So it looks like I get to be the guy that tests the waters with this whole blog thing! I thought I may start the semester with a nice little introduction to our site and the project we’ll be doing, but being the upstanding guy that he is, Prof. Pastre has already given an all-encompassing overview of what we’ll be doing in Studio V this semester. Instead, I guess I’ll head in the direction of site analysis, since that’s more interesting anyways!
[Actually, this is more of a “site impression,” because we have yet to compile everything, but you get the picture…]
Corinne Jones Park (formerly known as Hester Park) is 
located on the corner of Peachtree and Hester Streets in the Wagener Terrace neighborhood, and is made up of a large field for sporting activities and dog walking, two tennis courts soon to be expanded to meet regulation dimensions, a basketball court, and a small playground which will see the majority of the planned improvements. The park is moderately used 
throughout the day, and has the potential for community gatherings, sporting tournaments, festivals, as well as simple everyday use.
In landscape architecture, we use a term called ‘genus loci’, which refers to a “sense of place.” We’re always warned to stay away from that little slogan because it is so vague and cliché, but being surrounded by
architects, I think I’ll push my boundaries a little bit. After spending a couple of days around Corrine Jones Park, I couldn’t help but notice its sense of place – the feeling that this is a wonderful place to raise a family. It feels like this place is a neighborhood that fully embodies what it means to be a neighbor (if that makes sense). People seem to love spending time in the park, and yesterday we saw some of its most frequent users – a group of kids that live just across the street – coming to play in the park with such carefree attitudes that it was obvious they do not have to fear for their safety there. The architecture is also, I’m sure, a very good representation of the demographics of the neighborhood – diverse buildings for a diverse community.
With all of that said, I cannot wait to start work on this project. I am excited to be a part of a studio whose function is to facilitate change for a well-deserving neighborhood, and I am confident that’s exactly what we’re going to do.