Once a bustling industrial hub, Cleveland, Ohio, has been undergoing a remarkable transformation in recent years, focusing on revitalising its urban core. Among the notable projects contributing to this revitalisation is Downtown Streetscapes Bedrock 0.0, a ground-breaking initiative to transform the city’s downtown streetscapes into green, pedestrian-friendly spaces. The project was undertaken by Bedrock Properties with MKSK of Columbus plus LAND Studio and Osborn Engineering, both of Cleveland, overseeing the design.
The vision
At the heart of Downtown Streetscapes, Bedrock 0.0 has a vision of creating a more welcoming and accessible urban environment. The project seeks to reimagine the streetscape, focusing on greenery, pedestrian infrastructure, and public art to enhance the overall urban experience. The project encompasses two linear thoroughfares and several plaza spaces that front Bedrock-owned properties in the urban core. Specifically, enhancements have taken place along Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue and Ontario Street, at the entrance to the city’s Historic Terminal Building, and the corridor between the Terminal Building and the Tower City development.
Greening the city
Cleveland was once called the ‘forest city’ because of the many large, healthy street trees that lined its main thoroughfares. Following 150 years of industrialisation and then neglect in the city’s post-industrial areas, many parts of the city are today devoid of mature trees.
In light of this, project landscape architect Susan Maurer of MKSK explains that planters from Streetlife were added to enliven Euclid Avenue and Ontario Street. The Shrubtub designs, finished in an industrially referential feeling corten, are ‘marched’ in an architectural rhythm, as Maurer describes, down their respective thoroughfares and are planted with trees that provide much-needed shade while breaking down the scale of the street and creating a transition between the human scale and the architecture that surrounds.
Similarly, Streetlife planters were selected to celebrate the forecourt of Cleveland’s Historic Terminal Tower Building. Here, the custom Hug a Tub designs in parallelogram shapes add greenery, variety, and excitement to the corridor. Along with this, a custom-tiered bench relating to the rotunda form of Tower City brings a dramatic and welcoming feel that encourages the public to interact, engage, and remain within the space.
Summary
Downtown Streetscapes Bedrock 0.0 represents a significant step in revitalizing Cleveland’s urban landscape. By prioritising city greening, pedestrian-friendly design, and public art, the project sets a standard for transforming downtown Cleveland into a more liveable, vibrant, green urban centre.
