Month: November 2019

With the rise of global warming and the subsequent need for sustainable design, landscape architects have been pushed to think a lot about the environmental impacts of their design choices.  However, a key factor is missing when urban development occurs: effects on local communities.  Yes, there is a need for green revitalization.  But whose homes are we sacrificing for it and what communally-valued space are we taking with our ambitiously eco-friendly initiatives?  As Diane Jones Allen mentions in her Landscape Architecture Magazine entry, environmental justice and racial equity/ community engagement should be on the same level.  She argues that climate change and systematic racism are both pressing issues that can be addressed through strategic and intentional design.

A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Sara Zewde, an inspirational “landscape designer, urbanist, and public artist,” in her own words.  She focused on a few projects that really highlighted how preserving the heritage of a site fights racial inequity.

One of the projects she talked about was Valongo Wharf.  Located in Rio, Brazil, the site was once the busiest Trans-Atlantic slave port.  However, bits of the historic port were not discovered until construction for the 2016 Rio Olympics tore through an urbanized layer of city.  Clearly, the Afro-Brazilian community wanted to keep this part of their history un-buried.  Through extensive research and analysis, Zewde incorporated the neighborhood’s slaving industry history and Afro-Brazilian culture into a memorial design that would remind citizens of the said culture and history in their everyday lives.  For example, her firm used a tree, native to Africa, that represents strength and ancestral pride.

Another interesting project Zewde had previously worked on was titled Midtown Activation–a project that focused on giving a disadvantaged community “a place to be,” “a place to prosper,” and “a place to play.”  The site is culturally valued in the black Seattle community, but was under pressure from surrounding developmental initiatives.  Zwede’s firm took this inner neighborhood and transformed it into “Africatown” with an outdoor living room and vivid colours painted on the ground to represent the presence of the people that lived there.  In addition to preserving culture and heritage, the construction of Africatown was largely a community effort thanks to the influx of  volunteers and the hiring of previously unemployed young adults.

Sara Zewde’s lecture really opened my eyes to what landscape architecture can achieve.  It’s not just about creating sustainable places, and it’s most definitely not just backyard design.  As stated in our department’s mission, we are focused on “inspired place-making based on environmental and social good.”  AND social good.  The two are equal.

Most of the time, when landscape architects work, they think about how their design will affect human experience, community dynamics, and–of course–ecological impact.  We think about types of native plants, how certain plants mitigate flood damage or erosion, and how the plant palette can enhance human experience of the place.  However, what is often overlooked is the loss of habitat and community space for animals.  This is essential because, well, animals are a large part of the ecosystem!  This concept is highlighted by a goal to incorporate accommodations for animals in urban landscape designs.

One example of this is wildlife bridges, predominantly situated in national parks.  In North America particularly, the number of collisions involving animals (i.e. deer, moose, etc.) in national parks is especially high.  These wildlife bridges and/or tunnels provide safe crossings for animals through the redirection of animal traffic away from busy highways.  Not only are they nice to look at (if one does not get too distracted from driving); they are beneficial to both animals and humans.  From our perspective, the subsequent reduction of collisions decreases the amount of money we spend on repairs, replacements, insurance, etc.  For animals, this is beneficial for mainly two reasons.  Firstly, there won’t be as many fatalities.  Secondly, the easy access to other patches of forest allows migration and mingling of species.  This is essential in the maintenance of the ecosystem because there needs to be genetic variability in order for a species to healthily sustain its population.  Clearly, the implementation of animal crossings is valuable to both the human and animal population.

Another example of creating places for animals is the Schöningen Spears Research and Experience Centre.  The designers of this space created an environment that hosts a small herd of horses resembling a native species that was hunted in the area a long time ago through the incorporation of a large airy meadow.  Their strategic placement of the field along with the choice of native vegetation provide an inviting atmosphere for horses to graze.  In addition to this, visitors are invited to interact with the animals in an observational way with the integration of a bridge that overlooks the pasture, but does not come too close.  This gives animals a home and also has educational value to humans.

Many people are opposed to the idea of designing with animals in mind.  After all, who would want more waste and mess created by the wildlife invited into their residence?  The concept of creating organized chaos is wild to many (pun intended), but is essential to the maintenance of local ecosystems.  Many examples of animal-aided design prove to have positive impacts for both animals and humans.  Therefore, it is important to embrace the idea that the conservation of nature and human activity can co-exist…but only through thoughtful and creative design.