by Paul Reinhold, PLA, LEED AP, NGICP
As a landscape architect, my job is often seen as primarily visual—choosing plants, shaping outdoor spaces, coordinating materials. And while aesthetics do matter, what’s always been more important to me is how people experience a community gathering place. Who feels welcome there? Who can move through it with ease? How does the space represent the community who uses it? These questions have guided my work for decades and are at the heart of something I care about: universal design.
Universal design isn’t just about meeting accessibility requirements or adding a ramp to the corner of a park. It’s a design philosophy that seeks to create spaces that work for everyone. When we apply these principles to public spaces, especially in smaller communities, we open doors (sometimes quite literally) to a better quality of life for more people. When I was invited to work on the design of the Village of Muir’s Sensory Park, it was clear this project would be a meaningful example of universal design in action.
Why Universal Design Matters
Universal design is guided by seven core principles. These help us think beyond minimum requirements and imagine environments that support independence and inclusion for people of all ages and abilities:
- Equitable Use: The design is useful and appealing to people with a range of abilities.
- Flexibility in Use: It accommodates a variety of preferences and needs.
- Simple and Intuitive Use: It’s easy to understand, regardless of a person’s experience or background.
- Perceptible Information: Information is communicated effectively, even if someone’s vision, hearing, or cognition is limited.
- Tolerance for Error: The design reduces risks and minimizes consequences of mistakes.
- Low Physical Effort: It can be used comfortably, with minimal fatigue.
- Size and Space for Approach and Use: It provides appropriate room for access, regardless of body size or mobility device.
I keep these principles in mind on every project, but they took on particular importance in the design of Muir’s new park.
Meeting a Community Where It’s At
The Village of Muir sits just under a square mile in Ionia County and has less than 600 residents. It’s the kind of place where people wave from their porches, where community parks serve as front yards and backyards all in one. Over the years, Prein&Newhof has worked closely with the Village, including helping to acquire funding and to design a new bridge over the Maple River in 2014. That experience laid a foundation of trust, and when the Village set its sights on creating an inclusive park alongside the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee (CIS) Trail, they came back to our team.
The idea for the sensory park had been in the works since the Village’s 2017 Recreation Plan. Through public input and demographic data, it became clear that the community needed a space where everyone, especially those with disabilities, could feel at home. This wasn’t about adding a few inclusive pieces of equipment to an existing park. It was about creating a whole new environment grounded in accessibility, interaction, and sensory experience.
Designing with Intention
The site, directly next to Railroad Street Park and the CIS Trail, gave us a good starting point. But the original plan relied on land not owned by the Village. When the hoped-for easement didn’t come through, we had to adapt by reworking the design to fit within Village property while still holding true to the project’s goals.
It helped that this wasn’t just a park with a single purpose. We included a variety of play types and sensory features: a hillside slide, zipline, multiple textured play areas, a fireplace for gathering, a performance space with grass seating, and even a bike repair station. All of these were designed with accessibility in mind, from the surface materials to the layout of paths and seating. We also ensured that ramps, parking, and resting areas supported a wide range of users—not just children, but parents, grandparents, and anyone else passing through or spending time there.
As we moved forward, we helped the Village apply for the Michigan CDBG Public Gathering Spaces Initiative. This is a highly competitive grant program focused on improving usability, accessibility, and seasonality in spaces that serve low to moderate income populations. In 2024, the Village was awarded $1.2 million to bring the park to life. The funding was a major win, but the budget still required careful coordination. We worked with the low bidder and MEDC to value engineer where needed, always making sure the core vision of accessibility and universal design remained intact.
A Space That Belongs to Everyone
There’s something powerful about watching a design become a real place. In a community like Muir, where resources are limited but people show up for each other, it means even more. This park isn’t just for kids. It’s for the parent with limited mobility who wants to watch their child play up close. It’s for the grandparent who needs a smooth path and a place to rest in the shade. It’s for the child on the autism spectrum who feels more comfortable exploring quiet sensory areas. It’s for visitors on the CIS Trail who stop in to stretch their legs or fix a flat bike tire. It’s for everyone.
That’s what universal design looks like when it’s done well. It doesn’t feel like a set of accommodations tacked on—it feels like a space that simply works for whoever shows up. And in the end, that’s what landscape architecture is really about for me. Designing places that welcome people in, however they move, however they perceive the world, however they connect. I’m proud to have been part of making that vision real for Muir’s community.
