Project Overview

The Uptown Normal redevelopment transformed approximately five acres of its streetscape and public space, including a central green roundabout and several adjacent blocks. More than 1,000 Silva Cells were installed to provide generous soil volume for long-lived trees while adding stormwater functionality beneath the heavily used hardscape. More than 15 years later, those trees offer Normal a thriving urban canopy — and the district has become the vibrant, green destination the project team envisioned.

The New Normal

Before the redevelopment, Normal’s downtown lacked a true civic center. An abandoned railway divided the district and disrupted retail activity, while an awkward five-way intersection created confusion for drivers and an unsafe, uncomfortable environment for pedestrians. Beyond a few narrow sidewalks, there was little public space in which residents could gather.

The Town of Normal saw an opportunity to address transportation, development, stormwater, and public space together. Designed by Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, the renewed district placed sustainability at the center of its identity, creating a walkable town green with mature-canopy trees, planted spaces, a public water feature, improved pedestrian connections, and integrated green infrastructure. The result was not simply a redesigned intersection, but a new center of community life.

Silva Cells & Trees

Large trees were fundamental to the project vision, but providing adequate soil beneath active streets and pedestrian areas posed a challenge. The project team selected Silva Cells because the system could support the pavement above while preserving expansive, lightly compacted soil below. A total of 1,180 (2x) Silva Cells were installed beneath the roundabout and adjoining streetscapes to support 67 trees.

Each tree was given access to approximately 600 cubic feet of soil, with many of the trees connected through shared soil volumes rather than confined to isolated planting pits. These continuous underground growing areas give roots space to expand, allow trees to share available soil and water, and create conditions capable of supporting substantial long-term canopy.

Today, the success of that strategy is visible from above and at street level. The young trees shown in the original project photographs have grown into an impressive, cohesive canopy that defines the roundabout, softens the surrounding streets, and brings shade and character to the heart of Uptown Normal. The trees are no longer simply part of the plan — they have become one of the district’s most recognizable features.

“The design celebrates the people. That’s what makes this successful. It’s beautiful and memorable.”

—Mark Peterson, Mayor of Normal, Illinois, 2011

Stormwater Functionality Below the Surface

One of the project’s most inventive stormwater features began with infrastructure already beneath the district. An unused 60-inch storm main was repurposed as a 75,000-gallon underground cistern, avoiding the need to construct an entirely new storage structure. Captured runoff is temporarily detained and reused for irrigation and the Circle’s visible water feature.

The Silva Cell system provides a complementary layer of stormwater management. Runoff from surrounding sidewalks, buildings, and permeable surfaces is directed into tree wells and planting areas, where it enters the expansive soil supported by the cells. Rather than moving immediately into the municipal storm sewer, water can be slowed, temporarily stored, filtered through soil, used by the trees, and returned to the ground or atmosphere.

Together, the two systems demonstrate how stormwater infrastructure can serve multiple purposes within a revitalized neighborhood. The cistern captures and reuses runoff at a district scale, while the Silva Cell soil provides distributed, soil-based bioretention beneath individual streets and public spaces — supporting healthy trees while helping manage water where it falls.