Santa Fe Railyard Park, 2002 - 2008

The Sante Fe Railyard Project, a 13-acre park built on the site of an abandoned rail yard, was the result of a 20-year, community-initiated urban redevelopment effort to reconnect neighborhoods that had been previously separated by the industrial site. The park provides a pedestrian link to downtown Santa Fe. Miss was familiar with the landscape from her childhood visits and assumed an active role in the site's design. Working with landscape architect Ken Smith and architect Fred Schwarts, Miss intertwined the diverse narratives and histories of the site with those who would use it. 

The design elements and materials speak to an aspect of the site’s history and use, especially water, which plays a major role in the design of the park. A blue water tank hangs above the site and rainwater, which is stored through the hardscape and surrounding roofs, is circulated throughout the park, watering the native plants. Thus, using water storage and distribution techniques that have been used in New Mexico for hundreds of years, the park becomes an oasis for the local community. A series of circular areas defined by stones, wooden walls, or trellises recall the circular irrigated fields seen from the air, as well as the underground chambers of Native American architecture.