Top Story
West Eau Claire Park – 2020 ULI Urban Open Space Awards Finalist
2020 ULI Urban Open Space Award finalist, West Eau Claire Park in Calgary combines resilience with public space along the Bow River.
Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair – 2020 ULI Urban Open Space Awards Finalist
May 20, 2020
Photo By Billy Hustace Photography
With lighting and watchful parents, kids can play into the night!
Photo By Billy Hustace Photography
Families play ping pong in the Games Plaza.
Location: San Antonio, Texas, United States
Owners: Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation; City of San Antonio
Designer: MIG, Inc.
Additional Team Members: JOERIS General Contractors; HDR, Inc.; Bender Wells Clark Design; CNG Engineering, PLLC; Duende Design Architects, Inc.; Intelligent Engineering Services; Oscar Alvarado; City of San Antonio Public Works; Ximenes & Associates, Inc.; Overland Partners
Site Size: 4.1 acres (1.7 hectares)
Number of People Served (within a half-mile): 2,700,000
Opened: October 2, 2015
Website: www.hemisfair.org
Photo By HPARC
Evening strollers activate the area.
Named for the river of “refreshing waters” along which the Payaya tribe built its seasonal villages, Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair is a 4.1-acre community gathering place in the heart of downtown San Antonio. Yanaguana Garden is the first implementation phase of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Master Plan and has hosted 2.7 million park visitors since opening in October 2015.
Photo By Billy Hustace Photography
Artful seating reflects local myths and legends.
Located within the former 1968 World’s Fair site, Yanaguana Garden treats visitors to rich and diverse experiences informed and inspired by the history, environment and constantly evolving arts and culture of San Antonio. A trellis-covered central promenade connects a series of flexible outdoor spaces that accommodate and encourage a variety of programmed and impromptu activities from morning to night.
Photo By Billy Hustace Photography
Yanaguana encourages interaction between previously unacquainted visitors.
One of the key design goals was to highlight “play” as a universal language and create an equitable space that would welcome, engage, and challenge all children, families, and individuals—regardless of cultural heritage, socioeconomic status, age, or physical ability. As an economic catalyst, Yanaguana Garden has contributed to a 182% increase in median property tax revenue in the surrounding census tracts from 2013 to 2017, compared to 8% for Bexar County as a whole.
Yanaguana Garden is a part of Hemisfair in downtown San Antonio. In 2019, ULI conducted an Advisory Services panel in downtown San Antonio focused on the eastern portion of the Hemisfair site. Access the report on Knowledge Finder.