Intervention Design in Prospect Park
Located in the heart of Brooklyn, Prospect Park is an oasis of nature amidst a sea of apartment buildings. The park features rolling meadows, a 3.5-mile walking loop, playgrounds, and a majestic lake. It's a gorgeous environment that feels welcoming to visitors—but in the winter? Not so much. Students Cheryl Zhang, Corey McClelland, and Giancarlo Cipri teamed up to create interactive interventions to enhance the park experience throughout the year, specifically in the winter.
“When exploring the park in the winter,
we first noticed how—for lack of a better word—ugly it was.”
Research
"When exploring the park in the winter, we first noticed how—for lack of a better word—ugly it was," Corey explains. "Where there are typically green meadows and lush trees, there were dull grey vistas. Due to the organic winding paths nestled in the thick dark forested areas, you often don't know where you are situated within the park or where you're going." The team also shared that during a site visit they found roughly twenty unsightly industrial storage containers in varying states of cosmetic decay. Clearly there was plenty of room for improvement!
Color Story
To inject color and provide a sense of location, the team segmented the park into five geographically logical zones. The colors serve as an extension of the Prospect Park Alliance's existing identity system. Giancarlo explains that this color story provides the foundation for all subsequent elements in the project.
Activity Guide
At the start of every person's visit to the park, they are greeted with a friendly guidepost that prompts them to scan a code. Whether a first-time visitor or a local, this code takes them to the Prospect Park web app. This web app features events, activities, and directions as a guide to your experience.
Safety Beacons
"We realized that the park's lights are very dim, and each lamp is placed far apart," Cheryl shares. "This is a safety problem, especially during wintertime when the sun sets early, and the park gets dark after 5 pm." The team's solution is to place safety beacons strategically along the 3.5-mile loop and throughout the park to create a better sense of security. These designs let the user know which part of the park they are in, provide light in dark areas of the park, and act as access points for emergency needs.
Interactions
The team created "On This Spot" interaction points to be placed throughout the park and changed quarterly to engage the community. These spots serve as prompts for adults, children, friends, and strangers to connect and move. One spot might prompt the visitor to "think of your favorite person," while another invites them to "do a little dance," while others still will encourage visitors to express themselves in a collaborative community chalk drawing.
Finally, the ecosystem of interactions works together to bring character, community engagement, and safety to Prospect Park.