Yesterday Harris County said that it's open to a plan to raze the Astrodome and create in its place a park that salutes the Astrodome's history. Just for a moment, let's pretend that's not crazy.

In the site plan, the proposed park is described as "reminiscent of Discovery Green" -- which is to say, like one of Houston's favorite parks, an intensely used, much-loved urban space. But the description of the Astrodome park and the its site plan -- see the slideshow -- seem very different. There'd be a ring that imitates the old Astrodome's "ribs," each decked out with a historic plaque. There'd be multiple "event stages." And at the center, in something that looks like a mini-Dome, is what the site plan seems to call a Hall of Fame.

Could that really be a park like Discovery Green? It's easy to imagine that green space being useful, say, for a Super Bowl party, tailgating during home games, or as an extension of the Rodeo. But outside of those occasional events, what would lure people to an out-of-the-way, surrounded-by-asphalt park? What would it take to convince them to go there seven days a week, even in July?

I asked Barry Mandel, president and park director of Discovery Green.

"What's their goal?" Mandel said. "Is it to have a space that's active only during events? Or do they want to draw people in, to have it be active seven days a week? Do they want it to be a catalyst for development?"

If everyday activity is a goal, Mandel says, it has to be baked into the plans from the very beginning. Discovery Green started its planning with the goal of having people come to the park -- in what was then considered a very inconvenient, little-used part of downtown -- every day of the year. "That was a bold idea," says Mandel. "Planning started by getting community input. Project for Public Spaces went out to the community and asked two questions: What would it take to bring you here? And what are your concerns?"

Those planners returned with an almost comically long list of features to be packed into the small space: A lake, multiple stages, a dog run, a micro-library, a playground, a quiet garden, permanent public art, green space suitable for Frisbees or ball-throwing, and not one but two restaurants. Only then, knowing what needed to be included, did anyone draw plans.

The park's baked-in permanent features draw an important steady stream of park visitors: Even when nothing special is going on, people believe the park is an interesting place to be.

In addition, of course, Discovery Green deploys intense "programming" -- a dizzying array of events, all through the week, intended to draw people from all walks of life. Concerts. Movie nights. Yoga. Zumba. Dog shows. Temporary public-art exhibits. Kayak classes. Flea markets. Circus performers.

Those events cost money. "Since the park started, we've probably spent $5 million on programming," says Mandel.

More Information Gray Matters also aims to be a lively place seven days a week. To see our other programming, click here.

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To me, it's not yet clear whether the forces behind the new Astrodome park -- the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- actually want a space as day-in-day-out lively as Discovery Green, or if they just want a space that's friendly to football and rodeo events. But if they are actually interested in a park, Mandel says, he and other Discovery Green staff would be thrilled to share what they know -- the same way that they've consulted with nascent parks in Dallas, Corpus Christi and Old San Juan.

"We're ready to help any way we can," he says. "We love the idea of public green space."