Project description

The friendship park is a binational park located along the US-Mexico Border in San Diego and Tijuana. In the middle of the friendship park is the border fence that divides the two countries. Residents from both countries can meet in person at the friendship park. While the friendship park on the Mexican side is well designed and open to the public without restrictions, the park on the U.S. side is mostly naked land and heavily monitored by U.S. Border Patrols.

Therefore, we decide to redesign the friendship park on the U.S. side to make it more vivid and satisfy the needs of the frequent visitors. After researching, we find that most visitors are Mexican immigrants living in San Diego who want to have some short family reunions on the border. There are also some weekly activities, called “El Faro,” holding in the park for the residents on both sides to gather together.

Because of all the needs above, we decide to divide the park into four units, and each unit can have different functions. The first unit is for the visitors to enjoy the coastal view; the second unit has a stage to hold performances; the third unit is a place to hold exhibitions; the fourth unit is a resting area for people to take a break. Because the park on the Mexican side is already well designed, we decide to follow the patterns to make the whole park consistent. The new design adds vitality to the existing place and will attract more people to visit the park.