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  Walking the length of Guadalupe River Park, visitors pass through “rooms” of overlapping built structures connected by terraced banks and gardens.

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  Paths wind through sculptural landforms, which help to slow and naturally clean stormwater runoff from the streets above.

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  Concrete sluices and other flood control measures protect public spaces from inundation by providing river water with a way out.

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  This clay and paper model shows the park’s landforms within the existing topography. Multicolored pins mark the placement of trees.

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  Guadalupe River Park provides a buffer of green space between San Jose’s city center and the river dividing the city.

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  Festivals and other social events take advantage of large open spaces on both sides of the river, linked by paths and pedestrian bridges.

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  Small-scale spaces and construction details within the park are full of interesting textures, light and shade, and points of view.

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  Small-scale spaces and construction details within the park are full of interesting textures, light and shade, and points of view.

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Tags: buffer, California, circulation, city, concrete, corridor, development, earthworks, events, flood, green, grow, landform, landscape, management, park, pedestrian, plant, planting, play, river, SanJose, sculpture, sluice, terrace, texture, topography, trees, urban, water, waterfront

A dynamic riverfront park for San Jose.

Guadalupe River Park in San Jose, CA, is a 150-acre linear park following the Guadalupe River on its way through the city. The park combines recreational spaces and opportunities with riparian zone restoration and flood control. A number of engineering techniques make this possible, from terraced banks to landforms to concrete sluices and levees. The park, opened on September 10, 2005, was envisioned as an "underlay," or "structural spine" for the San Jose portion of the Guadalupe. The park protects and buffers river ecology from urban stresses as much as it encourages city dwellers to enjoy their waterfront.

Guadalupe River Park was a joint development of the California Redevelopment Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. More information about the park, including ecology, events, and activities, is available through the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

SOURCE:

Urban Arboretum: From Vacancy to Hybrid Landscape. Landscape Architecture 414. The Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture, Spring 2010.

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