Long sought after transformation of Memphis riverfront happened over the last six years

This is the spring Memphis has waited 100 years for.

A century ago, in 1924, legendary urban planner Harland Bartholomew, in our city’s first comprehensive plan, challenged Memphis to do more with its riverfront.

“Today, the riverfront is not merely unattractive, but represents a flagrantly unprofitable use of the property … With proper architectural design, attractive lighting and the exercise of care in both public and private construction, this riverfront could be transformed into a picture of combined commercial and recreational activities truly representative of the city’s character and unsurpassed in attractiveness in any other city.”

Bartholomew’s prophecy was right about the power of a transformed riverfront, and today,  Memphians are voting with their feet in support of a great riverfront, with more than 500,000 visitors to the new Tom Lee Park alone in its first seven months.

How Carol Coletta brought urgency to riverfront revitalization

Over the intervening 100 years and despite dozens of plans and studies, the Memphis riverfront remained undervalued and underused, a reality punctuated by a featureless, formless Tom Lee Park.

That lack of action changed in 2017 when City of Memphis named a special riverfront task force to develop a concept for an engaging, welcoming and seamless five miles of riverfront parks. The following year, the Memphis River Parks Partnership was formed and charged by the City of Memphis with executing the task force’s plan.

To bring the ambitious vision into reality and to do it with a sense of urgency, we needed Carol Coletta, lifelong Memphian ranked No. 12 by Planetizen among most influential women urbanists.

As senior fellow at Kresge Foundation, the initiative she helped create, Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, had resulted in $8 million for public spaces in Memphis, including Cossitt Library, River Garden and Fourth Bluff Parks, and learning journeys for partners at Overton Park, Memphis Parks Division, Bloom, The Heights CDC, The Works CDC and Innovate Memphis.

The Partnership’s board’s appeal for her to join us led her to step down from her national platform and lead the riverfront parks’ transformation. Carol, along with her dedicated team and Partnership Board of Directors, have accomplished more on the city’s riverfront in recent years than any other city that comes to mind.

Park construction exceeds expectations of the City of Memphis

Within two years, two former Confederate-named parks were renamed and welcomed everyone, becoming River Garden and Fourth Bluff Park; River Line, a five-mile walking and biking trail on the riverfront, was connected; and new signage that won a national design award had been installed.

The partnership hired a team of internationally acclaimed architects, Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang and Kate Orff of SCAPE, to design a new Tom Lee Park in keeping with our philosophy of hiring the best teams possible.

In 2021, Memphis broke ground on a reimagined Tom Lee Park, and on Labor Day of last year, the reimagined Tom Lee Park opened.

By then, its construction had produced a record-setting 42% in MWBE (Minority or Women-owned Businesses) participation, exceeding the 25% set by City of Memphis.

Equity is a founding principle for our work along the river

This month, Tom Lee Park will welcome its 500,000th visitor from the more than 125 ZIP codes – from families in Memphis and students on field trips to visitors from other states and other countries and even NBA players.

The rich potential of our riverfront has now been unlocked, and Tom Lee Park is a vibrant, distinctive park helping to brand Memphis as “America’s most fun city,” according to The (London UK) Times.

It is but the latest media accolade from national and international media that have praised the park’s emphasis on ecology, public art and exploration, and as Memphis’s tribute to our city’s own unique character as interpreted through the heroics of Tom Lee.

The special nature of Tom Lee Park has been endorsed by the awarding of competitive grants from the Mellon Foundation, U.S. Department of Commerce, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and U.S. Congress. With these grants and the generosity of local foundations, individuals and business leaders, the Partnership has delivered a riverfront that exceeds all expectations and is poised to do even more.

Today, our new riverfront is testament to the power of our history on this great river, especially by reflecting on equity as a founding principle for all of our work.

Today, our riverfront is creating new experiences, restoring the ecosystem, helping improve health outcomes, introducing school students to its wonders, building a stronger sense of community and creating common ground where every citizen of Memphis can come together. We’re building on these values to imagine improvements and new uses for all riverfront parks, including Mud Island Park.

We invite you to join us in celebrating the riverfront Memphis has waited 100 years for. We are proud of what we have accomplished in only six years and the overwhelming response from the public. Now we look to how the Partnership, working with the administration of Mayor Paul Young and Memphis City Council, can continue to elevate the city we all love.

Tyree C. Daniels is chair of Memphis River Parks Partnership.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Memphis riverfront: Residents can take pride in the transformation