Geneva Sidewalk Planters

The City of Geneva received a $10 million grant to revitalize its downtown, and while much of the money was used on three main streets, a fourth downtown street, Seneca Street, was left as is. Seneca Street’s existing sidewalk planters were sizable, but their original plantings had disappeared. Studio ila was hired to repopulate them, with a directive to create coherence with the rest of the updated downtown’s new sidewalk planters and bioswales, while supporting Seneca Street’s own identity. Several of the same species were used on Seneca Street, as well as a more modern and naturalistic design. Other plants were chosen for their value to pollinators, seasonal interest, and for their tolerance of the harsh conditions inherent to sidewalk planters.