J Magazine Spring 2018

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (3)
Boyer also would like to incorporate
Friendship Fountain, due to be renovated
in 2018, the Times-Union Center for
Performing Arts, across the river, and the
Acosta and Main street bridges as the venue
for a light and music show that would
draw people to the riverfront on a regular
basis.
Metropolitan Park: The 32 riverfront
acres near the sports complex are
underutilized as public space. The park
is more an event venue than a place for
a picnic lunch or a game of Frisbee. And
now that the stage is essentially gone and
Daily’s Place is the new hot venue, the future
of the park is in question.
The property is being looked at for
possible redevelopment, maybe by Shad
Khan. But if it is, comparable public park
space would have to be found elsewhere
to satisfy a clause in the federal grant that
was used to develop the park in the 1980s
— the Shipyards has been floated as a possibility.
But there are other parks Downtown
that aren’t on anyone’s radar. Have you
ever heard of Jesse B. Smith Memorial
Plaza, Main Street Park or Cathedral Park?
Jessie B. Smith Plaza is a pocket
park on Forsyth Street across from Florida
Theatre. Main Street Park is a
terraced park behind MOCA. It’s a greenspace
that lacks identity.
And, Cathedral Park, Downtown’s
newest park, is a small arc of green
space in front of St. John’s Cathedral. It is
nicely landscaped and up lit but not big
enough for planned activities.
And then there’s the Emerald Necklace.
Groundwork Jacksonville plans to
develop the 11-mile pedestrian greenway
along Hogans Creek and the S-Line Rail
Trail to link the Northbank Riverwalk,
Springfield and Riverside. But it is early
days in the project, which could take a decade
to complete.
Trees as infrastructure
The Emerald Necklace project also
highlights another role that greenspace
plays in an urban environment. Trees are
part of the public works infrastructure.
They are air purifiers and storm water
managers. They also lower the temperature
in heat islands, paved areas like much
of Downtown.
Kay Ehas, executive director of Groundwork
Jacksonville, said she hopes Jacksonville
starts thinking more about its green
infrastructure.
NEW YORK CITY // CENTRAL PARK
BOSTON // POST OFFICE SQUARE
SAN FRANCISCO // Golden Gate Park
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 43