Girard Street Playground Master Plan
Columbia Heights, Washington, DC

Inscape Studio worked with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and local community groups to plan a neighborhood playground on a site with a history of crime. The master plan resulted from community design workshops sponsored by the NEA and the US White House Council on Environmental Quality and built on partnerships between government, residents and businesses. It centers around a large open green space ringed with children’s play areas. Playground entrances are located at inviting mini plazas announced with “Culture Gates” and connected by a walk shaded with colorful trees.

A park building and stage are placed to provide visual connection between neighborhood and park. They divide the playground, seperating basketball courts from the green space. A promenade is intended to link the playground with arts education buildings to be developed in existing buildings in the northeastern corner. Sustainable lanscaping and neighboord sweat equity programs were key features of the proposal.