Parque Las Casitas began with a simple premise: the people who use the park should shape what it becomes. For the 0.23-acre neighborhood park, Shapiro Didway led a bilingual engagement process with the City of Tualatin that brought the neighborhood’s Spanish-speaking community directly into decisions about its future. Children, teenagers, and adults identified different priorities – from water play and climbing to sports, street art, and places to gather – and those responses became the basis for the park’s program and design alternatives.
“For children, one of the most exciting features was the water feature, ‘Los chorritos.' Their eyes lighted up as they saw the images of the water feature in design alternatives.”
“When children saw the water feature, ‘Los Chorritos,’ in the design alternatives, their eyes lit up. Their response made clear how strongly water play resonated with them.”
“Bilingual engagement wasn’t something that happened after the design. It was how the program was built.”
Scope
Concept Development, Community Engagement, Easement Facilitation
Tasks
Bilingual Community Engagement, Community-Driven Programming, Conceptual Design
Location
Tualatin, OR
Client
City of Tualatin
Recognition
Tualatin Life, DJC Oregon, Pamplin Media
Collaborators
Completed
2026
