The City of Trenton had been cut off from the water by highways and a sea of parking lots had rolled out over the years to accommodate the thousands of state workers who commute in from the suburbs. A team, led by Margie Ruddick, won the competition to redesign the downtown of Trenton, New Jersey, from the State House to the Delaware and the Assunpink Creek by restoring connections between city and river, between neighborhoods, and between contemporary Trenton and its history. The team, and the client, saw this project as an opportunity to restore the artistic spirit that resided in Trenton since its beginnings by including local artists and artisans as well as historic forms in the design process. Integrating the river systems, the changes in topography, and the many different uses, making connections between various neighborhoods, linking the historic sites, developing new riparian habitat all worked together to recast Trenton as a waterfront city.
