2022

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Realizing the Value in Vacant Land

tim — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:59:56 +0000

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Realizing the Value in Vacant Land

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Landscape architect Erin Kelly is one of six 2022-23 LAF Fellows.

Landscape architect Erin Kelly has a knack for spotting opportunities. When Erin comes across a vacant property, for instance, she views it as a chance for reinvestment. When she spots a disconnect in the way those properties are maintained and utilized, she sees it as a chance to bridge the gap. And when Erin came across the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)’s Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, she saw an opportunity to help deliver innovative land-use solutions to communities across the country – all with an eye on the world’s changing climate.

Erin was selected as one of six 2022-2023 LAF Fellows and is exploring how landscape architecture can contribute to enhanced land stewardship opportunities, particularly through the use of climate adaptation financing. This financing, whether it’s federal, state, local or private, supports mitigation and adaptation actions to prepare communities for climate change.

Ultimately, Erin hopes to create a national atlas of properties maintained by land banks and conservancies that will serve as a resource for those who want to structure and direct investments into these lands. One of Erin’s goals is to create a forum to spur new, interdisciplinary landscape research and professional collaborations. She also wants to support advocacy that will have an impact at the national level.

“The ultimate aim of this atlas is to paint a picture of the opportunity with this land,” Erin said.

Nationally, there are more than 250 land banks in operation across 28 states. Land banks are public entities that stabilize and revitalize properties, often acquired after foreclosure. These banks rely on a variety of funding sources – though, often that money isn’t enough – to cover maintenance and other expenses as very few receive recurring government funding. This chronic underfunding creates a gap that climate adaptation financing could help fill. The nonprofit Center for Community Progress estimates that, on average, 87 percent of land bank inventory is vacant land. Total acreage is unknown.

Land trusts, meanwhile, have traditionally managed larger, often rural tracts of land for conservation purposes. These trusts are at the forefront of the financing of ongoing maintenance and urban tree planting through carbon registries. More than 1,200 land trusts stewarding 61 million acres of land are represented in the United States by the Land Trust Alliance.

By taking advantage of climate adaptation financing, landscape architects can establish new land stewardship opportunities within the nation’s expansive land bank and land trust networks, Erin said, particularly in weak real estate markets where property supply outpaces demand. The benefits of this additional funding for land restoration and stewardship could be immense, she emphasized.

“There’s so much opportunity to improve, not just environmental, but social outcomes because of the people adjacency with some of this land,” Erin said.

As part of her research, Erin has conducted dozens of interviews, with more on the way. Among her conversations, Erin has spoken with many experts in the voluntary carbon market, which allows carbon emitters to offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits from projects that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Land in Erin’s atlas could be targeted for voluntary carbon market efforts, though she is still exploring the possibilities.

“I’m finding that speaking with people directly is the best way to gain insight about what’s going on and what’s on the horizon,” she said.

Erin’s conversations have helped her continue to investigate the potential within the country’s vacant lands. Part of her inspiration also comes from her own upbringing in Austin, Texas. Erin still remembers admiring the wildflowers former First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson planted along the Colorado River. Austin went on to develop a system of greenways and trails that Erin still regards highly to this day. “I probably wouldn’t have become a landscape architect if I hadn’t grown up in Austin,” she said.

Following graduate school, Erin moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she held several positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and led innovative projects related to design, land revitalization, and impact investment. These experiences and more than a decade in Detroit, which has thousands of vacant lots, helped inspire her LAF Fellowship project.

“We have all this land in waiting,” she summarized. “I’m looking for a way to wait better.”

UPDATE: You can watch Erin's presentation from the 2023 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium here.

2023 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

tim — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 15:20:03 +0000

2023 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

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Eleven faculty Research Fellows and ten high-performing landscape projects have been selected for LAF's 2023 Case Study Investigation program.

Case Study Investigation (CSI) is a unique research collaboration and training program for faculty, students, and practitioners. LAF funded faculty-student research teams work with designers to document the impacts of exemplary, high-performing landscape projects. Teams develop methods to quantify the environmental, social, and economic benefits of built projects and produce Case Study Briefs for LAF’s Landscape Performance Series.

Research Fellows lead the CSI collaboration and receive funding to support a student Research Assistant. The academic teams work with liaisons from design firms to evaluate and document each project. LAF provides training, supporting materials, and feedback throughout the process.

Among the selected projects for the 2023 program are a Boston waterfront hospital focused on rehabilitation and climate resilience, an innovation campus for biotechnology companies in St. Louis, a wildlife sanctuary in Australia that features penguins, a University of Arizona campus landscape inspired by the area’s mesas and canyons, and a stream restoration that connects civic destinations in a small town in Ohio.

The geographically diverse projects also include a large community park to support the growing population in Bozeman, Montana; a culturally significant historic square in downtown Raleigh; an urban wetland park that serves as a “breathing sponge” for Nanchang, China; a former industrial corridor turned multi-use linear park in downtown Carmel, Indiana; and a renovated pier on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The 2023 CSI program kicks off in February and runs through early August. We look forward to working with this impressive group to document this wide range of outstanding projects and their impacts!

Boston Architectural College
+ Copley Wolff Design Group
CSI Research Fellows: María Bellalta, FASLA, and Hongbing Tang, PLA
Student Research Assistants: Jason Kozikowski and Li Chen
Project: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, MA

Montana State University
+ Design Workshop
CSI Research Fellow: Rebekah VanWieren
Student Research Assistant: Nina Barfoot
Project: Story Mill Community Park, Bozeman, MT

North Carolina State University
+ Sasaki
CSI Research Fellow: Carla Delcambre, PLA
Student Research Assistant: Melissa Dominguez
Project: Moore Square Park, Raleigh, NC

The Ohio State University
+ MKSK
CSI Research Fellow: Halina Steiner
Student Research Assistant: Bilwa Ashvinikumar Gulavani
Project: Rose Run Corridor, Phase 1, New Albany, OH

Purdue University
+ Rundell Ernstberger Associates
CSI Research Fellow: Yiwei Huang, PhD
Student Research Assistants: Lauren Chapman and Jackson Kincaid
Project: Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza, Carmel, IN

University of Arizona
+ Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture
CSI Research Fellow: Kirk Dimond
Student Research Assistant: Olivia Gilliam
Project: Environmental + Natural Resources 2 Building, Tucson, AZ

University of Florida
+ Ken Smith Workshop
CSI Research Fellow: Yi Luo, PhD, PLA
Student Research Assistants: Haoting Hong and Rui Hu
Project: St. Pete Pier, St. Petersburg, FL

University of Melbourne
+ Tract Consultants
CSI Research Fellow: Sidh Sintusingha, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Jadida Salma
Project: Summerland Peninsula Master Plan and Visitor Centre Precinct, Summerlands, Victoria, Australia

University of Minnesota
+ SWT Design
CSI Research Fellow: Dan Shaw
Student Research Assistant: Christine Flauta
Project: Cortex Commons, St. Louis, MO

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
+ Turenscape
CSI Research Fellow: Yujia Wang
Student Research Assistants: Humaid Al Hinai and Sarah Spilinek
Project: Fish Tail Park, Nanchang City, Jiangxi, China

Welcome 2022-23 Board of Directors!

tim — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 21:11:30 +0000

Welcome 2022-23 Board of Directors!

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The Landscape Architecture Foundation Board of Directors gathers in San Francisco.

The 2022-2023 LAF Board of Directors began its term on November 11, 2022 at LAF's Annual Board Meeting and events in San Francisco. Roberto Rovira of Florida International University became President, succeeding Kofi Boone, FASLA, of North Carolina State University, whose leadership helped LAF realize the highly successful Grounding the Green New Deal Superstudio and Summit and leaves LAF poised for future growth. Michael Grove, FASLA, PLA, a Principal at Sasaki, became President-Elect following a year of service as Vice President of Development and four years of service as a Director.

Directors Elaine Kearney and Signe Nielsen stepped into Vice President roles, while five other officers continue in their positions on the executive leadership team:

Vice President of Finance: Connie Chung, HR&A Advisors
Vice President of Development: Elaine Kearney, TBG
Vice President of Communications: Sierra Bainbridge, MASS Design Group
Vice President of Research: Signe Nielsen, Mathews Nielsen
Vice President of Leadership: Alma Du Solier, Hood Design Studio
Vice President of Education: Alpa Nawre, University of Florida, Critical Places
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Alexa Bush, Kresge Foundation

Monte Wilson of Jacobs, Rich Centolella of EDSA, Tim Duggan of Phronesis, Dorothy Faris of Mithun, and Michael Johnson of SmithGroup retired off the board at the end of their extended terms. Breeze Outlaw of MASS Design Group and Christopher Torres of Agency Artifact rotated off after serving as Olmsted Scholar representatives. Tom Mroz, FASLA, of SmithGroup rotated off after serving in an Ex Officio capacity as the ASLA Representative. Thank you for your dedicated service!

Nine new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing extensive experience and knowledge from landscape architecture practice, industry, and the nonprofit sector. Sandra Nam Cioffi, a 2012 LAF Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars. ASLA Immediate Past President Eugenia Martin, FASLA, will serve as the ASLA representative.

Welcome to the new board members:

Sandra Nam Cioffi, Ink Landscape Architects
Gonzalo Cruz, AECOM
Rob Gray, Hoerr Schaudt
Clarence Lacy, RIOS
Scott LaMont, EDSA
Lauren Leighty, SmithGroup
Jade Paul, Jacobs
Gary Sorge, Stantec
Steve Schepers, SiteOne

LAF is honored to work with such a talented, committed, and distinguished group. We look forward to the ambitious year ahead as we continue to advance LAF's mission and support this incredible discipline of landscape architecture!

LAF Welcomes New Director of Development

tim — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 17:20:05 +0000

LAF Welcomes New Director of Development

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The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is pleased to welcome Cara Chard, who joined the organization on November 2 as Director of Development. Cara will leverage the skills she has developed over a successful career to generate the funding and nurture the partnerships that support LAF, its programs, and mission over the coming years.

Cara brings over ten years of nonprofit experience to her role as LAF’s Director of Development. A former teacher, Cara left the classroom in favor of plants and rooftops in New York City, where she taught K-12 students about sustainable agriculture, food systems, and the urban environment through outdoor experiential education programs on urban farms. As the founding Executive Director of City Growers, Cara cultivated the programs, partnerships, and funding pipeline of a green roof farm-based educational nonprofit in New York City. Prior to joining the LAF team, she worked as a consultant, providing nonprofit management, grant prospecting, writing, and editing support to nonprofits and NGOs.

Cara received a BA in Philosophy from Hamilton College and a MA in Education from New York University. She loves to nerd out about bees, battle the invasive plants in her wooded backyard, and coach her daughter’s soccer team.

We are excited to welcome Cara to the team!

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Landscape, Incarceration, and Rehabilitation

tim — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:08:23 +0000

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Landscape, Incarceration, and Rehabilitation

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University of Washington landscape architecture professor and 2022-23 LAF Fellow Daniel Winterbottom poses in front of a mural at Halden Prison in Norway.

Over the past five years, the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership has given more than two dozen landscape architecture professionals the opportunity to pursue important projects that tackle a variety of social issues, from climate change and environmental justice to education and emerging technologies. This fall, University of Washington landscape architecture professor Daniel Winterbottom is using his fellowship to conduct research on prisons and the role landscape plays in them. Specifically, Daniel is researching the therapeutic implications of differing carceral environmental models and how they can be positively perceived, used, and designed to facilitate or negate healing, growth, and transformation. He’s one of six Fellows in the 2022-23 cohort.

“For me, the interesting aspect is: What is the role of landscape and nature, and how can we develop more humane environments for those who need it and in many cases are denied it?” Daniel said during a recent call from Italy.

Daniel is spending the semester teaching in Italy, but also is using the trip as an opportunity to conduct research for his fellowship. The past few months have been productive, he said, with visits to prisons in the U.S., Norway, and Italy, and additional trips planned throughout Europe and the U.S. next spring. The experiences have been eye-opening for Daniel with a number of different models of nature-based therapies and assessable landscape typologies incorporated into different facilities. Those variables affect the experiences of those who are incarcerated as well as those who work at these facilities.

Daniel noted that green, therapeutic facilities are much more likely to effectively support rehabilitation and personal transformation amongst those serving time. Gardening and green therapeutic programs also reduce recidivism rates among prisoners who are ultimately released. Daniel's work comes a year after 2021-22 Fellow Olivia Bussey explored how landscape architecture can play a role in breaking the cycle of recidivism, using design to create supportive, post-incarceration networks that reduce the tendency towards reoffending.

Part of Daniel’s research includes looking at the history and evolution of incarceration, a practice that dates back millennia and was based on what Daniel calls “idealistic but flawed” concepts of isolation and work. Some of the oldest prisons were originally built within castles and churches that were later converted into places of incarceration. In the U.S., two types of prison designs were at the formative stage of carcel design: the Auburn (for example, Walnut Street Prison), focused on solitude and meditation, and the Pennsylvania model (for example, Eastern State Penitentiary), focused on work, activity and production. Few of these facilities implemented therapeutic landscape design elements. Eventually, these facilities gave way to the prisons we see today, which face unique challenges while offering specific opportunities to introduce nature into the carcel environment. Today the prototype “block” prisons compound the challenges faced by the older models, Daniel said.

Meanwhile, Europeans in the 1950’s began to think more progressively. The difference between facilities in the U.S. and those in Europe is noticeable, from the preponderance of, and access to green landscapes, to the freedom prisoners are allowed within the facilities. As an example, Daniel cited prison guards in Norway, whose role is to help prisoners in their process of reform as opposed to the traditional security roles that they play in the U.S.

“My work is really looking at international models and trying to cultivate the best of those models and to introduce them to incarceration facilities in the U.S.” Daniel said.

The topic is extremely important to Daniel, whose career has included extensive work with people dealing with trauma. Those experiences in war-torn countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Guatemala have helped form his social justice and empathetic perspective as he now focuses on the prison system. He has conducted numerous interviews with researchers, designers, prison officials, and even a victim of crime. He also has conducted an extensive literature review as part of his research and is working with prison officials across the U.S. and Europe to set up future visits.

Daniel has had mixed results getting access to prisons, he said, with European facilities generally being more open to his inquiries. Still, he has been pleasantly surprised by some of his interactions. And he has learned about the increase of therapeutic landscape elements in the U.S. in recent years as their benefits have been more widely publicized.

“There are many sympathetic and empathetic people within the incarceration system,” Daniel said. “It’s refreshing. The consistent problem seems to be the bureaucracy, politization, and the media treatment of incarceration.”

Despite all his progress so far, Daniel acknowledges incarceration is complex. Some who are incarcerated seem to show no remorse for their crimes and maintain little desire to rehabilitate, he said. Then there are victims and their families, and their trauma that also must be considered when thinking of therapy and equity. Still, Daniel firmly believes that the opportunity for rehabilitation is better for those incarcerated and for society in general. In Olivia's final presentation, she closed with this quote from Dr. Emma Hughes of Fresno State University: “About 95% of the people currently in prison will come back into the community one day. So something we have to ask ourselves is: what do we want to have happened to them during the time they were incarcerated”

“The well-being of inmates is really a public health issue on steroids,” Daniel said.

Daniel is thankful for the time his fellowship is allowing him to dedicate to the issue. LAF Fellows devote a total of 3 months’ time to their proposed project over the course of a year and receive $25,000 to help offset the cost of taking this time. It allows them the time and space to delve into issues most important to them and the profession.

“What LAF has given me is the time to dig deep, but also reflect and see what an activist’s role can be, looking at best designs and modalities and big policy issues, and how do we frame them to make a change on the macro level,” Daniel said.

UPDATE: You can watch Daniel's presentation from the 2023 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium here.

Perspectives: Sofia Charro

tim — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:14:59 +0000

Perspectives: Sofia Charro

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October 26, 2022

Sofia Charro currently works as a project lead at West 8 in the North America office, where she designs resilient, climate-adaptive landscapes across the Americas – in California, New York, Texas, and Uruguay.

What drew you to landscape architecture?

I was born and raised in an urban environment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Growing up, my family spent most weekends in the small town of Capitan Sarmiento where my father was born. There, I developed my first meaningful connection with land and soil, riding chestnut criollo horses across the long grass valleys of the Pampas.

During my adolescence, I enjoyed studying art and science and as a young adult I decided to pursue a career in architecture to explore both subjects together. After graduating from the University of Buenos Aires with a degree in architecture, I entered professional practice for a private firm designing innovative solutions to urban mobility and sustainable living environments. Subsequently, I joined West 8 in New York City where I shifted my focus from urban design to landscape architecture. I found that landscape architecture offered me a grander medium to reflect on space and context rather than object, and provided me greater agency to foster others’ connection to land and soil.

What is driving you professionally right now?

I am inspired by interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to design. I find myself most stimulated when working with mixed groups of professionals — scientists, climate-resilience experts, risk specialists, and engineers — all collaborating on a common vision.

In California, we are working on a large-scale master plan situated near a bay ecosystem. In close collaboration with engineers and sea-level rise experts, we are leveraging stormwater management as one of the main drivers of the design. The plan focuses on creating new ecologies that can capture stormwater and provide urban cooling, immersive nature experiences, and local biodiversity. With the ultimate goal to provide a science-based framework for adaptation, the vision distinguishes different scales of interventions combining flood management needs with the enhancement of ecological and recreational corridors.

What challenge is landscape architecture allowing you to address right now?

Currently, our profession continues to watch as global warming and rising sea levels increase the severity of rainstorms, drought, wildfires, flooding, and other natural calamities. One of the most consequential challenges in our field today is creating responsive and resilient designs to mitigate the effects of climate change. We must bifurcate our approach to this issue, first by helping those affected heal, and second by designing resilient solutions that protect local communities.

In fact, in Uruguay we are developing a masterplan for 8km of waterfront along the Uruguay River. The effects of flooding and natural aggression amplify the challenges left to us by the city’s urban sprawl and car-centric spaces. The plan aims to protect, activate and connect the waterfront edge with the local community of Paysandu. Our approach is to build a living adaptive edge with different nature-based solutions engineered to work like natural systems, and therefore adapt to different tide levels. We believe this dynamic will enable the affected community to transform its relationship with the river.

What challenge would you give emerging leaders?

I would encourage emerging leaders to pursue professional initiatives outside the billable hour and compete for funding opportunities outside the office.

In 2020, I connected with a group of Latin American designers at the CUT|FILL UNconference, sponsored by West 8 and others. We created the Tierra Media Project, with a vision to amplify Latinx voices in the landscape architecture community. In 2021, we drafted a narrative of our voices, and this collaboration was selected for the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership with Linda Chamorro as the Fellow.

Pursuing independent opportunities in architecture such as this one has brightened my professional passions with a personal light. The Tierra Media Project has provided me with a deep sense of community rooted in my heritage. I am excited to see what the future brings for our team.

Where do you think the profession needs to go from here?

I am hopeful that, as a collective, we are transitioning to a profession that emphasizes interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches embracing art and science in harmony. I am hopeful for our profession to continue to push for innovative solutions that are able to tackle the defining issues of our time.

LAF's Perspectives interview series showcases landscape architects from diverse backgrounds discussing how they came to the profession and where they see it heading. Any opinions expressed in this interview belong solely to the author. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.

CSI: Assessing Transformation on the Suining City Waterfront

tim — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 19:24:57 +0000

CSI: Assessing Transformation on the Suining City Waterfront

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Jiaying Li, a local graduate student from Sichuan Province, China, assists the Purdue University CSI team by counting species to measure biodiversity at Suining South Riverfront Park.

Along a two-mile stretch of waterfront in Suining City, Sichuan Province, China, a barren, concrete bulkhead has been transformed into a thriving urban park. Thousands of visitors to Suining South Riverfront Park have taken advantage of the site’s expansive network of elevated walkways, overlooks, and other features since it opened to the public in 2020. It’s a 117-acre ecological oasis adjacent to a bustling city.

In August, a team from Purdue University and design firm ECOLAND Planning and Design Corp. wrapped up its research on Suining South Riverfront Park as part of the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Case Study Investigation (CSI) program. Working with partners on-site, the team worked to quantify the environmental, social, and economic benefits of the park.

“This is a very ecologically-driven project, but at the same time, I see a lot of social value coming out of the park and economic benefits to the city,” said Yiwei Huang, Purdue’s CSI Research Fellow.

Previously, the bulkhead was largely devoid of vegetation and rarely saw visitors. It was built to protect the city from the Fujiang River below and was separated from the rest of the city by a busy street with few safe crossings. Then, in 2017, local leaders commissioned landscape architects to design a park on the site.

Designers were able to incorporate the bulkhead into the new park and retain its functionality – so it still protects the city from flooding – while concealing it behind landscaped terraces. The design also includes numerous riparian and wetland habitats, an enhanced stormwater management and water cleansing system, new public spaces, and improved access.

These days, the park is bustling with walkers, joggers, cyclists and other visitors. On average, approximately 1,200 people visit every Saturday during the summer. Of the surveyed visitors, 98% reported an improved perception of the aesthetic quality of the riverfront. At least 30 cultural or recreational activities were observed at the site as well.

“We did a survey of local residents, and they all believed the park has really transformed the city,” Yiwei said. “It has become a designated point for city dwellers and visitors to use for outdoor events, recreation activities, and daily enjoyment."

Jiaying Li takes a photo at Suining South Riverfront Park.

Along with the social benefits, the park has delivered significant environmental benefits, including increased water storage capacity and ecological resilience from an intricate system of wetlands, islands, and lagoons. In addition, a series of stormwater management techniques were retrofitted in hardscape areas to reduce runoff. There were temperature-reduction and noise-reduction benefits as well, Yiwei said.

Nearly 50,000 plants representing 101 species – 71% of which are native – were introduced to the site, along with 11 acres of new wetland habitat. The Purdue team determined plant biodiversity increased five-fold in wetland areas.

On the economic side, property values have increased around the park since it opened, Yiwei said. The site also draws visitors to the area – many of whom spend money in nearby local businesses – and it’s adjacent to the city’s planned urban growth district.

Reflecting on the team’s research, Yiwei noted the park has at least 18 benefits for multiple generations of visitors. It’s especially beneficial to those without ready access to recreation elsewhere. And while the CSI process has come to an end for the Purdue team, Yiwei’s efforts won’t stop there. She said she wants to become an ambassador for the CSI program and the Landscape Performance Series.

“I feel like landscape performance is a great way to demonstrate the benefits of a project, and it’s very educational for the public,” Yiwei said. “To integrate landscape performance is a way to educate people and to encourage people to protect our planet and improve our parks.”

The team’s full Case Study Brief, with quantified environmental, social, and economic benefits, will be posted later this year at LandscapePerformance.org.

Xtreme LA Generates Design Ideas for Bison Bridge Project

tim — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Xtreme LA Generates Design Ideas for Bison Bridge Project

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Chad Brintnall, Principal, Landscape Architect of SmithGroup, leads a team from the front of the room at the 2022 Xtreme LA charette in Davenport, Iowa.

A movement is growing along the banks of the Mississippi River to convert an aging bridge between Iowa and Illinois into a new, designed crossing – one that would connect communities, attract and educate hundreds of thousands of visitors, and reintroduce a long-endangered species to the area: the bison.

Over two days this month, rising landscape architecture professionals from across the country joined with students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Iowa State University to focus on possible design solutions as part of the 2022 Xtreme LA challenge. The event, hosted by Landscape Forms and the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), was held in Davenport, Iowa and focused on the Interstate 80 (I-80) bridge between the nearby towns of LeClaire, Iowa and Rapids City, Illinois. Transportation officials in the two states are studying possible alternatives for improvements to the bridge, including replacing it.

If an entirely new I-80 bridge is built in a new location, many in the Quad Cities region are getting behind a vision to save the bridge from demolition and convert it into a crossing for pedestrians, cyclists, and a bison herd that would be introduced to the area. The Iowa side of the river features a prairie biome, natural to the bison, while the Illinois side is more forested, though it also includes savanna and wetlands. The Xtreme LA charette allowed teams to explore what’s possible on the bridge, from new grasses, trees, and plant life to paths for pedestrians and cyclists who want to observe the new bison herd.

“Xtreme LA is an incredible opportunity for landscape architecture students and professionals to work together and be a part of something innovative, historic, and transformative for communities on both sides of the river and the region at large,” said LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch. “I’ve never seen anything like it! I hope we can all be back in 10 years to celebrate the opening of what would be an iconic destination and national treasure.”

A team led by Khyati Saraf of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates works on design ideas for the Bison Bridge.

The 24 charette participants were divided into two teams, led by Chad Brintnall of SmithGroup and Khyati Saraf of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, to work on their designs for the bridge and surrounding areas. Though not part of the official study and planning process being carried out by the Illinois and Iowa state departments of transportation, the design concepts from Xtreme LA were presented in a public forum and can be used in advocacy and outreach efforts. As decisions about the fate of the bridge are made, some of these ideas may make their way into the long-term plans.

One option included visitors’ centers on both banks of the river, each unique to the state in which they are located, with programs, educational opportunities, and other features to attract people year-round. The bridge would feature solar panels to power electric vehicle charging stations in nearby parking lots, and stormwater management elements to control runoff. Bison grazing areas would be located in Iowa and Illinois, with the biomes of each state transitioning together in the grazing area atop the bridge. There would be recreational opportunities too, like kayaking, cycling, and cross-country skiing, with an elevated walkway on the bridge that allows people to observe the wildlife below.

Other options included walkways at the bridge surface level to allow closer interaction with the bison, as well as more traditional features, like campgrounds, scenic overlooks, boat launches, and more. One design, dubbed “Jurassic Park,” even featured an elevated cable car where visitors would pay to ride across the bridge and observe the wildlife. The teams want to turn the new bridge into a destination, whether through its design, by designating it as a National Park, or both.

A marker lays on top of a work in progress at the 2022 Xtreme LA charette.

Officials in Iowa and Illinois continue to work through the planning process for the I-80 bridge. In May, officials announced seven alternatives, four of which would allow for the Bison Bridge project. A federally required environmental review of the alternatives is expected to be completed next year. The local organizers who worked to bring this ninth iteration of Xtreme LA to Davenport and members of the nonprofit Bison Bridge Foundation noted that a bison crossing is still very much possible, but ultimately, the I-80 bridge decision will be up to transportation officials. Still, they’re optimistic about the future.

“I think it says a lot about the idea that’s in front of us here that people from all over the country would come here and work together … to make this project a reality,” moderator Lance McOlgan said during the Xtreme LA closing event on October 13 at The Figge Art Museum’s John Deere Auditorium in Davenport.

The presentations can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KlLSeiNvgQ

Media coverage of Xtreme LA included pre-event and post-event articles by the Quad-City Times and a video segment by WQAD News 8.

Many thanks to Landscape Forms for hosting Xtreme LA and to Chad Pregracke for his vision for Bison Bridge and life work to clean up America’s Rivers. Also thank you to the team at design firm LJC for their community work that brought us all together for Xtreme LA and to the Quad Cities community that opened their hearts and minds with us to explore a different future.

CSI: Assessing the Impacts of Restoration at the Houston Arboretum

tim — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 13:41:03 +0000

CSI: Assessing the Impacts of Restoration at the Houston Arboretum

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Texas A&M research assistants Zhihan Tao and Dingding Ren, Houston Arboretum and Nature Center Executive Director Debbie Markey, and Texas A&M research fellows Dongying Li and Galen Newman onsite at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

As one of the oldest nature education centers in Texas, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center has provided visitors with an opportunity to learn about the native plants and animals living there since it opened in 1967.

Damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008, however, coupled with a severe drought three years later, left the 155-acre arboretum damaged and in need of repair. It experienced a 50-percent loss of tree canopy and subsequent encroachment of invasive species.

The good news for Houston residents is that arboretum leaders didn’t let these challenges deter them from their mission. Instead, they viewed the setbacks as an opportunity – one that led them to develop a new master plan and draw on the expertise of landscape architects to bring the arboretum back to life.

This summer, as part of the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Case Study Investigation (CSI) program, a team from Texas A&M University conducted research on the environmental, social, and economic benefits of the first phase of the arboretum’s restoration. The project was more than just a reforestation – a process that requires years of tree upkeep and replacement. Phase 1 included the establishment of new walking trails, creation of 20 acres of prairie and savanna ecosystems with native plant species, the use of old, damaged trees for new purposes, establishment of new wetlands, and other improvements on approximately 65 acres within the sprawling arboretum.

Galen Newman, left, watches as research assistants Dingding Ren and Zhihan Tao launch a drone at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.

For Texas A&M CSI Research Fellows Galen Newman and Dongying Li, along with Student Research Assistants Rui Zhu, Dingding Ren, and Zhihan Tao, the research was enlightening. Each team member assessed different aspects of the arboretum restoration project. The team partnered with the landscape architecture firms that led the project as well, Design Workshop and Reed Hilderbrand. They also worked closely with Debbie Markey at the arboretum, whom Newman described as a critical liaison between the Aggies and designers, to gather any additional information they needed.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” Newman said. “It was super collaborative.”

The team’s findings showed the park has significant benefits. Converting areas to prairie/savanna ecosystems through seeding instead of replanting the trees damaged by the natural disasters, for instance, is expected to save $2.8 million in watering and replacement costs over the next 15 years. The arboretum’s use of goats to keep grass and vegetation in check already has saved the arboretum $27,000.

On the environmental side, the team used modelling to estimate that the arboretum decreases stormwater runoff by 7 percent, chemical pollutants by 13 percent, and bacterial pollutants by 16 percent. The arboretum also reduced temperatures in the middle of the surrounding urban heat island, especially important in the humid Houston climate.

Socially, the arboretum serves a wide demographic, with approximately 1/3 of visitors identifying as Hispanic. As compared to pre-renovation visitor totals in 2016, visitors increased by 151% in the first year of renovation completion (2019), 271% in the second year of renovation completion (2020), and 222% in the third year of renovation completion (2021). There were over 1.6 million visitors from after the renovation in January 2019 until March 2022. Surveys revealed visitors come to the arboretum to “get away” from the city, and that the space helps lower visitors’ feelings of anxiety.

Research assistant Dingding Ren takes a water sample at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.

“They appreciate this area that allows them to feel like they are away from their everyday work and life,” Li said.

The researchers appreciated the space too, Li said, from the planning and design to the recreation opportunities and wildlife. “It’s really nice, the ecology they have there,” Li said. “The microclimate sensors have spider webs on them. You see snakes and butterflies. It’s a different kind of landscape compared to most of the urban parts of the city.”

While the team’s complete findings won’t be published until later this year, they said they learned a lot throughout the CSI process. “I feel like I made a big improvement in how to quantify areas of interest, how to conduct field measurements, and how to handle challenges,” Zhu said. “These skills will help me integrate research and design in the future.”

The team also noted the broader value of developing the capacity of landscape architects to evaluate the performance of their designs. “The ability to quantify the effects that landscape architecture has on a site and the context around it will do a significant amount for the profession,” Newman said. “It sets the standard for the profession and makes us much more evidence-based in design. We’re much more scientific than we used to be.”

The team’s full Case Study Brief, with quantified environmental, social, and economic benefits, will be available later this year on LandscapePerformance.org.

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Attracting the Next Generation of Landscape Architects

tim — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 18:25:15 +0000

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Attracting the Next Generation of Landscape Architects

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In his application for the LAF Fellowship, Joe James included this illustration of himself in front of one of the parks he has worked on, Repentance Park at the Central Green in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Members of the 2022-23 cohort of the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership have been exploring big ideas and refining their proposed projects. The Fellows will present the culmination of their work at LAF’s Innovation + Leadership Symposium in June of 2023. In the meantime, LAF is profiling each Fellow to share more about their progress and personal journeys.

Joe James discovered landscape architecture early in life. Now, he’s an established landscape architect with his own firm in Rhode Island, and he wants to make sure others have the same opportunity.

Joe is one of six members of the 2022-23 cohort of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)’s Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, a program designed to create positive and profound change in the profession, environment, and humanity. He is using the $25,000 fellowship to work on a project meant to introduce and attract the next generation of landscape architects to the discipline, albeit in an unconventional way.

Joe is writing and illustrating a graphic novel, with landscape architects playing key roles in the story. As far as he knows, no other graphic novels feature landscape architects as major characters. The goal is to expose and attract not only a young audience to landscape architecture, but one that’s diverse as well, Joe said.

“I really wanted to do something that was fun and interesting and would have an impact on pop culture,” he said.

While Joe is only a few months into the fellowship, he has made significant progress exploring all aspects of graphic novel creation. Part of his research includes reading existing graphic novels and looking for precedents, themes and specific ways to convey images. He also has been working on settings, a process that has involved trips to Boston’s Franklin Park and the neighborhoods surrounding it. There, he has been detailing the specific characteristics of the space as the possible basis for a fictional setting in his story.

During the first third of the LAF Fellowship, the fellows are encouraged to take a step back and think expansively, digging deep into the “why” behind their project idea. This often leads to new perspectives, synergies, and directions – and in Joe’s case, different characters and plotlines.

One of Joe’s early ideas for story characters has been centered on a group of kids that could embark on a quest similar to the 1980s hit movie “The Goonies” or the more recent series “Stranger Things.” Landscape architects could end up playing influential roles as they guide the children through the storyline, Joe said, though he is still working out those details and others.

“There’s a lot of world building taking place inside my head and on my computer and iPad screens,” he said.

Joe James created this series of drawings as he explores landscape while working on a graphic novel as part of LAF's Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership.

Joe has never written a book, but he has been drawing comics and cartoons from an early age. In fact, it was his love of drawing, coupled with interests in architecture and science, that attracted him to landscape architecture in the first place.

“I figured out very early that this is really cool as a profession and that this is what I should be doing,” he said.

Joe majored in landscape architecture at Michigan State University, where he recalls working on a project with a classmate in which they created panels for a comic book. Those panels spurred the idea for their comic-themed senior project – “Super Sustainable Landscape Architects” – which received an honorable mention in Research in the 2000 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Student Awards.

After graduating from Michigan State in 2000, Joe went off to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he continued to draw and ultimately earned his Master of Landscape Architecture in 2003. With college behind him, he began working at landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand in 2003. He also married and had children in the subsequent years.

After years of success with Reed Hilderbrand, Joe left in late 2021 to start his own firm, Eponymous Practice. Education has always been important to Joe and it continues to be a major theme in his life today. He teaches part-time at RISD and is the chair of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects’ K-12 outreach initiatives to introduce young people to landscape architecture.

“The material that’s out there about landscape architecture for kids is well done, but it’s geared toward those that are already looking for it,” Joe said. “But people don’t find this profession because they’re looking for it. They find it through happenstance. So, is it possible to have them find it at an earlier age? We’ll see where my project goes.”

UPDATE: You can watch Joe's presentation from the 2023 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium here.