This map shows the layout of Morris K. Udall Park in Tucson, Arizona, highlighting its major recreational and community facilities. The park includes multiple soccer fields, softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, volleyball courts, a playground, ramadas, picnic areas, bocce ball courts, a dog park, comfort stations, and parking areas. It also features the Udall Center, with a pool and senior addition, as well as adjacent areas such as the Tucson Magnetic Observatory and the neighborhood recycling center. The map provides a simple visual guide to the organization of these amenities throughout the park.
Site Design
The master plan exhibits a balanced, multi-generational recreational environment by distributing programs across the site in a clear, intuitive layout. Active zones - such as the soccer fields (C), baseball complex (G), skate park (F), and new playground (A) - are positioned near central parking and circulation, improving accessibility and safety. Community-focused features, including the senior center (E), UA Research Center (I), and community pond (B), anchor the northern and southern edges, creating educational and social hubs. The enhanced dog park (D) and formal hiking/bike paths (H) weave natural habitat with recreation, preserving open desert character while supporting environmental resilience. Overall, the design strengthens connectivity, expands recreational opportunities, and enhances ecological integration across the park.A. New children’s playground
B. New community pond
C. Soccer fields with upgraded shading and seating
D. Enhanced dog park
E. Senior Center
F. New skate park
G. Baseball complex with an additional field
H. New formal paved hiking and biking path system
I. UA Research Center and Community Exhibit
The southern portion of the site is intentionally organized around the UA Research Center and Community Exhibit, creating a living laboratory that explores how desert plants and non-native species adapt to shifting climate conditions over time. The surrounding network of formal paths weaves through diverse plantings arranged by ecological function, allowing researchers to monitor growth patterns, water use, shade performance, and long-term species resilience in a real-world environment. The integrated pond and micro-habitat pockets further support climate experimentation by introducing moisture gradients and localized temperature variation, giving students and researchers multiple conditions to study.
At the same time, the design invites the public into the research process. Visitors can walk through curated demonstration areas, observe plant trials, and engage with educational exhibits that translate ecological data into accessible learning experiences. This creates a dual purpose space scientific and recreational. Where the community gains awareness of climate adaptation strategies. At the same time, researchers gather meaningful, long-term data. Overall, the design strengthens the connection between ecological research, climate resilience, and public education, positioning this area as a thoughtful hub for environmental learning in Tucson.
Section C highlights how the UA Research Center is integrated into a shaded, desert-adapted landscape that supports both ecological study and visitor comfort. Dense tree canopies and layered plantings frame the building, creating a cooler microclimate ideal for long-term plant and climate research. The adjacent solar-covered parking and shaded outdoor areas reinforce the center’s environmental mission, demonstrating sustainable design principles while providing functional spaces for community engagement and educational exhibits.
Perspective 4
Perspective views show how the site integrates activity areas, ecological planting, and shaded circulation into a unified experience. Trails weave through desert-adapted vegetation, while the skate park and playground highlight active community spaces supported by shade and trees. The pond view connects water features with native planting and nearby play areas, and the solar canopy walk demonstrates how energy-producing structures enhance comfort along the paths. The Research Center is shown within climate-resilient plantings, creating an outdoor learning environment for ecological study and community engagement.
These precedents highlight sustainable research facilities, shaded play spaces, integrated water features, and innovative canopy structures, showing how climate responsive design and community use can work together to create functional, comfortable, and ecologically minded public environments.
This Parti illustrates a recreation focused landscape centered around a large communal green space, with paths branching outward to connect key activity areas. The surrounding geometric forms represent natural and programmed zones integrated into the site. The technical lines encircling the diagram emphasize the project’s structural logic and organizational framework, showing how recreation, circulation, and ecological design work together in a cohesive system.
This calendar uses simple seasonal symbols to represent Tucson’s unique climate cycle. The green and yellow dots mark spring and fall, our mild transitional seasons. In contrast, the blue and orange dots represent winter and summer, the cooler and hotter extremes we experience each year. Together, the icons show how Tucson’s months shift through these four distinct seasonal patterns.
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References:
Park Magnet. “Morris K. Udall Park.” https://parkmagnet.com/united-states/arizona/tucson/morris-k-udall-park
LocalWiki. “Udall Park.” https://localwiki.org/tucson/udall_park
City of Tucson Parks & Recreation. “Morris K. Udall Park.” https://www.tucsonaz.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks/Morris-K.-Udall-Park
Wanderlog. “Morris K. Udall Park.” https://wanderlog.com/place/details/9844471/morris-k-udall-park