There has been a great deal of buzz in recent weeks about the future of one of Birmingham, Alabama’s downtown parks. It appears as though the first steps towards defining its future is set as Meredith Carswell-Sheline, executive director of the Carraway Community Development Corporation, announced earlier today that a town hall meeting & charette is planned to discuss future plans for Marconi Park on Thursday, May 24 starting at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the YMCA Youth Center.

Cheryl Morgan of the Auburn Urban Studio will facilitate the charette, with representatives from KPS Group attending as well, as they are serving as the landscape architect on the project. Representatives from Space One Eleven will also be in attendance assisting children in attendance to discover what they would like to see in the park.

There are varying thoughts on what the future of Marconi Park should be as evidenced in this Birmingham News article from mid-April. Time will tell whether the park retains a more active use or if it becomes more passive, which really brings up the question of immediate needs versus long term needs.