en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Glass City Riverwalk project, jointly designed by WXY, EDGE, and Colliers Engineering, is advancing in Toledo, Ohio, USA. Commissioned by Metroparks Toledo, this multi-year urban design project extends along the east and west banks of the Maumee River, aiming to connect the waterfront with downtown Toledo.
Transformed from an industrial shoreline, the waterfront features resilient design elements. The project provides public space between Fort Industry Square on Swan Creek to the west and Cherry Street to the east, while helping the city address the impacts of rising water levels.
Claire Weisz, founding principal of WXY, stated that Metroparks Toledo is committed to returning the river to the community, creating a continuous edge where people can walk, paddle, sit, and view the water from the city's origins. Weisz noted that the design goal is to create a waterfront for everyone, making the Maumee River the heart of downtown rather than its boundary.
The riverwalk features wide pathways, a play area centered around a repurposed lighthouse, an outdoor amphitheater, and bioretention gardens. An elevated walkway named "The Bend" connects to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge via a new crossing over the Maumee River, filling a gap in Toledo's pedestrian and bicycle network.
The project has reconstructed and renaturalized the east bank of the Maumee River, adding observation decks, seating terraces, planted groves, kayak launch areas, and a sculpture titled "Starburst" by artist Blessing Hancock.
David Vega-Barachowitz, director of urban design at WXY, said that reconnecting the two riverbanks with the downtown core to form a continuous and vibrant sequence of green spaces was a challenge. He mentioned that the design balances public access and recreational functions while creating a resilient waterfront that manages stormwater, rebuilds habitats, and activates the shoreline, making the landscape as ecologically efficient as the people it serves.
The Glass City Riverwalk is a decade-long project by Metroparks Toledo. Upon completion, the walkway will extend from the Veterans' Glass City Skyway to the Anthony Wayne Bridge, transforming brownfields into a continuous green corridor. The first phase of the project opened in East Toledo in 2023, with the remaining half currently in the design phase. Construction of the next phase will begin next year.
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