May 31, 2020, Phil poses as the last of 16 girders goes in place for the Land Bridge, completing the installation of the super structure for the Land Bridge.
During his tenure as mayor of San Antonio, Phil Hardberger championed parks as essential to the soul of any city and an important piece of San Antonio’s South Texas natural heritage. With unprecedented vision and leadership, he created a legacy.
““With Phil Hardberger Park, we are creating a park not just for ourselves and our children, but for the centuries”.”
Mayor Hardberger saw a prime opportunity for a major park in the Voelcker Ranch, one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels in San Antonio. The 311-acre purchase (which has now grown to 330 acres) allowed the city to establish an oasis in a densely developed area surrounded by subdivisions, freeways and shopping centers.
A team was chosen to develop the park through an international design competition. Stephen Stimson Associates and D.I.R.T. studio oversaw the development of a master plan to build a park of the highest quality that is sensitive to the needs of San Antonio.
The design team held public meetings to encourage citizen involvement throughout the Phil Hardberger Park master plan process. Citizens not only shared their vision of Phil Hardberger Park, but engaged in a participatory democracy.
The city adopted the master plan in 2008, which meets the needs of a modern San Antonio but treads lightly on the existing landscape. Most importantly, Phil Hardberger Park improved the quality of life for future generations.
Today, the master plan continues to guide the PHP Conservancy in the development of the park, and San Antonio residents and visitors experience Phil Hardberger Park as a sustainable model of cultivated wild and urban ecology.