over the water. It would connect waterfront parks on either side, while also linking a wealthier area of the city with a poorer one.

"We're thinking of having 21st century playgrounds," Kratz says. "We're thinking about having performance spaces. We're thinking about [activating] the Anacostia River by having steps that go down to a kayak rental or canoe rental area."

Kratz has been collecting other ideas from residents, too: a skate park; a climbing wall; a farmers market; an orchard of fruit trees; and a harvest festival.

The park proposal began in the city's planning office. And while Kratz is only a volunteer, he's asking for suggestions for the bridge every chance he gets. He's been holding design workshops with students and going to community meetings and coffees, all with thesays, is to create a neighborhood that both clerk typists and lawyers can afford to live in.

Momentum, Excitement — And Money

Then there's the design. Newsome says finding the right balance of activities on the bridge requires community awareness, too. Climbing walls and skate parks might encourage healthy activity, she says, but some people also want passive recreation.

And then there's the money: $25 to $35 million to realize the redevelopment plan.

"There isn't a park in the history of the world where the money was sitting there waiting before the idea was fleshed out and created," says Peter Harnik, who works on Capitol Hill, where he runs the national Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land.

Harnik says the 11th Street Bridge has the potential to be