Revitalization of the Savannah Waterfront

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Democracy of Public Space

Savannah, GA

Project done in Collaboration with: Raquel Guzman Geara

For this project the intent was to revitalize the Savannah Waterfront (River Street). Surveys were conducted in order to understand better what the public opinion is about the current situation of this street. The public was divided into three categories: Students, Locals, and Tourists.

Currently, the waterfront is mostly being used by tourists. Locals don’t feel there is anything for them there, and students feel like it’s over crowded with tourists. After conducting these studies it became clear to use that this waterfront needed to cater to all these different categories of users and not just tourists.

We decided to tackle this issue by creating two new parks, one in each end. They will serve as anchors within the water front which will attract users and activate and unite the whole waterfront.

In the efforts of creating a more sustainable environment, more pedestrian and bike lanes are being incorporated. This way people will be able to access River Street easily without the need of a car. The paths will provide separate trails for pedestrians and people who are biking or/and running.

Mapping

Macro Map of Savannah

Represents Water, Figure Ground, and Green Spaces

Photoshop and Illustrator

Compostition of theDifferent Layers that Make up Savannah

Top Left: Land Use

Top Right: Figure Ground

Bottom Left: Demographics

Bottom Right: Water

Photoshop and Illustrator

Mapping Savannah

Top Left: Figure Ground

Top Middle: Schools (SCAD, Public, Private)

Top Right: Main roads and Highways

Bottom Left: Demographics ( Every dot represents 10 people) ( Yellow: White, Orange: Black, Red: Asian

Bottom Middle: SCAD Bus Routes

Bottom Right: Public Bus (CAT) Routes

Photoshop and Illustrator

Site Context Mapping

Purple: Parking

Pink Lines represent Trolley Routes

Orange Buses: Public Bus stops

Also shows accesibility entrances and stairs to the waterfront

Blue Dotted Line: Ferry Route

Photoshop and Illustrator

Activities Along the Waterfront

Photoshop and Illustrator

Design

Focus

Connectivity

- Connect City and Waterfront

- Connect the three categories of users: Locals, Tourists, and Students

- Connect the Waterfront

Transportation

- Create moer bike hubs to incnetivate a more sustainable environment

- More parking spaces near and on River Street in order to incentivate more people to come

- Create more Trolley stops along the Waterfront

The following are the designs for the two parks. All parks are to be used by everyone yet they are located in zones that attracts more users of a certain age or type.

The West End Park is meant to cater mostly to students, since many SCAD buildings are located nearby. The park will offer student activities in every week in order to keep the park active. This parks includes lawns, cafe, boccee ball, interactive walls, installation gardens featuring students work.

The East End Park is meant to cater mostly to families. It includes a floating amphitheater, kayaking, Ferris wheel, Gardens, and a Sports Complex.