Heritage Park

Stormwater treatment in a parkway compliment park use areas and define a community’s image

The City of Minneapolis sought to reconnect a redeveloping area to downtown cultural institutions and adjacent neighborhoods, while simultaneously revealing natural systems and processes and improving water quality of Bassett Creek, that was culverted and buried early in the 20th century. 

Wenk Associates led a team of civil engineers and ecologists to develop concepts to daylight the Creek as the spine of a series of parks and parkway. The firm guided development of a surface stormwater system that employs a network of wetlands, meadows, and ponds to remove urban pollutants and create a rich fabric of park landscapes. The plan extends the City’s historic park and parkway network and incorporates 900 housing units in the 120-acre redevelopment area.