TBA was selected by the City of Tampa in an open design competition to help redefine its waterfront cultural center with a vital metropolitan park. The result of a successful public-private partnership, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is an extraordinary urban transformation of a barren and lifeless riverfront site into a space teeming with vibrant civic life. Framed by the newly constructed Tampa Museum of Art by Stanley Saitowitz and the Glazer Children’s Museum, this new civic green boasts performance lawns and gardens, dramatic water and lighting displays, play areas, cafes, and a dog run; all hallmarks of Thomas Balsley’s unique design approach to enhancing urban life have been well received by the local institutions and residents, and have helped to stimulate downtown activity and waterfront connections.