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Omaha RiverFront Revitalization – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner
May 3, 2024
Photo By © Jeff Durkin
The bright orange arches are the focal point of the play area. Decking weaves throughout the space, with tunnels, slides, and a rope forest below.
Photo By Dan Schwalm © 2023 HDR
The Performance Pavilion glows from within. The lighting is inspired by the ever-changing Nebraska sky.
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Developers: City of Omaha (owner); The Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) (operator)
Designers: OJB Landscape Architecture; HDR; Gensler; Atelier Ten; Safdie Rabines Architects
Site Size: 72 acres
Photo By Dan Schwalm © 2023 HDR
Climbing towers and slides are planned for different development ages, building skills and confidence in the adventure play. All pathways are also accessible.
The transformation of three parks in downtown Omaha’s core, collectively known as The RiverFront, has revolutionized the community’s relationship with urban green spaces. Despite their nearly six-decade history, these neighboring parks had grown stagnant over time, with disjointed access leading to dwindling utilization. Complicating matters further, one park was situated amidst a largely metropolitan backdrop, while the other two contended with challenges as remediated brownfields.
The Omaha Riverfront Revitalization Project breathed new life into the trio of parks, forging a cohesive, highly programmed and amenity-rich expanse spanning 72-acres near the Missouri River. By elevating sunken areas to ground level, the redesigned parks restored street access and pedestrian connectivity in the urban core, making way for expansive lawns, performance pavilions, play areas and captivating public art installations. Notably, an all-seasons skate ribbon, which is about the size of a football field, has drawn thousands of first-time visitors to the area, while an urban beach bordering the Missouri River offers scenic views and cozy fire pits mere acres away.
Complementing these enhancements are upgraded pedestrian sidewalks, strategically placed crosswalks, pedestrian bridges and walking paths, along with dedicated bike lanes, ensuring safe and seamless access to the parks and adjoining open spaces lining the Missouri River.
A dedicated programming team ensures The RiverFront remains a hive of activity, with a diverse array of family-friendly events, music festivals and art showcases held on a monthly, weekly and even daily basis.
This ambitious undertaking, made possible through a public-private partnership with approximately 85% of the construction funded by private donations, has sparked subsequent downtown reinvestments exceeding $500 million since the project’s planning stages. Additionally, The RiverFront stands as Nebraska’s first Envision project, verified Platinum status, a testament to its holistic approach to infrastructure, community well-being and environmental stewardship.
Emerging as a vibrant hub of entertainment and culture, The RiverFront has catalyzed the growth of new businesses, residential properties and commercial ventures, underscoring the pivotal role of open and accessible spaces in enhancing community life. Completed on time and within budget, The RiverFront serves as a compelling case study illustrating how thoughtful urban planning and design can breathe new vitality into riverfront cities.
Photo By OJB © Ryan Fischer
The Pond runs through the center of Gene Leahy Mall providing a serene spot in the middle of a bustling city. Water and lush planting create a cooler temperature to navigate between parks, with a destination for sailing boats nearby.
The RiverFront is a unified, amenity-rich destination composed of three redesigned city parks: Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing. The first phase of the project and catalyzing focus is Gene Leahy Mall, a 14.5-acre downtown landmark that was created in the 1970’s. Previously sloping in design, Gene Leahy Mall was primarily green lawn, featured a sunken lagoon at its center with concrete forms that restricted access, circulation and activation. In its new iteration, the western half of Gene Leahy Mall has been raised to street level, welcoming pedestrians at all points with the interior featuring a number of activable spaces. Primary amenities include a large green lawn, performance pavilion, sculpture garden, playground, dog park, interactive water features, public plazas, promenades, restrooms, food truck parking, a pond, cove and space for gatherings.
Heartland of America Park begins at the east end of Gene Leahy Mall starting at 8th Street, serving as the mediating space between the busy urban core and the meandering Missouri River. Within this space, a larger trail network connects to a sequence of destinations that can support large gatherings, festivals or concerts. Heartland of America Park features a reconfigured lake with an impressive fountain, an event lawn, an all-seasons skate ribbon with skate rentals, restrooms, bocce ball courts, play areas, horseshoe pits, a lakeside amphitheater and a striking pier that overlooks the Missouri River.
Finally, Lewis & Clark Landing runs just north of Heartland of America Park, completing this sequence of revolutionary open spaces. This park is a remediated brownfield site after a multi-decade restoration effort from a lead refinery plant and had sat mostly vacant and inactivated for several years. Today, Lewis & Clark Landing is anchored by a new children’s science museum (a separate but partner project), event plaza, restrooms and a host of family-friendly activities such as destination playgrounds, an urban beach, sand volleyball courts and ancillary facilities.
Photo By ©Buck Christensen
Farnam Pier cantilevers out over the existing rail tracks, which limited River access at this location. Instead, visitors are drawn to a lookout with a dynamic steel rib structure and changing lighting.
Established on July 4, 1854, Omaha has progressed from a small pioneer town to a metropolitan city of nearly one million. Capitalizing on the Missouri River, Omaha’s riverfront became home to commerce, transportation and industry. After decades of suburban expansion, the 1960’s brought a renewed focus on its downtown, resulting in a core characterized by large-scale corporate headquarters, a convention center, hotels and condominiums, but little vitality on the street. While the earlier generation of warehouses, railroads and industrial plants were mostly intact, they left scars on the city’s open space. Those three distinct parks in the core, Gene Leahy Mall (1974), Heartland of America (1986) and Lewis & Clark Landing (2000) offered open space, but their disjointed designs offered inadequate recreational opportunities, leaving them minimally utilized.
Understanding the power of open space to build economic strength and community pride, two retired business leaders approached Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert to propose a joint redevelopment vision. The city would provide $57 million in total funding, while local philanthropists provided primary funding in initial planning. An additional $285 million was raised by the community in just two months for a total project investment of $342 million. A nonprofit organization was formed to raise the capital for design, construction and operational support. MECA oversaw design and construction and manages programming as well as maintenance of the completed project.
After an enabling master plan phase, all three parks were successfully designed as an integrated vision. Gene Leahy Mall opened in 2022 to substantial fanfare and rave reviews from an adoring community. Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing were completed in 2023, and all three parks have welcomed millions of visitors to this day.