Town Branch Commons brings beauty, sustainability to downtown Lexington | Opinion

On a recent trip to Lexington, I had the pleasure of walking the Town Branch Commons, the public walkway along Vine Street that was designed by New York-based firm SCAPE. I’m excited that Lexington has installed this far-sighted infrastructure project that provides much refreshment to the pedestrian’s eye and, it is hoped, relief to the rainwater management folks who have struggled with flooding along this stretch of road.

While budget constraints precluded the “daylighting” or uncovering of the actual Town Branch stream, the water flowing along the walkway takes us back to Lexington’s beginnings and suggests a new way to interact with paved over downtown spaces. I loved the walkway and its many examples of creative craftsmanship: Large blocks of rough hewn limestone stacked together vertically to mimic the top edge of the characteristic Bluegrass limestone walls, but these are cut to lean at an angle, playfully suggesting that someone pushed them over like so many dominoes. Blocks are also stacked horizontally to form small waterfalls and pools, showing the geology of water, karst and limestone that underlies the Bluegrass, the natural gifts that are the true riches of this region. Along the edges are native grasses and plants that can absorb rainwater and whose flowers and seeds will feed pollinators and birds. The plants bring a welcome softness to the concrete and glass buildings that dominate Vine Street.

I’m a New Yorker, but I’ve been visiting Lexington my whole life. My mother, Alice Freeman Hills, grew up here, and when she returned to Lexington in 1990 to be with my grandfather, UK professor Joe Frank Freeman, I wound up visiting many times. It’s been sad to see much of Lexington’s surrounding countryside disappear under highways and subdivisions. As a late-in-life student of architecture and sustainability at Columbia University, where SCAPE principal and designer Kate Orff teaches, I was excited to see this project evolve from community meetings to installation. The Town Branch Commons’ flowing water feature, paired with native plants, is part of a gathering movement to return nature to its place even in the most concrete urban environments. There is a similar project in Yonkers, New York, not far from where I live, where the Saw Mill River that flows into the Hudson was uncovered when an asphalt parking lot was removed. The Saw Mill River now flows over rocks past flowering native trees, shrubs and grasses and has truly transformed its downtown neighborhood.

The Sunday afternoon my Lexington cousins and I walked the pathway, we also explored the downtown neighborhood and ended up enjoying refreshments at a local spot. I would not be surprised if many urban-planning out-of-towners come to visit this new landmark and discover Lexington’s many pleasures. But my real hope is that Lexingtonians will take the time to walk this new path, marvel at its many features, and enjoy this new way to be part of this lovely city.

Betsy Hills Bush is a community gardener in Scarsdale, New York.