December 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 41

Information Gathering
Understanding RCSP's stakeholders was a critical component of
the redesign process. The park is a
practice facility for local community college athletes, a playground
for the local elementary school
and a launch point for a rowing
club. Most importantly, RCSP is
a neighborhood destination. Families spend their afternoons and

weekends here swimming, barbecuing, celebrating and enjoying
time outdoors.
MNLA worked closely with park
staff to identify the keys to a successful redesign and observed park
use on both weekdays and weekends. A community meeting was
held in mid-2014 to gather feedback on the schematic and master
planning efforts and to identify
new programming that would best
serve the community.
Redesign and Resiliency
The redesign goals included updating RCSP infrastructure, expanding
existing successful programming,
incorporating new programming,
reconnecting the park to the Harlem River and identifying potential
environmental and educational interventions.
With other professionals, MNLA
worked to design and implement
seven projects identified by State

Parks, each resolving specific
goals: the Bulkhead, Esplanade, Inter-Tidal Pool and North Shoreline
addressed waterfront infrastructure; the Upper Plaza strengthened
the park entrance; the Lower Plaza
revitalized existing programming;
and the North Upland expanded
programming, bringing new partnerships to the park. Improved
water quality and a new boat dock
provide opportunities for kayaking
and water safety courses, and the
bikeway allows future connections
to a larger bikeway network.
Post-Hurricane Sandy, elevating
public space and new buildings in
low-lying areas has become de rigueur in New York City. This was
not possible for RCSP. Knowing
inundation would likely reoccur,
the MNLA team put efforts into
the resiliency of specific elements,
A rendering of the Tidal Pool and Lower
Plaza at Roberto Clemente State Park.

RENDERED PLAN COURTESY OF MATHEWS NIELSEN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Park Evolution
Prior to becoming a New York
State park, the site was owned by
the Consolidated Ship Building
Company. Much of the current
park was either water or accessory structures. Funded by the Land
and Water Conservation Fund, the
master plan was prepared in 1969,
and the park opened in 1973 as
Harlem River Bronx State Park. In
1974, the park was renamed after
Roberto Clemente, the first Latino-American inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Throughout the years, the community lost its connection to the
river. The shorelines became overgrown, programming focused attention toward the park's interior,
and the bulkhead guardrails kept
patrons at a distance from the polluted Harlem River. Starting in the
mid-2000s, the park underwent a
series of updates. When Hurricane
Sandy struck in 2012, RCSP was
inundated with more than 3 feet
of water, which rapidly deteriorated its aging infrastructure. The
park received funding to restore
the bulkhead and rebuild other
damaged areas, quickly shifting its
renovation efforts from ongoing
modernization to reconstruction
and resilience to sustain this community jewel for years to come.

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Parks & Recreation

December 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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