Last Friday we visited Desoto Park in downtown Baton Rouge. We will be focusing our Studio Project on this property during the semester. Here are my first thoughts of the area:
-The park is located as a lost green strip on the south side of downtown Baton Rouge. Unless one is walking on the banks of the Mississippi river either from the north or the south side, the property does not challenge pedestrians to cross the road and discover it.
– There is a clear disconnection of Desoto Park and the rest of downtown Baton Rouge since it is limited to the East by the railroad track and N. River Rd. Therefore, there is not an active pedestrian environment. The lack of sidewalks or any type of pedestrian infrastructure make it difficult for people to visit the area.
– Being located alongside the Mississippi River makes the project entirely dependent on the drastic changes of this body of water. The annual flux of water from this river will make the design decisions for this project somewhat challenging. Issues such as water speed, erosion, sedimentation, flooding, etc., should be considered carefully.
I am very excited about this project and cannot wait to see the outcome. A lot of work ahead!
silviacox 