ABOUT

In 2015, The League of  Creative Interventionists (LoCI) hosted a 500 person community meal on the Innerbelt Freeway and asked residents from all over the City of Akron what they wanted to see in the future of the space once it closed to automobile traffic. 87% of the participants wanted a space for connection and nature. In 2018, we created a temporary green public space on an adjacent section of the decommissioned freeway to test this idea and gain valuable insight for a potential permanent green public space on the freeway. The Innerbelt National Forest featured 90 trees, trails, and events that provided a shared space for residents to come together. The forest was activated for two months in August and September of 2018. We hosted 26 events over 8 weeks with over 400 visitors and paid local artists over $70,000.

In 2019 LoCI, the City of Akron, and the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition began working together to assess the Innerbelt Forest and imagine how it could continue to serve as a community gathering place, green space, and connector between Downtown and the Towpath. Over the course of the year we have received feedback from various community members and stakeholders and worked with Akron-based Environmental Design Group to re-design the forest. Re-named Towpath Landing, the park will be a green space - designed to attract local pollinators and support indigenous plant life; create a space for leisurely lunches and conversations; and to act as a space of transition for everyone using the Towpath.

LoCI will break ground on the re-development of the park in the Spring of 2020. Following the completion of construction, the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition will take over stewardship of Towpath Landing.

Towpath Landing is made possible with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Lowe’s.

Learn more about the League of Creative Interventionists.