Planning and Design for the Levee Green and Historical Downtown District, Wharton, Texas

During the spring semester of 2021, Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) students developed design concepts in the LAND 621 studio. Students build on the local knowledge and community feedback collected by the City in December 2020. Further, they participated in a virtual community engagement design charrette with community leaders and residents who provided the community vision and direction for the designs. The final ideas were presented to the public using a virtual platform, Social Pinpoint, where community members engaged and provided community feedback. Students explored designs for the greenway corridor along the Colorado River to address flooding mitigation and stormwater management while meeting the community's recreational needs by connecting the riverfront and existing parks by a trail system. The designs aim to restore shared outdoor gathering spaces and to establish long-needed connectivity to other parts of the City. Based on the community priority and future development potential, students focused on enhancing existing assets like the downtown, Fulton Street Corridor, Guffey Park, Milam Street, Elm Street Promenade, Railroad Greenway, and Sunset Street, Riverside Nature Park, and West-end Community Health Park.The City of Wharton partnered with TxTC to develop a Master Plan and Landscape Improvement Design for the Levee Green and Historic Downtown District. The City reached out to TxTC to help plan a levee green space overlay project, which includes an $80 million the US Army Corps of Engineers levee project that will span approximately 6 miles through Wharton and along the banks of the Colorado River. The levee will be adjacent to communities that have been repeatedly impacted by flooding events and run along the southern border of the historically registered downtown business district and preserved courthouse.City of Wharton, Texas; Texas Target Communities (TxTC); Texas A&M University (TAMU