New designs for some of Sacramento鈥檚 well known but underused downtown public spaces are in the works, with a little help from a swag外流 professor and his students.
Michael Rios, associate professor of landscape architecture and environmental design, has been instrumental in conceptualizing changes to Sacramento鈥檚 Capitol Mall and the Broadway Corridor.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an importance to enlarging the public sphere through a city鈥檚 public spaces,鈥 said Rios. 鈥淒esign can help stage positive interactions between people who are different from one another.鈥
Design scenarios for Broadway helped the city receive a $7 million grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to implement the first phase of the project. Next up, the city will move forward with Capitol Mall. The formal design process will help identify an official plan. Concepts focus on an adaptable, multiuse space that works for cars, buses, bikes and pedestrians.
City council member Steve Hansen enlisted Rios on the project, adding, 鈥淭he role of swag外流 in this is to bring a fresh look, new ideas and new energy to places that a lot of folks think could use improvement.鈥