Waterfront
Special qualities can be found where land and water meet. For decades, the Collaborative has worked to reclaim and enliven waterfronts. Along rivers and harbors, once-contaminated industrial sites are today vibrant parks, lively promenades and vital centers of community life.
Pope John Paul II Park
City of Boston, MA
The Collaborative prepared conceptual designs for the 75-acre Pope John Paul II Park. Opened in 2001, this park is located on a former landfill along the Neponset River. The Collaborative’s team developed the park’s program and design based on extensive research, including demographic studies to determine local and regional recreational needs and access. The program accommodated a wide variety of active and passive recreation, and included a multi-use community and recreation center, environmental education areas around a restored marsh, playing fields, recreational spray pool, playgrounds, and historic and environmental interpretive designs.
The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The DCR has restored a salt marsh area and planted native trees and shrubs. The area now attracts an increased variety of birds to the habitat, including snowy egrets and great blue herons.
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