Creative Placemaking Along the Kenilworth Avenue Corridor

Abstract

The Purple Line will be a Light Rail connection that allows public transportation from New Carrollton to Bethesda with several stops along the way. One of those stops is at the Kenilworth Avenue and MD-410 intersection in Riverdale Park. The Landscape Architecture Urban Design Studio designed strategies and concepts to improve on the current plan for the streetscape along Kenilworth Ave. and MD-410 surrounding the new Light Rail Station. Students agreed to decrease road sizes, add sidewalks on either side of Kenilworth and MD-410, introduce bike lanes, remove slip lanes, manage stormwater, and add bus modality. At the core of the student’s design is accessibility for pedestrians and safe street crossings while balancing street character, shade, comfort, and shelter from vehicular traffic. Students implemented Placemaking strategies to communicate the community’s desires and plans for future investment.