RPI architecture studio focused on making Riverfront Park more
family friendly  TROY -- The wide, windswept spaces in
Riverfront Park could be more friendly to families, according to
community comments received by city officials, and now there is
the possibility that the park might become just that.  In July,
a series of community and city meetings began a conversation
about creating a playground in downtown Troy, which transformed
into a conversation about possibilities for Riverfront Park,
said city Councilwoman Nina Nichols.  "One of the ideas that had
been talked about was something that was a little more unique
than our standard playground equipment," said Nichols. "We began
a conversation about what it would mean to design play-
elements."  What form would these "play-elements" take? That is
just the question to which students in an upper level
architecture studio at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are
finding answers.  "In the context of strengthening the use of
the park, urban furniture is a necessity