Re-vision
Linn Park

From its roots as an industrial center, Birmingham has matured into a vibrant, modern city. As it enters a period of rebirth and reinvestment, parks and open space are a vital part of the equation.

The Re-vision Linn Park initiative is a comprehensive, community-driven effort to revitalize Birmingham’s historic Linn Park, aiming to transform it into a vibrant civic space that honors its past while embracing its future.

Context and community engagement

Linn Park, established in the early 20th century, has long served as a central gathering place in downtown Birmingham. Recognizing the need for revitalization, the City of Birmingham, in partnership with REV Birmingham and OJB Landscape Architecture, launched the Re-vision Linn Park project in 2022. The initiative began with a series of community workshops and surveys to gather public input on the park’s future. Over the course of the project, approximately 595 community members participated, providing valuable feedback on park usage, desired amenities and perceptions of the space.

Design concepts and public feedback

Based on community input, the design team developed three preliminary concepts: the Central Green, Terraces and Great Lawn. Each concept incorporated features such as community spaces, memorials, shade structures, park cafés and children’s play areas. The Central Green concept emphasized a civic lawn and interactive fountains, while the Great Lawn featured a large event space and terraced seating. Community feedback indicated strong support for elements from both concepts, leading to a hybrid design that integrates aspects of the Central Green and Great Lawn plans.

Next steps: Park sustainability

As of October 2022, the project has entered its final stages. Linn Park’s community-oriented planning and design process created a fresh park design concept and a draft plan for ongoing park programming and activation. Click below to view the park design concept that was developed by OJB Landscape Architecture.

The steering committee is working now to refine a governance model for sustained maintenance and capital investment.