Liberty State Park Master Planning and Concept Design

Recommended ecological enhancements are incorporated into a park master plan and designs to help increase biodiversity and resilience while connecting the community to the region’s ecological history.

Spanning more than 1,100 acres and overlooking New York Harbor, Liberty State Park draws millions of annual visitors. After identifying the need to revitalize the park, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) sought to enhance and develop amenities that blend recreation, arts, and culture with the surrounding landscape while enhancing habitat and resilience.

As ecological advisors on multiple design teams, Biohabitats provided site assessment, master planning, and concept recommendations for multiple sections of Liberty State Park across nearly 500 acres. Biohabitats led the ecological programming for the sites, which aimed to increase biodiversity, improve flood resilience, and connect park guests to the region’s ecology. Throughout the master planning and design process, Biohabitats helped lead community engagement events and presentations. Biohabitats also supported an in-person working session and performed analysis to determine how to incorporate native plants and where native habitat could be introduced to improve the park.

Biohabitats performed site assessments of Liberty State Park’s ecological features and guided the team in developing conservation priorities and ecological enhancement recommendations aimed at improving habitat connectivity, ecological function, and site resilience. Recommended ecological interventions included native meadow creation, wetland restoration, shellfish restoration, living shorelines, reforestation, and green stormwater infrastructure. Biohabitats coordinated with the design teams to integrate these elements into the larger park programming, which included a community center, art and culture installations, athletic fields, and recreational facilities, ensuring that ecology is a valued component of the final park plan and design.

TAGS

• Analysis+Planning
• Ecological Restoration