswalks. This building could be a revenue generator for the park to pay for some of the recommended enhancements.
Ariel photo of Bordeaux Timothy Park showing potential enhancements
Tactical Urbanism Solutions
The art piece on the intersection could be a great TURBO opportunity. This piece could also incorporate crosswalks as well as provide traffic calming and signify a gateway entrance to the park. The basketball courts could be another place to create public art in the form of a placemaking basketball court. Art and placemaking tactics are ways to strengthen the identity of the park that provide an exciting public space for the neighborhood.