A series of five pocket parks along the 1.7-mile Selmon Greenway implemented by the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) to improve mobility and safety for pedestrian, bicycle commuters and recreational users in the downtown Tampa area has won two local urban planning and design awards. The project was honored with the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s Urban Excellence Award for Activating Public Spaces, and an Award of Merit in the Investment category from the Hillsborough County Planning Commission.

The park sites – which span the greenway from Tampa’s Central Riverwalk District to the Channelside District – border the City’s parking lots under the elevated sections of the Selmon Expressway and provide safe, aesthetically pleasing rest areas that enhance Tampa’s network of pedestrian pathways through downtown Tampa.

As part of a design-build team, Wade Trim developed the design and permitting for the parks using the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. The landscape design creates an understory of evergreen trees, shrubs and groundcover with seasonal diversity and colors to complement the City’s planned art sculptures. The hardscape design incorporates colored and textured concrete pavement at bicycle parking and seating areas. LED accent lighting is wirelessly controlled from THEA’s offices. The project included a soil improvement plan to support the low-maintenance, water-wise plants and a landscaped, terraced wall to replace eroding slope areas.