Asakura Robinson is currently leading the first-ever master plan for Austin’s Zilker Botanical Garden. Public engagement is a significant aspect of the project and our planning team will be hosting a series of Community Workshops with the City of Austin March 19, 21, 24 at multiple locations around Austin including at the garden itself. We hope you can join us!
Often referred to as the “jewel in the heart of Austin,” Zilker Botanical Garden (ZBG) is nestled on 28 acres within Zilker Park, along the southbank of Ladybird Lake. Although situated in close proximity to other Zilker Park attractions such as Barton Springs pool and the Austin Nature & Science Center, the Garden is far less known within Austin and has received far less visitorship over the years, primarily due to its cloistered location within the park and various access constraints. Nevertheless, the mere existence of the Garden is a testament to over 50 years of volunteer efforts by countless individuals representing Austin’s numerous garden clubs, which together form the Austin Area Garden Council.
The Garden already includes a range of horticultural spaces such as a rose garden, herb garden, cactus & succulent garden, daylily garden, children’s garden, iris garden, butterfly, garden, and an expansive Japanese garden, plus less conventional spaces like the Hartmann Prehistoric Garden and the Austin Green Garden– all interconnected by meandering paths, winding streams, Koi-filled ponds and waterfalls. Indeed, many of these garden spaces have been lovingly created and maintained by volunteers in collaboration with City of Austin staff. But even with such a strong foundation, the site never been fully truly master planned to understand how it can better serve all Austinites and become a more significant destination.
The Phase 1 of the Master Plan is conceived as way of laying the groundwork for a more robust and comprehensive successive phase by beginning with an assessment of current assets and development challenges at the Garden and a robust schedule of outreach to a broad range of garden stakeholders and residents across the city. The current scope will culminate with a set of recommendations to identify key opportunities and guide the the next phase of master planning, as well as a formal mission statement and vision for the Garden.
We’re thrilled to be working with the City of Austin on this and have pulled together several very specialized partners for our consultant team. Our core team includes EMD Consulting who is guiding our benchmarking work and and leading the mission statement development, and Go Collaborative which is our partner on all community engagement work. In addition, Nelson Byrd Woltz and Page/ will participate as advisory team members providing additional leadership on landscape architecture and architecture and facilities planning, respectively.
Our work on the Phase 1 Master Plan will run through the Spring and culminate in June. Please visit http://www.austintexas.gov/ZBGmasterplan to learn more about the project and a brief online survey will be available on the website beginning March 19!
View the flyer here.