2019

2019: Building on Our Values

rory — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 16:46:30 +0000

2019: Building on Our Values

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LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch and past presidents Mark Dawson, Kona Gray, Jennifer Guthrie, and Adam Greenspan as LAF receives the 2019 Landscape Architecture Medal of Excellence

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) invests in research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives to increase the influence and impact of landscape architects to create a more sustainable, just, and resilient future. As this busy year comes to an end, LAF would like to thank our many friends, partners, and donors for their indispensable support.

On the heels of 2018's sobering report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, LAF continued to build capacity within the discipline and raise awareness about the role of landscape architecture in mitigation and adaptation efforts. An internal carbon audit led to operational changes and purchasing of offsets. Take Action campaigns and a resource guide encouraged landscape architects to increase their climate literacy and assess the carbon impacts of their designs. LAF participated in presentations and discussions, attended the global climate strike, and supported and showcased projects, policies, and people advocating for change.

In 2019, there was much activity under LAF's research umbrella. With support from SmithGroup and a bequest from long-time LAF board member and supporter, Deb Mitchell, the $25,000 LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell launched this fall. The grant will fund research projects relevant to the professional practice of landscape architecture to honor Deb’s legacy as a champion of research. Look for the announcement of the inaugural recipient next spring. This year also saw the release of the much-anticipated guidebook to landscape performance metrics and methods. Drawing on LAF's 9 years of landscape performance work and developed with researchers Bo Yang and Jessica Canfield, this resource offers a starting point for assessing the environmental, social, and economic performance of built landscape projects. Finally, LAF marked the 20th anniversary of our landmark A Case Study Method for Landscape Architecture by Mark Francis with a re-release of the report, updated with a light touch and additional context for today's readers.

2018-2019 LAF Fellow Lauren Delbridge presents at the LAF Symposium for Innovation + Leadership

In June, LAF hosted our Symposium for Innovation + Leadership, which sold out for the second year in a row. The capstone to the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, the symposium featured the 2018-2019 fellows presenting their work, from resilient waterfront policy frameworks and climate positive design to wastescape remediation and virtual reality landscape representation. The event also kicked off the fellowship year for the third cohort, which includes two senior-level fellows for the first time, two mid-career fellows, and two emerging professionals from LAF's Olmsted Scholars Program.

LAF continues to build community and support the leadership growth of the 720 exceptional students named as LAF Olmsted Scholars since 2008. In 2019, this network organized regional events, conducted regular takeovers of LAF's Instagram account, and produced a guide to conducting outreach to K-12 students. Their challenge for landscape architects to get into schools and let K-12 students know about landscape architecture will become an annual LAF campaign.

In order to establish baseline information and identify opportunities for support, LAF conducted two surveys focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the discipline of landscape architecture. Over 550 individual participants and 49 firms responded. LAF's 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Surveys were the first discipline-wide survey on these topics, and the results affirm that both individuals and firms are concerned with DEI issues. The findings will inform a forthcoming resource guide and LAF's continued work in this area.

LAF was recognized with the American Society of Landscape Architects' (ASLA) 2019 Landscape Architecture Medal of Excellence. One of ASLA's highest honors, this award recognizes significant contributions to landscape architecture policy, research, education, project planning and design, or any combination of these. LAF also received a 2019 ASLA Honor Award in Communications our New Landscape Declaration book.

The 2019 LAF Olmsted Scholars at LAF's 34th Annual Benefit in San Diego

Generous support from donors allows LAF to inspire, grow, strengthen, and embolden the discipline of landscape architecture to innovate and activate. In addition to the initiatives described above, together we accomplished the following in 2019:

Awarded $148,000 to students through our scholarships and LAF Olmsted Scholars Program. 2019 was the inaugural year for the $10,000 LAF Honor Scholarship for Inclusive Community Design established by Patrick Phillips.
Supported the big ideas that will shape the future of the discipline with $110,000 awarded through the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership to the third cohort for the 2019-2020 fellowship year.
Recognized the visionary Joseph E. Brown, FASLA of AECOM and The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center with the 2019 LAF Medal and Founders' Award.
Invested over $60,000 in landscape performance research to support eight faculty-student research teams in producing case studies of twelve high-performing landscape projects.

To sustain and grow these innovative and influential programs, please consider investing in the Landscape Architecture Foundation in your year-end giving. Together we can expand our impact and make our collective aspirations for change a reality. Give online today or learn more about the many ways to support LAF.

Through 12/31, your donation will be matched up to $10,000 by our friends at IRONSMITH. And, if you're a first time donor, Jeanne Lalli, in memory of her late husband Joe Lalli, will match your gift, up to $10,000! Donate now to see your impact multiplied!

Give Today

LAF is a tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your charitable contribution is deductible to the full extent allowed by law

2020 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

heather — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 16:27:55 +0000

2020 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

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Nine faculty Research Fellows and eight high-performing landscape projects have been selected for LAF’s 2020 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.

Faculty 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 2020 program are several that incorporate significant diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and address pressing challenges associated with climate change. Project types include an affordable housing project, a freshwater research lab, an adaptive use stadium converted partially into green roofs, and a series of fog collection and other interventions created in partnership with an informal settlement in Peru. The geographically diverse projects also include a rooftop garden in Sydney designed by and for indigenous users, a resilient university campus project in the Arizona desert, and two stormwater management and water conservation infrastructure projects that provide multiple layers of benefits.

The 2020 CSI program kicks off in February and runs through early August. We look forward to working with this impressive group and documenting this wide range of outstanding projects and their impacts!

Arizona State University
+ Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture
CSI Research Fellow: Chingwen Cheng, PhD, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP
Student Research Assistant: Amanda Trakas
Project: Arizona State University Orange Mall Green Infrastructure Project, Phase 1, Tempe, AZ

Auburn University
+ Nelson Byrd Woltz
CSI Research Fellow: C. Thomas Hogge, PLA, ASLA, CLARB
Student Research Assistant: Luis Jose Loaiza Pinto
Project: Duke University Water Reclamation Pond, Durham, NC

George Mason University
+ LandDesign
CSI Research Fellow: Cynthia B. Smith, PhD
Student Research Assistant: MacKenzie Earl
Project: Potomac Science Center, Woodbridge, VA

Kansas State University
+ Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company
CSI Research Fellow: Lee R. Skabelund, PLA, ASLA
Student Research Assistant: Lekhon Alam
Project: Kansas State University Memorial Stadium Green Roofs, Manhattan, KS

The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
+ Jiwah
CSI Research Fellows: Linda Corkery, FAILA, ASLA (International) and Sara Padgett Kjaersgaard, RLA, AILA
Student Research Assistant: Lisa Thomson
Project: South Eveleigh Community Rooftop Garden, Sydney, Australia

The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
+ Turf Design Studio
CSI Research Fellows: Catherine Evans; Sara Padgett Kjaersgaard, RLA, AILA; and Linda Corkery, FAILA, ASLA (International)
Student Research Assistant: Lei Zheng
Project: Sydney Park Water Re-use Project, Alexandria, Australia

University of Washington
+ Mithun
CSI Research Fellow: Catherine De Almeida, ASLA
Student Research Assistant: Jennifer Engelke, PLA, ASLA
Project: Liberty Bank Building, Seattle, WA

University of Washington
+ Traction
CSI Research Fellow: Leann Andrews, PhD, RLA
Student Research Assistant: Rebecca Bachman
Project: Fog Water Farm Park and Gardens, Informal Community of Eliseo Collazos, Lima, Peru

LAF Releases Findings from 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Surveys

rory — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 17:27:14 +0000

LAF Releases Findings from 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Surveys

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During the summer of 2019, LAF conducted two surveys focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the discipline of landscape architecture. The individual survey, completed by 551 participants, asked about experiences in the workplace, personal feelings about equity and inclusion, and any DEI issues that respondents thought needed to be addressed. 49 firms participated in the organizational survey which focused on policies and organizational commitments related to diversity. The data was analyzed to produce a short document with summary findings and key takeaways.

DOWNLOAD THE FINDINGS

LAF's 2019 DEI Surveys are the first discipline-wide survey addressing these issues. Respondents recognized the importance of the topic in both design and business with 87% of individuals and 100% of firms responding "yes" when asked whether DEI were important. Yet, according to responses, diversity, equity, and inclusion are sometimes hard to understand and therefore hard to support through policy and practice.

Capacity organizations within landscape architecture began a collective effort to address diversity within the discipline in 2015. LAF, along with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Bureau, and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards signed onto a joint statement that set bold goals for achieving demographic diversity among landscape architects.

While these organizations' efforts have made some progress in moving the conversation forward on DEI, LAF's 2019 DEI surveys revealed there remains more work to be done. Firm and individual respondents each cited ways in which their offices are making strides and flagged opportunities for growth within their organizations and landscape architecture as a whole. Download the findings to learn about the insights offered by survey participants.

THANK YOU

Thank you to those who aided in the development and distribution of LAF's 2019 DEI surveys, including the LAF DEI Task Force, the LAF Board of Directors, LAF Board Emeritus members, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Members of the LAF DEI Task Force include: Kona Gray, EDSA; Kofi Boone, North Carolina State University; Elen Deming, North Carolina State University; Debra Guenther, Mithun; Kendra Hyson, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Diane Jones Allen, University of Texas at Arlington; and Rachel Booher and Rory Doehring, Landscape Architecture Foundation.

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Board of Directors!

rory — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 02:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Board of Directors!

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LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch and incoming President Lisa Switkin at LAF's 2019 Annual Benefit (LAF/Eder Photo)

The 2019-2020 LAF Board of Directors began its term on November 15, 2019 at LAF’s Annual Board Meeting in San Diego. Lisa Switkin of James Corner Field Operations became President, succeeding now Past-President Stephanie Rolley, FASLA, AICP of Kansas State University whose tenure included the launch of LAF's long-awaited Evaluating Landscape Performance: A Guidebook for Metrics and Methods Selection, the 20th anniversary of the landmark publication, A Case Study Method for Landscape Architecture, and the launch of the LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell. Monte Wilson, ASLA of Jacobs became President-Elect following two years of service as Vice President of Finance.

Director Po Chen became the new Vice President of Finance, Director Roberto Rovira became the new Vice President of Research, Director Rebecca Bradley became the new Vice President of Communications, and Director Daniel Martin became the new Vice President of Development. Two other officers continue in their positions on the executive leadership team.

Vice President of Education:
Kofi Boone, ASLA, North Carolina State University
Vice President of Research:
Roberto Rovira, ASLA, Florida International University
Vice President of Leadership:
Brian Jencek, ASLA, HOK
Vice President of Communications:
Rebecca Bradley, ASLA, Cadence
Vice President of Finance:
Po Chen, Brightview Landscapes
Vice President of Development:
Daniel Martin, Hon. ASLA, Permaloc Corporation

Ignacio Bunster-Ossa of AECOM, M. Elen Deming, DDes, FASLA, FCELA of North Carolina State University, Adam Greenspan, ASLA of PWP Landscape Architecture, Jim Manskey, ASLA of TBG Partners, Jim Stickley, ASLA, LEED AP of WRT, and Stan Wall of HR&A Advisors retired off the Board at the end of their terms, which included a two-year extension for Ignacio and a three-year extension for Adam. Kendra Hyson of Montgomery County Planning rotated off after serving a two-year term as an Olmsted Scholar representative. Greg Miller, FASLA rotated off after serving for a year in an Ex Officio capacity as an ASLA Representative. Thank you for your service!

Five new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing experience and insights from a variety of landscape architecture practices. McKenzie Wilhelm, the undergraduate 2013 National Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars. ASLA Immediate Past President Shawn T. Kelly, FASLA will serve as an ASLA Representative. Welcome to the new Board members:

Connie Chung, HR&A Advisors
Elaine Kearney, PLA, ASLA, TBG Partners
Signe Nielsen, RLA, FASLA, MNLA
McKenzie Wilhelm, ASLA, MKSK
Ernest C. Wong, PLA, FASLA, APA, site design group

LAF is honored to have such an accomplished, passionate, and engaged board, and we look forward to working together to advance the vision laid out in our New Landscape Declaration. Thanks to all for your commitment and service.

From the Field: Survey Design and Analysis for Landscape Performance Assessment

rory — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 22:17:27 +0000

From the Field: Survey Design and Analysis for Landscape Performance Assessment

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By Chloé Nagraj, Master of Landscape Architecture candidate and 2019 CSI Research Assistant at the University of Virginia

Landscape Architecture Foundation/Christina Sanders

Glenstone is a contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland that seeks to integrate art, architecture, and landscape into a seamless, contemplative experience for its visitors. Defining and quantifying the impact of this experiential component of Glenstone’s landscape, designed by PWP Landscape Architecture, has been a focal point of the University of Virginia team’s participation in LAF’s 2019 Case Study Investigation program.

Visitor experience is typically among the foremost considerations in public landscape projects. In measuring the social performance of built projects, formal survey design and statistical analysis methods should be more widely taught and practiced within the field. Because measuring the social impact of the landscape at Glenstone was central to our Case Study Investigation, designing a user survey became an integral part of our analysis.

Methodology of Survey Design and Analysis:

I attempted to approach this analysis in two parts: first, the design of the survey, and second, the summary of the results. A key lesson learned through this experience is that survey design and analysis should always be considered in tandem with one another. The study strategy needs to be planned ahead of time, with design informed by analysis methodology. This should include specific goals, careful consideration of the types of data to be collected, response rate, and bias of respondents.

After considering these overarching strategies, I identified the specific topics of interest to be addressed in the survey. In survey design, planning the structure and wording of the questionnaire is one of the most important stages. Ideally, each topic of interest should be covered by multiple questions. As questions are written, they should be edited for clarity and bias. The survey should also be considered as a whole in regards to question order and clarity.

The administration and sampling of the survey also need to be carefully reviewed. In this instance, my questions were added at the end of Glenstone’s existing post-visit user survey, where visitors who reserved tickets online are invited to participate via email. I was not able to give input as to the sampling, ordering, length, or format, as the survey was pre-existing. These factors will affect the results.

Lessons Learned:

A significant lesson learned relates to the analysis of the results. Had I designed both the survey and chosen the statistical analysis methods at the very beginning of the process, my analysis could have been much richer. Time to design both of these critical components should be built into any prospective survey plan.

Additionally, I included mainly Likert-type questions in the Glenstone user survey. A Likert-type question is a 5-7 point scale which allows the respondent to express how much they agree or disagree with a statement. I found that Likert-type questions may not have been the best for my analysis. Had I considered what data analysis I wanted to perform prior to designing the survey, I would have found that binary questions (yes/no, true/false), would be easier to analyze, and would have diversified the types of questions asked for this particular project.

I’ve found that with forethought and research it is valuable and achievable to apply statistical rigor in analyzing data relating to the human experience of landscape through my time spent designing this survey. As landscape architects gain experience in designing, administering, and analyzing prospective surveys on landscape performance, we will be able to better anticipate how people respond to questions, what types of questions lend themselves to performance analysis, and what analytic methods can inform survey design. Applying these techniques and approaching them as rigorously as we can in post-construction site analysis can be useful both in the analysis of built projects and to inform future projects.

Sources:
AAPOR (2015). Code of Professional Ethics and Practices.
AAPOR (2015). Best Practices and Survey Practices.

CSI Team: Emma Mendel & Chloé Skye Nagraj, University of Virginia
Project: Glenstone
Landscape Architect: PWP Landscape Architecture
This CSI Participant update was written in July 2019.

Any opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.

Meet the 2019 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Undergraduates

rory — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 21:12:33 +0000

Meet the 2019 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Undergraduates

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The Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Olmsted Scholars Program is the premier leadership award program for landscape architecture students. The program honors students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits.

Here, we showcase the 2019 undergraduate winner and finalists, who were announced in April after being selected from a group of 37 undergraduate students nominated by their faculty. The winner receives $15,000, and each finalist receives $3,000.

They are among the 86 LAF Olmsted Scholars named in 2019 and will be honored on November 14-15 in San Diego at a luncheon and at LAF's 34th Annual Benefit.

National Olmsted Scholar Anjelyque Easley of the Pennsylvania State University

Anjelyque discusses her research on the parallels between the erasure of African American landscapes post-segregation and the erasure of Jewish landscapes post-World War II. Anjelyque is working to develop case studies that offer designers guidance for how to preserve sites, history, and culture, even as these landscapes are developed.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Madelynne Clark of Ball State University

Madelynne discusses her research examining the industrial outskirts of Chicago, Illinois and the impacts faced by residents living in an environment shaped by the fossil fuel industry.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Adriana Hernandez-Aguirre of Texas A&M University

Adriana discusses her work promoting access to high-quality green space within Las Colonias, informal settlements along the US-Mexico border.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Christian Moore of The Ohio State University

Christian discusses his research examining how landscape architecture can provide vision for struggling rural and agricultural communities.

Meet the 2019 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Graduates

rory — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 21:04:42 +0000

Meet the 2019 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Graduates

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Here, we showcase the 2019 graduate winner and finalists, who were announced in April after being selected from a group of 49 graduate students nominated by their faculty. The winner receives $25,000, and each finalist receives $5,000.

They are among the 86 LAF Olmsted Scholars named in 2019 and will be honored on November 14-15 in San Diego at a luncheon and at LAF's 34th Annual Benefit.

National Olmsted Scholar Areti Athanasopoulos of the University of Colorado-Denver

Areti discusses her work promoting quality of life for refugees through community gardens and community design interventions. Areti plans to continue engaging in research and activism using landscape architecture to support the health and welfare of refugees.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Fatema Maswood of the University of Washington

Fatema discusses her research at the confluence of the climate crisis, historic hydrologic structures, and political ecology in Tunis, Tunisia.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Grace Mitchell Tada of the University of California, Berkeley

Grace discusses her research on cultural landscapes and specific projects focused on migrants and climate change.

National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Jennifer Lauer of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Jennifer received her MLA in May 2019 and previously received a BA in environmental studies from Allegheny College, where she was awarded a faculty prize for best interdisciplinary research project for her work connecting people in transitional shelter to ecologically sustainable food options. She brings an academic and professional background in art, social science, and horticulture to her design practice, with a particular emphasis on design as a catalyst for socio-ecological healing, connection, and reciprocity. Jennifer hopes to achieve a research and design role working with landscape architects to creatively reveal multiple narratives affecting significant cultural landscapes.

LAF at the 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

rory — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 14:42:24 +0000

LAF at the 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

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If you'll be in San Diego for the 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, we hope you'll join us for these fun and thought-provoking events. There are three education sessions that LAF has organized or will be participating in this year. LAF will also be hosting our popular Annual Benefit at The Prado in Balboa Park and will have a booth at the EXPO where you can learn more about our programs and share your thoughts on how landscape architects can take action on issues like climate change and equity.

LAF will also be celebrating this year at Monday's professional and student awards ceremony where the New Landscape Declaration book will receive an Honor Award in Communications and at the President's Dinner where we will be receiving ASLA's Landscape Architecture Medal of Excellence. We hope to see you!

Equity and Inclusion in Practice: How Do We Get There? (FRI-B08)
Fri, Nov 15, 3:30-5pm
San Diego Convention Center, Room 28ABC
In this education session, LAF Board Members Roberto Rovira and Michael Grove and LAF Board Emeritus Debra Guenther will discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, firm management, and practice and share strategies they have implemented in their own organizations. LAF will also release the Summary of Findings from the 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Surveys at this session.

Do You Speak Developer? Translating and Communicating the Value of Landscape Architecture (SAT-B02)
Sat, Nov 16, 2-3pm
San Diego Convention Center, Room 29AB
This Education Session with Connie Chung of HR&A, Patrick Phillips of Phillips Development Strategies, and Steven Spears of GroundWork Development Company offer insights on how landscape architects can translate their work in a language compelling to developers.

Landscapes in Flux: Design Research Lessons from Three Exemplary Waterfronts (SUN-B05)
Sun, Nov 17, 2-3pm
San Diego Convention Center, Room 28ABC
This Education Session with Meghen Quinn of Hargreaves Associates, Michael Robinson of SWA, and Zachary Chrisco of Sasaki presents candid outcomes of research undertaken through LAF’s Case Study Investigation program on Buffalo Bayou Park, Chicago Riverwalk, and Crissy Field.

LAF's 34th Annual Benefit
Fri, Nov 15, 7-10:30pm
The Prado at Balboa Park (*Registration Required)
Join top designers from practice, academia, and industry for a lively evening with great food and drink in this historic venue. Proceeds support LAF's research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives.

LAF Booth in ASLA EXPO Hall (#2619)
Sat, Nov 16, 9am-6pm and Sun, Nov 17, 10am-2pm
San Diego Convention Center
Stop by our booth to learn about LAF programs and funding opportunities (like the new $25,000 LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell) and let us know how you think landscape architects can take action and use our voices to make an impact on issues including climate change, equity, and resilience.

The New Landscape Declaration at ASLA Bookstore
Sat, Nov 16, 9am-6pm
San Diego Convention Center
The New Landscape Declaration: A 21st Century Call to Action features 32 essays and reflections from LAF’s unprecedented 2016 Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future. This year, the book earned a 2019 ASLA Honor Award in Communications.

ASLA Professional and Student Awards Ceremony
Mon, Nov 18, 1-2:30pm
San Diego Convention Center
This year, LAF will be recognized during the ASLA Professional Awards program with an Honor Award in Communications for the book released following the 2016 Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future: The New Landscape Declaration: A 21st Century Call to Action.

ASLA President's Dinner
Mon, Nov 18, 7pm
Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel (*Registration Required)
This dinner pays tribute to those who receive ASLA's highest honors, including LAF which will receive the 2019 ASLA Landscape Architecture Medal of Excellence during the honors presentation.

From the Field: Challenging Paradigms

rory — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 14:41:42 +0000

From the Field: Challenging Paradigms

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By Yalcin Yildirim, PhD Candidate and 2019 CSI Research Assistant at the University of Texas at Arlington

The Waterworks Area at Yanaguana Garden facilitates play and interaction while providing relief on warm summer days (image credit: Yalcin Yildirim)

Environmental and social resiliency framed the post-occupancy evaluation narrative for our research team at the University of Texas at Arlington for the 2019 LAF Case Study Investigation program. The team includes CSI Fellow Adjunct Assistant Professor Amanda Aman and research assistant Yalcin Yildirim, PhD Candidate, in addition to the firm liaisons, Michael Robinson (SWA) and Amy Mitchell (MIG, Inc.).

Our team has been working to quantify performative benefits through the lens of resiliency for two landscape projects: Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston, Texas, designed by SWA, and Yanaguana Garden in San Antonio, Texas, designed by MIG, Inc. Buffalo Bayou Park, an urban green space located upstream of downtown Houston, is a precedent for resilient open-space design, planning, and operations in climate-sensitive and flood-prone coastal areas in an age of accelerated climate change with devastating potential impacts. Yanaguana Garden, the first phase of implementation for the Hemisfair Park Area Master Plan, is a series of active and passive play spaces designed for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

With regard to resilience, the design for Buffalo Bayou Park sought to mitigate seasonal and catastrophic flooding events while also restoring ecologies and systems, and simplifying and streamlining maintenance procedures. One of my research team’s methods involved working closely with the firm liaison to understand the various bayou slope stabilization techniques that were both considered and constructed concerning flood control, given that the site was designed to flood multiple times each year. We also worked with the Harris County Flood Control District to determine the repair costs for the constructed stabilization techniques that were less effective in addition to those that were highly effective. My team mapped the locations of each employed technique in addition to all repair locations and then analyzed their performance relative to the initial investment and implementation and repair costs. This method allowed us to understand the collective resiliency of these techniques as a system to better inform the design of landscapes laced with the need for flood control.

For Yanaguana Garden, we utilized the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY) in addition to a user survey designed by our research team in order to observe and catalog the diversity of users (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.), the types of play and activity levels, and the equitability and accessibility of the site and play equipment. A major goal of the project was to design and facilitate play spaces that enabled users to interact with one another, particularly as new acquaintances, where play became the primary language, regardless of gender, age, and ethnicity. This approach was driven by a greater goal of social resilience where, when exposed to diversity through the lens of a common language of play, children and adults would be more likely to engage in these types of interactions outside of the park as well. The team observed new acquaintances being made through play in the Sand Play Area consistently, in addition to users of varying ages interacting and learning from one another in the Play Square.

While both of these projects had different goals overall, their commonalities existed within the design intent for resilience as both sought to challenge the paradigm of how these landscape typologies typically exist. A number of additional methods were quantified by the research team concerning resilience and can be found in the respective Methods documents. For Buffalo Bayou Park, we also quantified the cost and performance of site furnishings and fixtures for flood submersion and debris impact, in addition to the ecological function of the site as a pollinator corridor. For Yanaguana Garden, our team also quantified perceptions of the garden’s inclusivity, in addition to access to the garden from local neighborhoods. This collection of methods ultimately supports the initial design goals for both landscape projects.

CSI Team: Amanda Aman, AIA, & Yalcin Yidirim, University of Texas at Arlington
Projects: a) Yanaguana Garden, San Antonio, Texas & b) Buffalo Bayou Park Post-Harvey, Houston, Texas
Landscape Architect: a) MIG, Inc. & b) SWA Group
This CSI Participant update was written in July 2019.

Any opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.

From the Field: Functionality and Emotional Response

rory — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 21:23:02 +0000

From the Field: Functionality and Emotional Response

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By Evan Gill, 2019 CSI Research Assistant, University of Michigan

Evan Gill observing plant species and dimensions in an infiltration garden

Our team at the University of Michigan had an exceptional educational experience participating in LAF’s 2019 Case Study Investigation (CSI) program. Being able to contribute to the CSI program has challenged us and helped our team grow in a multitude of ways. Our team is affiliated with the University of Michigan’s landscape architecture program in the School of the Environment and Sustainability. This unique program has allowed us to participate in analyzing global challenges from a social and ecological sustainability point of view. The research is guided by the landscape architecture program and specifically research assistant, Evan Gill, and CSI Fellow, Professor Mark Lindquist. The team was fortunate enough to have assistance from two Doris Duke Scholars, Lauren Holmes and Julia Talamo. We are enthusiastic about sharing our research in the upcoming LAF Case Study Brief to be released this fall.

The focus of our case study is the four-acre Gerstacker Grove, located at the heart of the University of Michigan’s North Campus. Renovated in 2016, Gerstacker Grove was thoughtfully designed around the preexisting bell tower and time capsule exhibit. Previously, Gerstacker Grove was an underutilized and poorly planned campus space. There was much greenery, but pathways connecting the different academic buildings were not well arranged, and there was no space for gathering or socializing in general. Now, Gerstacker Grove includes a variety of new features that fix the previous issues while providing new environmental, social, and economic services.

Throughout our study, we have discovered many relationships between the functionality and emotional responsiveness for Gerstacker Grove. Centering our data collection on the experiences people have with the landscape helped us to understand better what contributes to a successful project. Participating in the CSI program has allowed us to provide recognition and visibility to the importance of spatial analysis and environmental understanding through interactive landscapes. This project is aimed to help understand if the construction of Gerstacker Grove has transformed a natural landscape to one that is accessible to people. Along with open public access, runoff water management strategies, and increased diversity index, it is also crucial to take into consideration how this can help other landscapes achieve their highest potential.

The landscape observed has numerous aspects for human interaction such as the volleyball court, swings, and accessible green spaces to enjoy. CSI allowed us to understand the working relationship between physical space and people. Our team was pleasantly surprised to learn how all the connections between carbon sequestration and plant biodiversity can play a role in our experiences with landscapes. This part of our data collection was all about covering user perceptions to help analyze values for landscapes that could increase appreciation and community engagement. This provides available data for the assessment of the project’s social benefits. Our team is also analyzing survey data on these factors in order to make a more direct comparison of user perception.

As our team nears the end of the CSI program, we look forward to collecting, documenting, and analyzing our data for the Gerstacker Grove project. Interpreting this data can help communication between firms and people on what sets unique and excellent landscape architecture apart. Hopefully, as the project continues, we can continue to learn more about how to make landscapes more engaging to increase environmental and social understanding of landscape architecture.

CSI Team: Mark Lindquist, PhD, ASLA, & Evan Gill
Project: Gerstacker Grove, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Landscape Architect: Stoss Landscape Urbanism
This CSI Participant update was written in July 2019.

Any opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.