Town Branch Commons

Designed by scape

Location: USA — Type: Streets — Built: 2022 — Show on Google Maps

SCAPE: Tracing the buried path of Town Branch Creek—Lexington’s original water source—Town Branch Commons reimagines how infrastructure, ecology, and urban life can coalesce into a resilient public realm.

SCAPE partnered with the City of Lexington to transform this ribbon of native Bluegrass landscape into a 2.5-mile multimodal corridor that connects neighborhoods, celebrates the region’s geology, and creates new opportunities for economic and civic life. The process grew from nearly a decade of collaborative work, including grant proposals, education initiatives, iterative design, and engagement with municipalities, landowners, and residents.

As Lexington grew, Town Branch Creek was built over and largely forgotten. Town Branch Commons brings this hidden geological system to the surface, following the buried creek through interactive water features, rain gardens, expanded public spaces, and interpretive signs. Inspired by Central Kentucky’s unique limestone, or karst, geology, the pedestrian and cycling paths highlight pools, rock outcrops, and stream channels that connect the movement of water to the movement of people.

Karst hydrology

Much of Central Kentucky is undergirded by limestone deposits, a relic of the vast sea that covered the state millions of years ago. Easily dissolved by water, limestone forms caves, underground streams, sinkholes, and springs—collectively known as “karst” landscapes.

The design adapts these geological systems to the urban environment. Stacked limestone elements control traffic and convey water into planted bioswales, while a “karst cascade” references the Bluegrass region’s geology while managing stormwater. Signature paving evokes layered limestone formations and horse fences, strategically marking areas where users slow, stop, or linger.

Rain gardens planted with native species collect and treat stormwater runoff, while more than 250 trees tripled the existing downtown canopy, providing shade and helping cool the city. The corridor also integrates dedicated walking and biking paths, bioswales, and a roadway diet that reduces lanes to make space for pedestrians, cyclists, and green infrastructure. Coordinating complex underground utilities, multiple modes of transportation, and accessibility requirements, the project transforms downtown infrastructure into a cohesive public realm for users of all abilities.

Town Branch Water Walk

The Town Branch Water Walk was a community event series and podcast walking tour that built momentum around Town Branch Commons and engaged the public in a dialogue about urban water quality. Following the path of the Town Branch culvert, the Water Walk revealed the invisible waters running beneath the city.

Funded by a local stormwater grant, the collaborative project was advanced by SCAPE, MTWTF, the City of Lexington, and University of Kentucky students. Podcasts, maps, and walking tours helped people understand Lexington’s hidden water system and imagine a new future for its urban infrastructure.

Town Branch Commons reconnects nature with downtown and people with place, restoring the city’s ecological memory while advancing equity, connectivity, and civic pride.