The Riverfront has the potential to be the City’s social, cultural, and economic spine, bringing the community together to play, learn, innovate, and celebrate.
Funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Riverfront Study and Activation Plan was initiated to serve as a resource for the City of Jacksonville in the planning and development of the future Riverfront. The goal of the plan is to activate Jacksonville’s Downtown Riverfront through programming, activities, and public space design interventions for the benefit of all residents and visitors. The plans, recommendations, and interventions contained in the Activation
Plan have been informed by hundreds of hours of conversation between January 2021 and October 2021 with stakeholders from across Jacksonville’s neighborhoods. The project is led by cultural forecasters and consultants, DVDL. The full project team includes urban planning and design firm WXY Architecture + Design, funding and place-making strategists James Lima Planning + Development (JLP+D), and local community partner Groundwork Jacksonville. Project collaborators include Riverfront Parks Now, assisting on the waterfront benchmark research, and Creative Urban Alchemy, advising on the community engagement process.
Program & Design Framework “Jacksonville is the city of neighborhoods, but the Riverfront could become Jacksonville’s Neighborhood for All.” - (From Stakeholder)
ACTIVATION PROGRAMMING FRAMEWORK Thoughtful, active, and green public spaces along the Riverfront will create new connections, building a central spine through the city--a social, cultural, and recreational artery for Jacksonville. The activation plan is focused on bringing people and energy to the Downtown Riverfront. By providing opportunities for diverse groups and individuals from around the city to participate and engage in activities both along—and on— the water, we can encourage activity, vitality, and energy.
WALKS
CUES
Jacksonville’s Activation Toolkit consists of five scales and types of design intervention. WALKS: Activations that enhance the surfaces, edges, and the overall experience of moving along the Riverwalk path itself.
DANCING
SHOP LOCAL
BIKE REPAIR STATION
HABITAT
PLAYING
ART
INCUBATING
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
RELAXING
SPORTS
MUSIC
CONCESSIONS
GAME NIGHTS
ECOLOGY
YOGA + MEDITATION
LEARNING
EAT + DRINK
COMMUNITY GARDEN
POCKETS
MOBILE UNITS: Movable, modular systems that can activate portions of the Riverwalk for events or for longer periods of time.
HUBS: Flexible concentrations of programmatic activity capable of supporting larger events and
FISHING
MOBILE UNITS
CUES: Points of activation that act as a series of breadcrumbs to users of the riverfront.
POCKETS: Moments where the Riverwalk thickens to include additional public space, seating, shade, greenery, and other amenities.
PICNICING
PUBLIC INPUT 3,132 755 105 400 3
Survey Participants Public Program Attendees Community Meeting Attendees Public Meeting Attendees Stakeholder Groups (51 groups)
HUBS
10 PRINCIPLES for the Future of Jacksonville’s Public Spaces
2. DIVERSITY OF AUDIENCE & EXPERIENCE
3. FLEXIBLE & COMMUNITY-DRIVEN
Car as Guest
1. WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
4. FUN & FUNCTIONAL
5. PROMOTING WELL-BEING & CARE
Protect and enhance the edge
6. ECOLOGY
Create unique destination corridors
Create distinct paths and experiences
7. MULTIPLE CONNECTED PATHS
8. FRAMED VIEW CORRIDORS
Create granular urban experiences
9. VARIETY
10. GREAT STREETS
Governance & Funding Considerations
GOVERNANCE
“Capital follows people, people follow place, place needs investment.” - James F. Lima ECONOMIC CASE FOR ACTIVATION Jacksonville has the opportunity to translate its recent population growth into long-term competitive advantages by investing in a high-quality public realm that benefits the existing community and residents, creates good jobs, and attracts people and investment that will increase the size of the economic pie shared by all.
Across the country, various waterfront activations and public space improvements demonstrate the return on investment for community health, private investments, development, and more.
Successful implementation of the Activation Plan requires a proactive and collaborative approach to governance, management, maintenance, and operations.
$1B
of private investment in Downtown Tampa
Develop, advocate, and build broad support around a shared vision for the downtown waterfront
Codify and formalize multi-party agreements to avoid funding and operational disruptions
Optimize the Jacksonville’s capacity by strategically coordinating with non-profit partners
Incorporate diverse voices, interests, and constituents into implementation and decision-making
Develop a detailed delineation of roles and responsibilities for the maintenance, operation, and programming
Set performance metrics and evaluate the outcome against the vision
Tampa Riverwalk 2 Million visitors per year
$2.6B
$65M
in private development in Pittsburgh after $130M of public investment
saved in Denver medical costs from increased recreation Denver Confluence Park
Pittsburgh Three Rivers Park
College degree holders who are new residents (% of new population with a bachelor’s degree or higher) Innovation: growth rate of patents per 10k employees per year Prosperity: growth rate of GDP per capita
Jacksonville
Tampa
Tallahassee
Charleston
Savannah
19
22
34
29
25
Jacksonville
Tampa
Tallahassee
Charleston
Savannah
1.7
2.2
2.7
3.3
2.9
Jacksonville
Tampa
Tallahassee
Charleston
Savannah
5.0
1.9
2.1
1.4
5.4
Build political support and advocacy
Plug into regional and national funding networks
Broaden the resource pool Jacksonville
Tampa
Tallahassee
Charleston
Savannah
2.7
2.8
2.9
3.8
3.5
Capitalize on Initial Success for Greater and Lasting Momentum Philadelphia Downtown Parks (PA): $20M+ annual assessment revenue; 87% of total Business Improvement District operating revenue
Years 1-5
Young adults who are residents (% of 18-34 year olds who originate from other counties or states)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Millennium Park (Chicago, IL): Capital campaign raised a $30M endowment, which amounted to 42% of the total operating revenue
Years 6-10
Continue to convene public and private funding partners
Active Public Space Can Help Close the Gap.
Government Funding City Contribution: Capital; Gas Tax; General Fund
Dedicate resources to grant application strategy and create a fundraising and revenue generation business plan
Federal and State Grants
Non-Government Funding Real Estate Value Capture: Property Assessment; Development Agreement; TIF Private: Corporate Sponsorship; Philanthropic and Private Donations; Membership Earned Income: Rentals, Event Fees & Permits; Consessions
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Minneapolis, MN): Commissions and rental revenue amounted to $11M in 2020, 23% of total non-property tax operating revenue