Wilder Bluff Park
Client
City of Shawnee
Size
40 acres
Shawnee, Kansas
Confluence was engaged by the City of Shawnee to envision a unique and captivating concept for their new 40-acre park in the western portion of the city.
Our team developed a public outreach plan to engage surrounding residents and school-aged children in envisioning the creation of this new park. Using a series of listening sessions and a facilitated “Plan the Park” workshop with the neighboring elementary school, our team collaboratively crafted several thoughts and ideas that informed the final design.
A winding arrival sequence passing through the “Bluffs” by the park green into the heart of the park. A dynamic water play feature is provided with two water streams and numerous boulders sending sprays of water skyward as part of the splash park experience. A treetop playground encourages kids to climb into rope tunnels that pass over the pathway below while experiencing being within the existing tree canopy before sliding out into the existing wooded area.
Walking paths lead visitors around the formal green through the existing tree canopy into the high bluffs where they are surrounded by native prairie and rewarded with a grand view toward the Kansas River valley. A park shelter with a wood-burning fireplace and restroom is provided, and a series of rain gardens capture and filter stormwater as it infiltrates into the soil.
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