River Regions Trail Cemetery Walk & Trailhead
This city-wide greenway proposal begins downtown in Dexter Avenue and cuts through Oakwood Cemetery in order to develop a broad array of greenway environments within one trail and in order to access Cypress Creek Park. Scope of Project | Primary trail from Dexter Ave to Cypress Creek Park Secondary trail from Columbus St. to The Legacy Museum
Site Within Montgomery
Oakwood Cemetery spot elevations
85.5-acre Oakwood Cemetery is owned by the City of Montgomery with a 12-acre annex adjacent. This site is situated at one of the highest elevations in Montgomery. The site's highest points are at 94' above sea level and 82' above sea level.
Left: Larger elements contributing to the program of the forest plaza Right: Overall site plan
Purpose Behind Design
The Cemetery Walk's aim is to create an offshoot of the River Regions Trail that leads to parking and entry to Cypress Nature Park by crossing through Oakwood Cemetery. The interesting topography of the cemetery could make for potential viewing areas of the city of Montgomery. The design's priority is to provide walkability through a more park-like setting for the neighborhoods in northern-industrial Montgomery and to create pleasant, immediate access to Cypress Nature Park from downtown Montgomery.
The only possibility for including the historic cemetery in the current greenway plan relies on the availability of the Jackson’s Cut portion of the Rail Line; accessibility to this land is dependent upon the Railroad ownership. One concept in this phase of design proposes a bridge connecting the two hills composing "Old Oakwood Cemetery". The bridge will go over Jackson's Cut and potentially provided access down to the old rail line.
Material & Site Inspiration
Materiality Study
The Cypress Creek Nature Preserve Trailhead will act as a "forest plaza", serving as a transition space from either for commuter parking lot or cemetery trail to the park itself.
An example of fieldwork's guidance in design prioritization; this easement on Conservation Parkway opened ideas to gathering space in the middle of otherwise wooded area.
Full scope of site looking south, at the Oakwood Cemetery Hill. The Cypress Creek Trailhead sits snuggly between the Welcome Center and bike repair/ parking portion of the greenway and Forest Plaza.
Design opportunity in the transitional portions of the plaza and trailhead; making every moment enjoyable for the visitors whether it be in the morning or the evening. Left: parking is bordered by large planters and simple signage visible from the drive on Communications Parkway. Right: seatwalls intersecting the children's forest play area and the bike repair.
Gathering Spaces
A wading pool and welcoming center help to bridge the greenway's leaving Oakwood Cemetery and entering the trailhead and park atmosphere.
The children's play forest is surrounded by bench seating and is in direct relationship with access to the greenway or further access to the rest of the plaza. The play space sits above a planter of shade-tolerant plants that make the space feel intimate and jungle-like. Two large red maples make this space so intimate while it's otherwise completely open to the rest of the plaza. One tree has been removed in this rendering to illustrate the relationship to other gathering spaces in the plaza (i.e. the wading pool and learning porch).
The Welcome Center is intended to be very simple; it houses bathrooms, a small classroom that also functions as a gallery for local artists' shows, and a learning porch, where children's camps or guided walks congregate before heading out to the park.
