Community Landscape Lab

Bowman Park

The Bowman Park project was undertaken by four students in Professor Katherine Melcher's landscape engagement studio at the University of Georgia during the fall semester of 2021. The following blog entries were written throughout the course of semester to document the project.

Blog entries and project content were developed by Elizabeth Crimmins, Andrew Petersen, Kayla Joiner, and Guangzhao Zhang.

Project Introduction

Bowman, South Carolina is a rural town about an hour northwest of Charleston. The initial 2020 census data finds that the population sits just below 800, a 19% decline from the 2010 population and a 34% decline from the population in 2000. The numbers tell the story of a small town in the south that is losing residents and families to larger cities with more amenities. In fact, Bowman is the only city in Orangeburg County that does not have a safe and functional city park.

Lifelong residents Ike, Sherry, and Lindsay Carter have spent decades investing in the community and the people in it. They believe in a brighter future for Bowman and are dedicated to creating a higher quality of life for the families that live there. That dedication is what inspired them to pursue the redesign of the city park. With the help of other residents and City Council members, the Carter family has started the fundraising process and began planning for renovations. They submitted their project to UGA in order to pursue additional help generating a master plan for the park and graphic renderings to aid in their pursuit of grant funding for the new park.

In Fall 2021, their project proposal was selected to be a part of Katherine Melcher's Community Design Studio. Our team was quickly briefed on the project and sent off to the races to begin working alongside the community to envision the best design possible for Bowman's community park.

[Written by Kayla Joiner]

Existing aerial image of Bowman Park. It is a 0.78 acre lot located in the heart of downtown Bowman.

The play equipment on site is closed for use due to damage and safety concerns. The surrounding fence also needs extensive repair.

The basketball court on site is one of the most used community amenities. With a rich heritage in basketball, revitalizing the existing court is a high priority.

Getting Started: Developing Engagement Activities

Before beginning the design process, our team wanted to ensure we understood the local needs and context. After reviewing the initial project proposal, we initiated a 1-hour Zoom Meeting to hear more from Ike, Sherry, and Lindsay about the City of Bowman and the inspiration for the park.

During this initial meeting, we determined that a trip to Bowman was the best next step in order to fully understand the site context and to gather feedback from the community. In preparation for this trip, our team began developing several activities that we could use to engage the Bowman community in the planning process.

These activities included an online survey, image inspiration boards, and drawing and writing activity sheets for students to complete. The online survey was distributed via a flyer with a corresponding QR Code (pictured right). The inspiration boards were taken on the trip to Bowman to allow residents to vote on their favorite image from each category by placing a dot sticker.

[Written by Kayla Joiner]

(Middle) Example pages from the online survey distributed to local residents and students.

(Top Right) Pages from the inspiration board activity that allowed residents to vote on their favorite images by placing a dot sticker.

(Bottom Right) The flyer distributed locally and via email that invited residents to participate in the online survey.

Digging Deeper: Community Participation

(Top) Bowman residents vote on their favorite inspiration images for the park at the community cookout.

(Middle) Our team and several residents and city council members during the site visit to Bowman Park.

(Bottom Left) Working with the librarian at Bethune-Bowman school to pin up activities for students to participate in.

(Bottom Right) One design example from a group of elementary school students that produced design drawings for their "dream park".

Our team had the privilege of visiting Bowman, South Carolina in early September to survey the project site and meet with key stakeholders.

We were able to conduct individual interviews and engage community members using the dot board activity during an informal cookout on Thursday night. This was an invaluable time of hearing from long time community members about their dreams for the park.

Several additional community members joined our team for the site visit to the existing park on Friday morning. In addition to getting real time feedback, we were able to partner with the local school to plan engagement activities that teachers could conduct in their classrooms!

The community input from this trip gave us a clear starting point for the redesign of Bowman Park.

[Written by Kayla Joiner]

Next Steps: Design Alternatives

After returning from our site visit, our team took a few days to synthesize the feedback we collected during our time with the Bowman community.

We did a sticky note pin up where we all generated individual notes for each recommendation we heard on the trip or in the survey. This allowed us to prioritize the program items and identify recurring trends in what community members wanted to see in the new park design.

We grouped all of the sticky notes and produced a master list of program items and recommendations (right). Our team then began using that list to generate different design alternatives (below) to present back to the community.

[Written by Kayla Joiner]

Design Alternatives

The initial visit with our client was crucial in that we gained so much necessary insight and experience with Bowman Park as well as the wider community. During the first phase a lot of thought was given to planning and organizing our design process for the semester while simultaneously gathering the information we needed to make informed design decisions. Site photos, questionnaires, and general conversations are some examples. These findings were summed up in the Bowman Site Visit and Community Feedback Results sheet (pictured above right). Now that we had that information, our next phase focused on all our members developing individual site plans in order to explore unique ideas and preconceptions regarding the project.

Producing Individual Plans

We started this individual process by creating multiple functional diagrams each and comparing them to each other. After this process we noticed we naturally created a spectrum of designs ranging from more traditional and linear to more modern and curvilinear. Therefore, we decided to explore these 4 different options further with fleshed out site plans (pictured below). This process of site plan creation, group review, and reiteration continued two or three different times until we came to an option that we were happy with.

(above) Andrew's Design Alternative

(above) Sophia's Design Alternative

(above) Kayla's Design Alternative

(above) Elizabeth's Design Alternative

Presenting Alternatives and Synthesizing Feedback

After four different distinct site plans were created we reached out to the community to schedule another engagement session to propose our individual designs. At this stage we still wanted to show the community as many various options as possible. Hearing what they liked, disliked, as well as trying to show them new ideas was important for the team. It's important to note that our team was able to propose these design alternative at the monthly town council meeting, and that a good strategy for engagement is to capitalize on existing meeting schedules. Afterwards, community members gave feedback on the things they would like to see developed and what they wanted thrown out. Given the time constraints, as well as to include as many community members as possible, we also created an online survey. In the survey, the different alternatives as a whole as well as similar features were compared and voted on. Lastly, there was a free response section for participants to allow participants to express things that they would like to see or if they had any concerns with the designs.

(above) Design Alternatives Questionnaire where participants decided what aspects of each park they liked the most.

(above) Early draft of stage/entrance to Bowman Park by Elizabeth Crimmins.

Design Alternatives Conclusion and Next Steps

Overall, the design alternatives were very helpful in narrowing down the core programming for Bowman Park. A stage (pictured right), a central lawn, separate playgrounds for younger and older kids, and a heavier programmed basketball court were all items that the community gravitated towards. Also after synthesizing the feedback from our “Design your Dream Park” activity and our online survey we found that a lot of kids also would like to see more items in the park that were more engaging. A zipline and climbable equipment are items that we hope to incorporate as well.

[written by Andrew Petersen]

Master Plan & Cost Estimate Phase

To evaluate our design alternatives, we had an initial meeting with all stakeholders in the Bowman Community, from which we got lots of useful comments. For the next stage, we prepared a “final” design that incorporated community input and the best team ideas, which included two stages--synthesis of the master plan, and creation of the probable construction costs. Hopefully, these steps could not only help our clients to develop support and enthusiasm for the project, but also lay the foundation for the next phase of community feedback (evaluating the master plan, prioritizing phases, and working through design details)

Master Plan Phase

The primary goal is to merge community input and design ideas into one final design. As a team, we broke down the synthesis into three phases: group prioritization, group design, and group production. First of all, we cooperated community feedback into a design preferences list to guide our final design synthesis. The major considerations included but were not limited to: What is the majority opinion? Which feedback is from unprofessional/ professional stakeholders? What is feasible advice? What are the well-reasoned responses?

Based on the priority list, we individually made the new design alternatives and finalized them into one design. The consensus was achieved by combining the same design elements and figuring out the best solutions for the different ideas through discussion. Undoubtedly, the process was complicated and hard, but everyone got the chance to hold the pencil and speak, making sure the final design is developed towards the best version we could imagine. Then we did some round-robin revisions: one person revised the plan and then handed it off to the next one.

1. Group prioritization:

Synthesize feedbacks into a design preferences list to guide the design.

• Export and analyze statistical results from the online survey

• Incorporate feedbacks from council meetings into a list

• Classify the “like” & “dislike” in the design alternatives from meetings

• Discuss which design items are to be kept, removed, or improved

2. Group design:

Everybody expressed design ideas and revised the plan.

• Draw the rough design sketches individually

• Group together to make consensus

• Seek common ground and keep the same elements

• Compromise and find the best solutions for different ideas

3. Group production:

Divide up the production according to team members' skills.

• Basemap in Autocad

• Rendering site plan in Photoshop

• Virtual model in Sketchup

• Perspectives in Lumion

• Writing, Images, and Layout in Indesign

(Top) Summary of the community feedback: Our group listed all the suggestions and classify them into"positive" and "negative" items

(Bottom) The preliminary rendering of the Bowman Park master plan shows the details of each revised area after the synthesis.

Perspective of the preliminary entry area

Perspective of the multi-sports area

Perspective of the stage and lawn

Perspective of the adult recreation area

Cost Estimate Phase

Every project has a budget. Estimating costs is a design tool that enables us to work with our clients to achieve their goals, which helps to build a better relationship with our clients because they trust that we are not splashing their money. Therefore, it is necessary to give clients the maximum quality and aesthetic value for the money that they have to spend. Each of us was responsible for some criteria in the site, estimated them individually, and then grouped them together to form the total potential cost trade-offs. The detailed steps are presented as follows.

1. Divide up the whole site

• Entry area

• Stage, lawn, and plaza

• Playgrounds for younger and older children

• Multi-sport court and game area

• Streetscape

2. Estimate the cost individually

• Mobilization and demolition

• Grading and drainage

• Hardscape improvements

• Site Furnishings and lighting

• Landscape improvements (planting, soil prep, etc.)

(Above) Example from the cost estimate of the entry area.

3. Combine the cost estimate sheet

• Calculate subtotal cost based on the unit of measurement, unit price, and quantity of each item.

• Estimate the total cost by adding up the subtotal costs based on the categories.

* Simplified construction math:

• Total Units X Unit cost = total cost.

• Sum of all the total costs + contingency = budget.

Note: Contingency is additional money that is added into the budget to cover unforeseen expenses, usually about 15‐20 percent of the sum of total costs.

Initial Cost Estimate in Total

Cost Estimate Percentages Based on Use

Master Plan & Cost Estimate Phase Conclusion and Next Steps

To sum up, this phase is an important transition, building the connection between the preceding "Design Alternative" and the following " Details & Implementation" phase. Not only did we learn how to synthesis design ideas based on community comments and overall vision, but tried to apply basic cost estimating practices to our design.

[Written by Guangzhao Zhang]

(Above) Aerial view of Bowman Park ( the preliminary version)

Details & Implementation Phase

The final phase of the project involved formulating design details and compiling all the work from the semester into a cohesive report to be presented to the Town of Bowman.

After the draft master plan and cost estimate was presented to our clients, we worked collaboratively to make edits to the overall plan including extending the fencing to the front of the park, reorienting the stage to be on the central axis, and simplifying the 6-12 play area to keep the existing swing set. After agreeing on the overall changes, each team member tackled one area of the park to develop in more detail.

The detailed plans included specifying materials, generating a planting plan, and drawing construction details for specific elements within that area. While this phase of the project was mostly done individually, there was collaboration on the chosen materials that would be used throughout the park. A general template was also created for each team member to place their final materials into in order to keep a cohesive look similar to the other deliverables produced throughout the semester.

The goal of these details is to supply the community with an in-depth look into how each area of the park could be constructed and planted.

Cover Page for Detailed Design

Example of Materials Plan

Example of Planting Plan

Example of Construction Details

All the changes made during this phase of the project were translated back into the final overall master plan that was presented to the client. The cost estimate was also adjusted in order to reflect the changes made and the materials chosen. We were able to adjust the cost by… (add this in if the cost goes down overall)

Additional materials produced for this phase of the project included volunteer guides for community-led projects. These projects aim to lower overall costs and keep community members engaged with the project by having them be a part of the design implementation. Projects for Bowman Park include a mural project, tractor art piece, park planting day, and multi-sport court. Each volunteer guide provides a project overview, estimated costs, materials list, and a step-by-step outline.

Excerpt from Community Mural Project Guide

Excerpt from Commnity Planting Day Project Guide

Excerpt from Multi-Sport Court Project Guide

Excerpt from Tractor Art Piece Project Guide

The final deliverables to the Town of Bowman include:

1. Final Report

The final report is a cohesive document that outlines the project from start to finish. This document is meant to be a resource for the town as well as marketing material for grant applications. The report is organized as follows:

Project Overview & Goals
Site Analysis & Photos
Design Process Overview
Summary of Community Input & Site Visit
Design Alternatives
Synthesizing Feedback
Final Master Plan
Cost Estimate
Community Project Opportunities

Overall, the goal of the final report is to summarize the project, highlight every phase, and provide the materials for the project to succeed when it comes time for implementation. We had the report printed and mailed to the Town of Bowman in addition to digital copies in order for the community to have the project on file physically.

Cover Page of Final Report

2. Example of an Award or Grant Application

An example of an award or grant application will be provided to the client to assist in the funding process. The example follows a template for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) award application which includes a project statement, narrative, category description, and project images. The goal of this application is to sell the project and ensure that the thought and work that went into the project are highlighted. The curated images are highly important in the selling process of the project because it gives the application reviewers visual representations of what the vision is for the project and how the money will be utilized.

One request our client had was to discuss the phase approach for the project in order to sell the funding resources on how the grants will be applied. The four phases our team are proposing are:

Tree Removal & General Demolition, Surrounding Fencing, Electrical Wiring, 2-5 Play Area, and 6-12 Play Area ($175,928)
Path System, Multi-Sport Court, Lawn Games, Lighting, and Seating ($140,240)
Stage & Bathrooms, Lawn, and Water Feature ($173,530)
Streetscape Improvements, Arched Entry Sign, Donors' Pathway, and Museum Plaza ($47,790)

3. Digital Copies of Final Deliverables

In addition to the physical copies of the final report, a thumb drive and emailed compressed folder will be provided to the client that will contain the following materials:

18”x24” PDF of the Final Master Plan with Labels and Title Block
Digital Copy of Final Report
Copy of Award / Grant Application
Engagement Materials (Children’s Drawings, photos of dot exercise, survey results)
Design Alternatives PDF
Materials Plans & Construction Drawings

We want to provide the client with these files in order for them a location to save future work and keep track of work completed from this project.

The conclusion of the project included a presentation on December 15, 2021, which included our primary clients from the Town of Bowman, key stakeholders, and other interested individuals.

[Written by Elizabeth Crimmins]

Final Reflections

Increased Agency through Communication

Bowman has been an honor to work with. The Community's willingness to work with us and their openness to new ideas has made them a privilege to work with. In a lot of ways I think this has made it very easy for us as designers. Even though I do not have a lot of professional experience, I assume that this type of engagement with the client will not always be the case, which makes it more special to be able to work with a community such as Bowman. Overall, I felt we were able to incorporate a lot of what the community liked into the final plan and we are hopeful that the community will be able to utilize and expand upon these designs for the future.

Working with Bowman also has really instilled the idea that design is a reiterative process. At every stage, and multiple times at each stage, there was a consistent cycle of creation -> feedback -> and edits. A possible shortcoming of this process is that some may find it repetitive, but it is necessary in order to apply the polish the final product needs. Our design process also combats this through the inclusion of the design alternatives section which enable the team as individuals to explore our own ideas. Also, during the later stages of design production the division of skills and labor helps keep things fresh and exciting. It really does take a team!

A possible shortcoming with the project was that most of our feedback and engagement sessions took place remotely. In a lot of different ways this does not allow for the same level of comfort and freedom of expression in-person visits allow. A possible benefit of COVID however, has been that everyone has had more practice when it comes to communicating digitally. Furthermore, this lack of in-person visits was Supported by our community’s willingness to work with us has allowed us to effectively plan and design with Bowman’s voice in mind.

[written by Andrew Petersen]

(above) My personal favorite "Dream Park" submission, the blue egg.

(above) Site visit with Bowman community

Impactful Connections

Very rarely in academic studios do we get to spend an ample amount of time connecting with a client and receiving community input. This project challenged the normal timeline for studio projects and allowed for each project team to connect with the community their project will be serving inherently leading to a more comprehensive and thoughtful product.

We were fortunate to be able to spend so much time hearing from community members of all ages throughout this process. We were able to hear what they wanted to see in their community park which in turn allowed for us to produce a master plan that reflected the people of Bowman. We continually iterated that this was their park and we wanted to ensure they were given a product that best represented that.

I felt the most valuable part of this project was the connection we made with the community members of Bowman. So often the work that we produce in academic studios feels more like a box to check to finish a semester, but Bowman Park has an indescribable emotional weight attached to it. A community that is filled with some of the most gracious and hospitable people needed someone to bring their vision to life, and I feel very grateful to be a part of the team that could provide this service. It was impactful to hear how appreciative the town was for our assistance in bringing their long-awaited dreams for this space to life, and it made this project feel like more than just an item to cross off the list at the end of the semester. I look forward to stopping through Bowman in the future and seeing how the project we created with the community comes together.

[Written by Elizabeth Crimmins]

The Small Things

After spending the last 10 years living in mostly urban settings, I almost forgot the magic of what small towns can accomplish. The opportunity to interact with and learn from the citizens of Bowman brought to mind the rural town I grew up in, and served as a reminder not to overlook or underestimate the "small things".

In the profession of landscape architecture, it is often the groundbreaking projects of monumental scale that get celebrated. But the impact that this 1-acre park will have on the Bowman community cannot be measured, and it certainly shouldn't be dismissed. The physical scale of a project scale does not correlate to the size of the impact it will have. This park will provide an eager community with a space to gather and it will give families a space to raise their children. We heard countless stories from parents, grandparents, and students expressing how this small space would change how they experience their day-to-day. This project is not small -- no, in fact it is quite the opposite.

Our team not only learned about the impact this small space could have, but how complex small-scale projects can become. When working with a limited budget and space, immense creativity and willingness to iterate are required. The final park design balances the long list of program items and trade-offs we interpreted from the community, but we did not arrive there easily.

I have found a renewed sense of excitement for the seemingly "small" projects and their potential to shape an entire community. There is meaning in every space people touch, and it is our job to help interpret that meaning and bring it to life for the communities that deserve it most. And Bowman certainly deserves this space.

[Written by Kayla Joiner]

We were welcomed into Bowman with a community cookout where we heard from dozens of people about their hopes and dreams for the new park.

The Coordinations & Trade-offs

I felt very fortunate to be able to participate in community engagement, which was my first time to have such a close relationship with the clients. Compared to the studios I took before, the biggest difference for the studio this semester is that the design will be built in the future. The standard for a good design should not only include elegance, cohesion but more importantly, practical use.

Therefore, as designers, we were prompted to ask" what do our clients want to see in their future park? What kind of activity do they prefer?" With the questions in mind, we adopted a unique pattern of cooperation with our Bowman clients---presenting our design at each phase and getting their feedback in time via Zoom meeting. Their active interaction really made us feel the enthusiasm for the project, but sometimes, it also put up some problems for us to solve.

One of the experiences that impressed me a lot was the trade-off about the entry area. Our client had a higher expectation for the current gateway design. So we thought hard and made two layouts for the entrance gate/fencing before getting too far down the road. The options were shown with illustrative drawings, descriptions about the pros and cons, and the material templates, which were of great help for our clients to compare and choose. Finally, we made a consensus on the type of gate and fence. Although the whole process of coordination was a little bit complicated and exhausting, the true meaning of design was of the people, by the people, for the people, wasn't it?

All in all, I think the biggest challenge in this project was the coordination of various opinions from the stakeholders, our professor, and team members. Sometimes we had to compromise to meet most of the expectations. Perhaps a perfect design proposal never exists. What we can do is to try our best to strike a balance between multiple values, needs, and preferences that emerge in the engaged design process.

[Written by Guangzhao Zhang]

(Above) The sheet we sent to our clients showed the two options for the type of gate and the fence position, helping them to make a decision.

(Above) The screenshot of the zoom meeting for the discussion of design alternatives. Our clients were very interested in the project.

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