Fargo Civic plaza

fargo, North dakota

This project is an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the civic plaza as an invaluable resource for Fargo by designing a space where the city can come together, which will encourage a vibrant and engaging downtown environment and foster the city’s connectivity to the river. This project blends the diverse interests of a variety of stakeholders such as Fargo Parks, the Performing Arts Center Task Force, Plains Art Museum, the designers and developers of Block 9 Plaza, FM Diversion, and the Army Corps of Engineers, adjacent neighborhoods and the broader downtown community. Our project approach builds upon the Downtown InFocus comprehensive plan from January 2018, and expands on the insights gained from the temporary site plan for the civic plaza area, Block 9 development plans, and EPA assessments for the Mid America Steel site, among others, and closely coordinates with concurrent design studies for the Performing Arts Center.

BLD's multi-layered approach to add value to the urban and social fabric and to incorporate infrastructural and ecological improvements, will create a holistic vision for Fargo Civic Plaza to be a flexible and adaptable public open space. Based on thorough analysis, BLD devises comprehensive contextual planning and site programming strategies that integrate and feature stormwater management as an inherent asset to the site, and will allow development of an innovative resilient landscape.