The Riga City Council City Development Department has launched a design competition to create a modern and sustainable vision for the future development of Esplanāde Park while preserving its historic value. At the same time, the local council plans to start work this year to improve the most dangerous footpaths.
The Esplanāde is one of the most significant green public spaces within the ring of boulevards in Riga’s historic centre, and its development requires a unified vision across the entire park. The park is designated as the regional architectural monument “Esplanāde” and is located within the nationally significant urban planning monument “Historic Centre of Riga”, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To date, park maintenance has involved isolated and fragmented activities; however, these improvements have been carried out without a unified vision for the park’s development. The park still has dangerous footpaths and dilapidated facilities, and in some areas the planting needs to be renewed and maintenance arrangements improved. Furthermore, given the park's historic significance, the local government needs a clear long-term vision for its development, and the design competition will enable future local government investment in the park to be planned in a coherent and targeted manner, so that individual improvements contribute to the park’s cohesive and high-quality development.
The design competition is being organised to identify, through an open creative contest between architects and designers, the best proposal and the most qualified team to develop a vision for a visually attractive, architecturally and artistically outstanding, and economically sustainable public space. However, given that the process of the design competition, planning and preparation for construction work is a gradual one, the most dangerous footpaths in the park are due to be renovated this year to improve safety.
“The city needs a clear vision for the development and maintenance of Esplanāde Park, as it is a central location in Riga visited by thousands of residents and tourists every day. The design competition will enable us to secure a solution developed by professionals that will ensure a modern park environment, while preserving its historic value. However, given that public events take place in the park throughout the year, there are plans to repair the dangerous footpaths and replace the surfacing where necessary as early as this year. We have concluded that this work can be carried out without extensive construction work and without any significant impact on the park’s heritage value, as improving safety is a matter of urgency,” explains Mr Edgars Bergholcs, Chair of the Riga City Council’s Urban Development Commission.
Participants in the design competition must strike a balance between the park’s historical values and contemporary needs, as the park is a multifunctional public space where various events take place throughout the year. Participants should envisage the project being implemented in phases, starting with the infrastructure that is most urgently required – electricity supply connections, toilet facilities, safe and convenient footpaths, and a children’s playground.
Competition entrants must present a vision for the future development of Rainis Square, proposing a modern and multifunctional solution, as well as design proposals for a café pavilion, a gardener’s cottage and a service area. Proposals must also provide for solutions to accommodate events of various scales, to manage visitor flows and to integrate technical support, and an approach must be developed to safeguard existing landscape and cultural-historical values during public events. Participants should also put forward proposals on how to expand opportunities for recreation and active lifestyles for young people and solutions to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists.
Preparatory work has already been carried out in the run-up to the launch of the design competition: historical research into the park has been conducted, public engagement activities have been organised, and meetings have taken place with experts and representatives of neighbouring properties, including the National Cultural Heritage Board and the Latvian National Museum of Art.
Interdisciplinary teams with experience in designing public outdoor spaces, comprising representatives from the fields of landscaping, architecture, design, event organisation and construction, are invited to take part in the design competition. The total prize fund is EUR 26,500, inclusive of all applicable taxes, and entries must be submitted by 15 October 2026. The competition results are expected to be announced within eight weeks of the submission deadline. Further information on the design competition ‘Development of Esplanāde Park and Preservation of Its Historic Value’ is available on the Electronic Procurement System: https://www.eis.gov.lv/EKEIS/Supplier/Procurement/175325.
Further information: Tatjana Smirnova, Project Coordinator at External Communication Department of the Riga Municipality, e-mail: tsmirnova11@riga.lv