GIVING THE RIVER BACK

The focal point of this new urban community is the waterfront park, designed with a cable-stayed pier and magnificent water feature. A talented team of designers have created a truly one-of-a-kind interactive, educational park. To understand the Columbia River is to understand its parts, names, places and pathways. Experiencing the Headwaters Water Feature – the centerpiece for the half-mile long park – happens on many levels. Some are drawn to the feature for playtime, families with young children, or a playful adult choosing to kick off their shoes for a dip in the fountain.

  • Owned and operated by the City of Vancouver, please visit their website for park related inquires.
  • The park incorporates areas for picnics, biking, riverfront access, walking trails, and an expansive greenspace.
  • Designed for all ages, many benches and grassy areas to sit and admire the city as well as one of the best views of the Columbia River which is now be accessible for the thousands of visitors coming to The Waterfront each year.
  • Sculptural components such as granite and bronze elements play out across the park and interface with the landscape and buildings.
  • An interactive and playful historical lesson is provided throughout the feature as one can learn and recognize the names of the tributaries and the peoples that have populated and traveled rivers that feed into the mighty Columbia.
  • Soft, indirect lighting is utilized throughout this urban oasis.

“Our approach to projects is based on using sustainable landscape principals to creatively reflect the natural and cultural history of an area. By integrating these elements into our designs, we turn anonymous sites into memorable places that creatively articulate the local vernacular.”

— Margot Long, Principal, PWL Partnership Landscape Architects, Inc.

“Each project is a new challenge to which we seek a sustainable design solution that best captures the identity of the project. We use light to narrate a story that enhances the communication of a design and supports the human activities within it; pushing it beyond the conventional and familiar to achieve a unique and inspiring vision. Good light in the public realm is a critical amenity in our communities; it’s the magic in the night.”

— Fisher Marantz Stone

“I believe that carefully conceived public art installations and environments can create places of meaning within communities. The best of public art can challenge, delight, educate and illuminate. But above all, it can celebrate the qualities that make each place unique and can create a sense of civic ownership. This pride of place is a building block for the future of these communities.”

— Larry Kirkland

Columbia River Renaissance Trail

The “Trail” provides an accessible, scenic escape for outdoor enthusiasts and patrons of The Waterfront. In its current configuration the Columbia River Renaissance Trail, a five mile long pathway connecting Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver with Wintler Park, is perfect for walking, jogging, biking or rollerblading. The Waterfront addition to this trail, provides a westerly extension with access to Grant Street Pier, the park and the 20 blocks which make up the mixed-use development. With gorgeous views of Mount Hood, and the Columbia River, the “Trail” is a must see.

The Waterfront Vancouver USA