Town Branch Commons: An Urban Transformation in Lexington, Kentucky

Town Branch Commons: An Urban Transformation in Lexington, Kentucky

Town Branch Commons: An Urban Transformation in Lexington, Kentucky

Weaving 2.5 miles of green infrastructure and multi-modal transit through downtown Lexington to the rural communities on either side of Fayette County, Town Branch Commons is a transformational public space project for the city and county at large. Developed over a decade of public-private partnership, investment, iterative design, and engagement, the project is the culmination of in-the-weeds coordination with stakeholders and funders at the federal, state, and local level—a model for urban-scale green infrastructure projects in mid-sized American cities.

Inspired by the karst geology and native Bluegrass landscapes of Central Kentucky, the Commons thread limestone features through nearly every aspect of the design. from interactive water features to signature “cross-hatch” paving and traditional dry-laid stone fences created with local stonemasons. At a broader scale, the Commons represent a dramatic investment in resilient green infrastructure—curbing urban heat island effect, drastically expanding the city’s tree canopy, and introducing lush, native bioswales. The Commons also link into a regional open space network, connecting to the Legacy Trail and Town Branch Trail to the North and West in Fayette County.

Specifically, the project helped reconnect a historically Black community on the East End to Main Street, introducing a more direct connection through Thoroughbred Park and a new destination playground at Charles Young Park as part of larger civic investments secured through the planning process. It also improved connections at the Transit Center downtown, which primarily serves residents without other transportation options.

38.0372029, -84.4927694

Collaborators
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (Client), Design Team Leads - SCAPE (Design Vision & Master Plan) Gresham Smith (Final Design & Implementation) Design Team & Collaborators, Strand Engineering, Aguilar Stone Masonry, Pace Contracting
Lord Aeck Sargent, Third Rock Consultants, Lochner, AECOM, University of Kentucky, Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (VisitLex), Town Branch Trail, Inc., Acheulean Consulting, Art Inc. Kentucky, Yvonne Giles, Kenneth Brooks
Year of the project conception
2012
Year of completion of the project
2022
COST (€/m²) ($/m²) (€/ha) ($/ha)
Total project cost: 39.5 million
Price category
Regeneration
Price subcategory
Intervenciones urbanas
Surface
2.5 linear miles
Customer type
Administració pública
Customer Name
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG)
U.M.
linear miles
Construction company
Gresham Smith (Construction Management Lead), Pace Contracting (Contractor)
Works management
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG)
Maintenance manager
Brandi Peacher
Maintenance costs (€/m²)
N/A
地址
Town Branch Commons, Lexington, KY
Coordinates UTM
38° 2'27.65"N 84°29'28.67"W
City / Place
Lexington
区域
Kentucky
国家
美国