Placed between the Northside and Southside of Birmingham, Railroad Park fulfills two roles for this Southern city drama as both a thematic concentrated and introverted node as well as a city edge (LeGates and Stout 584). A rectangular space, the park resembles a green island surrounded by industrial landmarks. Birmingham’s main railroads run the northern length of the park while the inactive though towering vents of the Powell Avenue Steam Plant lie on its eastern border, and to the west resides the Sherman Industries cement plant. Unobstructed by any industrial plants and decorated with planted trees, the southern length of the park acts as a long entryway. By crossing 1st Avenue South, visitors leave behind their work from the Medical District or college classes from University Boulevard (four streets south of 1st Ave), and opt to spend their breaks in the sun.
The roads around the park—most notably 1st Avenue South—seem to form a moat, as passing cars create a stream of obstacles for walkers, protecting the green oasis from the inner works of the city. The park’s relative isolation characterizes its introversion, providing visitors with no directional authority (other than a map of its own walkways) and similar to Kevin Lynch’s description of Scollay Square, claims its simple presence as enough explanation for existence (LeGates and Stout 585). By its sheer bright green color among gray buildings and industrial infrastructure, the park’s introversion and thematic function are symbolized by the trees which line its perimeter: a natural fortification from a mechanical world.
Within the park, its pathways endlessly meld with each other, creating winding patterns that circulate the park’s length. One pathway, the one vein which flows to the city heart, is at the western end—hidden underneath one of the park’s walking bridges. Although the walkway connects to city sidewalk, the separation between the oasis and the industrial world is signaled by a row of black street bollards. Continuing north on the sidewalk will lead visitors through one of Birmingham’s famous landmarks, the Rainbow LED Tunnel, which flashes various lights as foot and vehicle traffic flow to the city center. While such a pathway would be characteristic of a city node, its subtle nature and the physically marked boundary between the park and city sidewalk highlight the park’s introversion as well as its service as a city edge. The park—which is named after the railroads that run along its northern length—consequently mimics the railroads’ function as a boundary between the Southside and Northside. However, by serving as a green haven that rejects the Southside’s capitalistic production and acting as a bulwark from the Northside, the park becomes a space of transitionary limbo, adding to its introversion.
Historically, the railroads served as a physical boundary separating whites on the Southside from blacks to the north. Today, the separation is less visible as the heart of Birmingham’s city houses a mixture of races, particularly due to the international population drawn in by University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) academic facilities and hospitals. Now, majority white communities reside “over the mountain” (as native Birmingham residents say), referring to Red Mountain—a long mountain ridge dividing the north from the south—and majority black communities remain north of the railroads. The rise of suburban villages surrounding Birmingham’s downtown leaves intermediary spaces such as Railroad Park in particularly versatile positions which can serve as hubs that encourage the mixture of different socioeconomic class and race.