GuadalupeGuadalupe RiverRiver ParkPark San José, California Master Plan 2002 City of San José San Jose Redevelopment Agency Santa Clara Valley Water District United States Army Corps of Engineers INTRODUCTION 1 VISION 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 Urban Setting, Natural Environment 6 Monitoring the Water’s Flow 6 People Flow 6 Park Open Spaces 7 The Way Forward 7 “All great cities have at least one great park. PROJECT SETTING 9 The Region 9 The Guadalupe will be that great park” Project Site 9 River Environment 9 MASTER PLAN 13 Frank Fiscalini Master Plan Philosophy 13 Former Vice Mayor & Council Member Flood-Control Measures 14 Chair of the Guadalupe River Park Task Force The Urban Framework 15 Gems in the Necklace 19 Maintaining the Vision 31 APPENDIX A 33 PROJECT HISTORY 34 200 Years of Flooding 34 Flood Control or Park? 35 Creative Responses to a Unique Idea 36 A History of Collaboration 38 Community Involvement 38 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 39 CREDITS 40 This is a story about the renaissance of a river. Not a river in the region through a network of trails. The Guadalupe River Park wild, but a river that meanders through the heart of a very large city. hosts myriad activities and open spaces, from the Children’s TA river that attracted Native American and European settlers to its Discovery Museum to Sister City Gardens to the River Walk. Fish edge because it teemed with fish and other food sources, but drove have returned, breeding, migrating and spawning in the channel. them back with the force of its floods. A river that, in the 1930s and Birds, mammals and amphibians find habitat in the vegetation 40s, children swam in after school. A river that, by the 1950s and along the river’s edge. And humans who enjoy the stimulation of 60s, was edged by both quaint residences and by industrial buildings urban life can also find moments for quiet reflection in the park’s crowded up against its banks, draining their waste into its waters. A plazas and gardens. river that, by the late 1960s, was all but forgotten, strewn with shopping carts and anything but attractive. Underneath all these physical improvements is something much more mundane but equally critical to the downtown—facilities that That river, the Guadalupe, today looks quite different again. Much protect the city from the river’s floods have been incorporated into of its banks are filled with vegetation that provides habitat for the design of the Guadalupe River Park. Hidden underground or wildlife and forms a verdant buffer between the downtown and the masked as open space, these measures represent an entirely unique water. From Highway 880 to Highway 280 it has become a park approach to maintaining a natural river in a highly urban area. where commuters walk and ride their bicycles; where children squeal as they run and climb and swing in playgrounds; where people sit The renaissance of the Guadalupe River has taken place over 30 under beautiful old trees and watch the river wander by or learn years, a blink in the life of a river but almost half the life of a something new about its history and the history of the city. human. It represents a fundamental change in thinking about the role of the river in downtown, tremendous efforts on the part of the Today the Guadalupe River is truly the heart of San José, linking city and its residents, and the persistent pursuit of a vision. A vision various corners of the downtown and connecting the city to the not only of a better river, but of a better San José. I have fond memories of the his brothers and sisters played along a Guadalupe River was for the Ohlone active city on its banks. My Guadalupe River as a young child. It river in Mexico similar to the Indians and later for the agriculture Grandfather would be proud to see the was a great playground and an easy Guadalupe. We could imagine them industry that made this “The Valley of river being used for the enjoyment of escape form city life. My sisters and I playing much like ourselves. The river Hearts Delight”. all. There is life again in the river. would play tag, hide and seek, lay in represented “life” as it brought I am excited and pleased to see the the grass and tell stories. We would nourishment to the crops, food and rebirth of the river area. Now a source Teresa Chavez Delgado, wonder if my Grandfather Cesar and work for the families much like the for relaxation and entertainment for the Grandaughter of Cesar Chavez INTRODUCTION 1 The vision that brought the Guadalupe River from neglected major flood-control facilities and a beautiful regional park could be afterthought to the heart of downtown recognized that most great combined so successfully and subtly. Tcities in the world sit next to a body of water and celebrate it in some way. And while many of the rivers that flow through cities Rather than serving particular neighborhoods or special interests, have concrete or stone-lined banks, the people behind this vision saw the Guadalupe River Park was envisioned as a regional resource. It an opportunity to preserve and celebrate the natural character of the is a place for people of all ages to enjoy a variety of activities in Guadalupe River as it meanders through San José. Early planners different open spaces along the river, from the smallest plaza to the realized that such an amenity would be an integral part of a beautiful largest meadow. Recognizing that open space is in short supply in downtown that attracts people and business. cities and generally has fewer advocates than development does, the vision for the park focused on providing open space that would Yet protection from the Guadalupe’s sometimes devastating floods be maintained for passive uses—walking, bicycling, playing, has never been far from people’s minds. The river’s repeated bank- contemplating nature, educational pursuits, and similar activities. topping over the centuries has shown that implementing measures that would minimize or eliminate damage from flood events was This vision has now become a reality. The Guadalupe River Park critical to the continued growth of the city. draws young and old to the river’s banks, offering a respite from the hectic life of the city. Educational elements exist throughout the In contrast to the metal-and-concrete nature of flood-control park, and commuters use it as a pleasant alternative to cars and measures, a serene, natural environment in the midst of urban bustle traffic. Everyone has their favorite spot. The park will continue to was the core vision for the Guadalupe River Park. Layered onto that grow and change, but the vision that brought it to this point will vision was the creation of a focal point for the city, a center of remain: it will continue to be a natural heart for San José, providing activity full of amenities, a place for education. Testament to the a range of passive activities and offering habitat for wildlife. And it strength of the vision for the Guadalupe River Park is the fact that will be an integral component to the making of a great city. River Park Towers is the first major Here, people relax while they enjoy the cross a bridge over the river towards example of the major benefits private project by a private developer that was River Park’s natural beauty. Or, they can the central business district. developers gain as their projects designed as a natural extension of the embark on a trail; either for exercise, to As an architect involved with provide further enhancement to the Guadalupe River Park. Access to the bird watch or enroute to a business downtown San José redevelopment Guadalupe River Park, neither of which main lobby is past a waterfall type appointment. The plaza is a place and the Guadalupe River Park project can be achieved without the other. fountain and across a plaza that where walkers can rest and listen to the for over thirty years, I believe Stan Gould, Task Force Member connects directly to the River Park. relaxing sounds of cascading water, or River Park Towers is an excellent VISION 3 The heart of downtown San José is not a single monument or decades that feature varying levels of concrete and piping, plaza, but a soft green ribbon winding among the buildings and sometimes blending into the natural surroundings, sometimes Tstreets of a dense urban center. That ribbon, the Guadalupe River, standing in sharp contrast. gives San José a character unique among the largest cities in the United States. Next to corporate headquarters, commercial and With insight and persistence, citizens of San José, the City, the office space, civic buildings, busy intersections and freeways, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, the Santa Clara Valley Water river calmly passes through town, its green banks providing a District (SCVWD) and the United States Army Corps of natural setting that allows wildlife to co-exist with city life. Engineers (Corps) have slowly reconciled traditional flood-control planning with the dream of a nature-filled park downtown. Between Highways 880 and 280, the Guadalupe River also hums The Guadalupe River Park Master Plan is unique in the way it with human activity. Following the flow of the river, pathways and carefully weaves the river’s natural and cultural amenities together plazas host strolling families, commuters on foot or on bicycle, with the flood protection needed to keep its frequent high flows playing children, and individuals seeking a few quiet moments from causing damage to the city.