No, I won't do your garden

I bet you though this was going to be about the show.  Well, lucky for you, it…is not.  BUT this post will still be interesting because we will explore how something that sounds boring–like landscape architecture–is actually exciting!

Think of the Olympic Games.   Every two years, a city must invest millions into new infrastructure that will accommodate thousands of athletes, housing, training facilities, and arenas.   Let’s take Munich Olympic Park, for example.  The games preceding the 1942 Munich Olympics were the 1936 Berlin Games.  The Olympic village in Berlin was modeled after military barracks so it would have strategic use after the games were finished.   All the buildings were identical and featured a central green space.  The designers behind Munich Olympic Park tried to increase land-use diversity through residential buildings, stores, transit systems, and recreational areas; it was essentially a self-sustaining community.  It also explored innovative architecture and engineering for the time period, and dramatic topography to contrast the flat landing strip it was built on.  I mean, just look at the picture below! It just makes you want to be there.

Let’s take a more well-known example:  Walt Disney World!  It’s probably every kid’s (and adult’s) dream to visit at least once in their lifetime.  Originally, Disney world was supposed to be an episodic experience, with Tomorrowland featuring the the future’s new, shiny inventions.  Modeled after Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities, Tomorrowland was meant to be a self-sustaining community with civic centers, greenbelts, residential buildings, mass transportation, and a world boutique with an array of different cultures.  What ended up happening was the birth of the EPCOT Center, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrowland.  It became a theme park for a permanent world’s fair.  If you’ve ever been, you’d know that are 11 country pavilions for the world boutique, and they are a sight to see.

I hope you’ve learned a bit more about parks and places we go for fun.  Landscape architecture deals with small spaces as well as big places.  Take your favourite park (or amusement park), for example .  The wonderful experiences that take place in these spaces are intentionally planned out by landscape architects, urban planners, architects, engineers, and more.  So next time you visit a park, somewhere fun, or even Disney World, take a minute to appreciate the creative and critical thinking put behind a place of enjoyment.

It’s no secret that a lot of modern landscape architects focus on the environmental aspect of their design.  (And it’s quite obvious to see why,  given the environmental state of the earth right now).   But when and why did environmentalism begin influencing design choices?

First, we must step back and look at this on a broader scale and what was going in on the world.  On October 4th, 1957, Sputnik 1 was released into space.  The launch of  earth’s first official satellite was a mark in history.  This event sparked the space race, and thus emphasized analytical thinking and focus on STEM education.

This “enlightened” way of thinking gave birth to a biologist, conservationist, and author that would push the environmental movement on a global scale.  Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring discussed the dangers of using DDT in everyday life.  At the time, the toxic chemical was sprayed everywhere, from farm to suburbs, and even on people as pest deterrent.  She highlighted the need for strategic and controlled application of DDT and would testify before congress about the need for institutionalized involvement.  Carson’s activism gained public and political attention, and ignited a new way of thinking about human-environment relationships.

Following this would be the first Earth Day in 1970, co-founded by Ian McHarg (who was a landscape architect, by the way).  Familiar to many of us today, this day is an act of activism and public support with many participants from schools, colleges, and other communities.

Moreover, Ian McHarg would publish a book called Design with Nature that outlined a) we need nature for our survival and b) there’s a strong need for ecological planning in physical community infrastructure.  For example, pollution from development negatively affects waterways due to run off.  In addition, he also came up with the “overlay method” which maps information on separate layers, allowing planners and designers to mark areas for sustainable use and overlay maps for development.  Aside from contributing to the environmental movement, McHarg set in motion the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS),  a program used in a wide variety of fields today.

The analysis of typical suburbia dominating most of America proved it was bad for the environment, an ineffective use of resources, and a hot spot for social segregation.  And thus, “sustainability” in design became an overlay of environmental, economic, and social good.

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.

As defined by Google, resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness,” or “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.”  In terms of place-making, resilience is often about strategic planning to reduce impacts of natural disasters, as highlighted in one of my previous posts.  However, there is another level on which designers must work: the community level.  As much as we like to say we live in a society that is educated and all for equality, the truth is that socioeconomic status still has effects on living conditions.  Institutional racism is often overlooked because “people aren’t racist anymore”.  This type of discrimination is clear in low-income minority neighborhoods.

Detroit was once a booming agriculture industry, probably the biggest in America at a point in time.  During it’s decline, many people left the city leaving gaps in the workforce that affected the economy and community dynamics.  The city of Detroit currently struggles with getting proper nutrition because everything is fast food.  More and more people are dying of diseases and disorders sprouting from lack of nutrition.  However, urban agriculture is changing the city.  The decline of the city left Detroit with a lot of vacant land, fertile soil, proximity to water, willing labor, demand for healthy food.  This combination offered ample opportunity for community members to come together and farm.  With programming such as educational farm-to-table meals and plant-based cafes, community dynamics have started to change with an increase in jobs as well as a shift in attitude towards community building.

A similar problem exists in South Central, LA.  In a TED Talk we watched this week, Ron Finley strives to address this problem in proactive and practical ways.  He decided to turn a strip of lawn into an educational garden or mini-farm.  Despite having to fight municipality on changing “the city’s property,” he realizes the importance of educating the younger generations with real-life experiences.  His community also struggles with finding healthy foods that are easily accessible and affordable to all.  If kids are not shown how food affects mind and body, they won’t be consciously making decisions for themselves or their children in the future.  The introduction of DIY agriculture has instilled a sense of community through shared ownership and has improved the economy through the opening of jobs and self-started businesses.

These two communities are excellent examples of community resiliency.  They strive to overcome socioeconomic adversity through positive, community-conscious ways.  Change starts small and powerful; all it takes is putting plans into action.

Places are made for people.  Whether it’s a park, memorial, or even a backyard, humans were meant to dwell in that space.  In an article about designing public space, we read that there are certain  characteristics that make a space “successful”: accessibility, comfort, sociability, and activities.  A space should be accessible from all angles and by all methods of transportation.  It also must be well-maintained and give a good first impression so people feel invited.  Lastly, a place should offer opportunities for people to socialize, interact, and participate in activities with other people.  All these elements deal with user experience, and a place’s ability to connect people to one another.

One clear example of a spaces ability to bring people together is a pop-up park located at the intersection of two streets in Chicago.  Highlighted in the Landscape Architecture Magazine, this “instant park” was intended to reinvigorate a sense of community.  In that neighborhood, tensions between police and the black community have been high due to the shooting of Laquan McDonald by a former police officer.  This shared space is supposed to encourage co-existence or eventually re-establish trust between the two groups.  Paths from all sides of the park draw people from all angles and give them a space to socialize.  Art installations are meant to serve as a means by which everyone can relate.  Finally, the maintenance of the park is  to be shared by civilians and first responders alike, effectively distributing ownership and creating a sense of community.

Places are what bring people together…but in what ways?  Think of the biggest protest you’ve heard about.  It happened in a public space.  One day, it’s a place of protest and the next, just a regular street.  The idea is that public spaces need to accommodate a variety of uses.  In a TED Talk by Gina Ford, the challenges landscape architects face are highlighted.  Because public space is open to everyone, terrorism has become an increasing threat–people are starting to understand that public spaces are where people find community.  The struggle is to create spaces that are safe, but to not infringe on democratic values.  The proposed solution is to a) design for exchange between people, not place walls b) provide spaces for people to connect, not retreat and c) build community, not monitor.

A lack of public space results in separation from other people and lack of common ground.  Therefore, a connection to a place and community is the cure to loneliness.