Anne Whiston Spirn Lecture in Portland

An upcoming lecture by Anne Whiston Spirn entitled Restoring an Urban Watershed: Ecology, Equity, and Design will be happening on Monday, January 23rd, from Noon to 1pm at the Portland Building, 1120 SW Fifth Avenue - Second Floor, Room C.  The brownbag is free and open to all.  Here's a synopsis.

The West Philadelphia Landscape Project is a landmark of urban design, watershed management, environmental and design education, and community engagement. Anne Whiston Spirn, who has directed the project for 25 years, will describe the story of the restoration of the Mill Creek watershed as a model for how to unite ecology, design, and community engagement to address social and environmental problems in low-income communities. Anne will also discuss her book, Daring to Look: Dorothea Lange's Photographs and Reports from the Field.
 
Anne Whiston Spirn is an award-winning author and distinguished landscape architect, photographer, teacher, and scholar whose work is devoted to promoting life-sustaining communities.  

Sponsored by:  
Urban Greenspaces Institute
Audubon Society of Portland
Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
Portland Office of Healthy Working Rivers.

Artificial Rivers

A post on Gardenvisit discusses the historical idea of creating artificial landscapes, in this case the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, to appear 'natural'.

:: image via Gardenvisit

"In 1730 Queen Charlotte ordered the damming of the Westbourne River as part of a general redevelopment of Hyde Park and Kennsington Gardens by Charles Bridgeman. The Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park is the remnant of the Westbourne River which since 1850 has been diverted into a culvert and runs into the Thames near Chelsea. “The Serpentine Lake was one of the earliest artificial lakes designed to appear natural” and was widely imitated. The Long Water because of its relatively undisturbed nature is a significant wildlife habitat."

The current imagery shows the modern configuration, which is interesting as it has maintained a similar configuration through time, but also doesn't have the undulating crenelations of a more 'organic' river that would probably pass for naturalism in modern form. 

:: image via Google Earth

Some images of the site as is currently configured, which is both integrated into it's urban context but also maintaining a natural appearance.

 :: images via Wikipedia

While there are probably hundreds of examples similar to this, and the fact that the site is mostly contained with a park (with a purely formal goal, versus ecological) - keeps it some distance from an engagement in the urban form and a viable idea of landscape or ecological urbanism.

It did remind me of what I think is a very good example of 19th Century work/precedent of landscape urbanism, Olmsted's restoration and naturalization of Boston's Back Bay Fens - a landscape that, as part of the Emerald Necklace, as a historically engineered construct, is today considered a natural and ecologically functioning natural area that the City was built around.  In fact the inverse is true, as the space was massively designed and engineered, with the subsequent urban areas building up around the space.  As seen from the pattern of Olmsted's plan in 1887, the Back Bay fens is a naturalistic work of landscape architecture, but also a feat of engineering that mitigated flooding in the area.

:: image via Wikipedia

And the current urban pattern, showing the infilling of urban areas around the 'open space' in the subsequent 130 years (yet remaining remarkably intact).  Building up of the urban density around this 'constructed landscape' is striking, especially in contrast to the bucolic beginnings.

:: image via Google Earth

And some additional information and text from an MIT architecture class site 'The Site Through Time' - showing the historical evolution of the park - emerging from the marshy landfill that constituted the majority of the Boston area (see more on the urban expansion through landfilling here).

:: images via MIT

While it is easy to consider this an 'extension of nature' it is clear this is a constructed urban landscape, and that after time it is hard to see this historical ecology without some digging - as it is perceived as nature.  A great site as part of the David Rumsey collection overlays a number of historical maps (there should be one of these for every city), which show the Back Bay area in different configurations (but the same scale and view) prior to and after 1887, which show the marsh, early landfill, evolution, and eventual implementation of the Olmsted plan (years 1856, 1874, and 1897)

:: images from David Rumsey

More on this one soon (in particular proto-landscape urbanism qualities of this historical work in providing a landscape framework for urbanism).  It is telling that most people consider this 'nature', similarly to the very constructed Central Park and other naturalistic parks of the 19th Century.  It is more specifically artificial ecologies as urban infrastructure - a novel concept well over a century removed.

:: Back Bay Fens - 1892 - image via The Olmsted Legacy

I've used this example before, in an article from a few years back (Winter 2006) called 'Creating Nature' (links to a PDF published in the ASLA Oregon journal ORegonland - article starts on pg. 4).  For anyone interested in more detail, check out one of the essays in William Cronon's sporadicallyengaging 'Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature', specifically Anne Whiston Spirn's great essay 'Constructing Nature' which mentions this project and others by Olmsted using similar naturalistic tendencies. But for it's picturesque aesthetics of a century ago, it sounds a lot like landscape (or ecological) urbanism to me:

"Boston's Fens and Riverway were built over nearly two decades, (1880s - 1890s) as an urban 'wilderness,' the first attempt anywhere, so far as I know, to construct a wetland.  These projects, built on the site of tidal flats and floodplains fouled by sewage and industrial effluent, were designed to purify water and protect adjacent land from flooding.  They also incorporated an interceptor sewer, a parkway, and Boston's first streetcar line; together, they formed a landscape system designed to accommodate the movement of people, the flow of water, and the removal of wastes.  This skeleton of park, road, sewer, and public transit structured the growing city and its suburbs."  (Spirn quoted in Cronon, 1996, p.104)

Feral Green Streets (Tamed)

It was bound to happen, but a nice walk for some coffee showed the new 'orderly frames' for the previously unruly green street planters along Burnside Street.  Some updated images displaying what is quickly becoming 'stock' in the local green street planting arsenal -  (c) Jason King | Landscape+Urbanism.

I'm really intrigued by the planters that have captured the existing street trees.

 

My guess is it is a compromise between impacting the tree roots with excavation, versus impacts to the root zone via additional water.  They are all columnar red maples, and the majority of runoff directly on them is from small sidewalk inlets - so seems as if the wet feet may not be so much of an issue.

The neatness of the planting array keeps it from being monochromatic, there is an additional species or two thrown in here or there, particularly in larger areas without trees, and there is a slight differential in height in texture, but they just seem a bit tired at this point.  Maybe the novelty of the green street has worn off - not in function, but that they aren't special anymore, which maybe is OK?.  While still visible, is it preferable to have green infrastructure stick out, or is it acceptable, through ubiquity, for these to involve somewhat into the same invisible infrastructure.  Being common is a good sign, and that's why the 'feral' varieties were interesting:  I kind of liked them in their wild form...

Another interesting shot was the excavation of some of the new planters on the south side of the street (still under construction, I can tell from the wonderful odor of black tar in the air).  The subsurface condition of a stormwater planter is always fascinating, as what you see on the surface is rarely what is doing the heavy lifting for retention and infiltration.

Feral Green Streets

On E. Burnside Street in Portland, the construction of the Burnside-Couch Couplet, a project aimed at 'humanizing' the wide arterial that slices through Portland and provides the dividing line between North and South. Construction is ongoing, and as part of the design, the streets on both sides of the couplet have a number of green street planters. As I was moving into my new office, I couldn't help but notice a new 'planting' scheme on the Burnside planters - predominately populated with a mixture of weedy pioneering vegetation.



The jute netting and wood (??) weirs have been in for some time - prepped for planting and keeping erosion at bay. The late summer of sun and moisture have allowed for perfect conditions for weeds to germinate in pockets of wet ground, making for a lush green tapestry that is starting to overtake many of the curb extensions - most probably from weeds carried from car tires and deposited in the planters.





It would be interested to see if the general public noticed the difference between these 'feral' varieties compared to many of the specifically planted varieties (which at times look somewhat messy themselves) - or more likely what do business owners think? Will the weeds persist after planting? Will hand removal be adequate to keep these down once the planting is completed? How much money could we save with treatment of stormwater facilities as early successional ecosystems recently impacted with disturbance? Would this vegetation work better or worst than the monocultural rushes that have seemed to become the mainstay of storm facilities? I'm kind of hoping they just leave them as some form of radical urban ecosystem experiment - followed by soil only ecoroofs that are left to colonize via birds and wind.



Not sure what the delay in planting actually is - as the heat of summer is over and we've now hit a good part of the season for planting sans irrigation. Another month and these will be bursting and lush with weedy varieties. Some of the newer ones have yet to be overtaken, as seen in a view of one of the pristine sections - ready for colonization.


(all images (c) Jason King -Landscape+Urbanism)

Elizabeth Caruthers Park

One on the more recent additions to the park inventory in Portland is the neighborhood park for the South Waterfront Area. (see here and here for more on SoWa). The park is named Elizabeth Caruthers Park (after one of the pioneering founders of Portland - on whose original land claim the park now lies) this new addition offers another iteration of the national firm paired with local for park projects. As this site isn't one of those you 'happen to be near and want to swing by', it's been less on the radar than some other visible additions to the Portland landscape, which I will be showing off soon as well.

I did see this a couple of times during construction, but had an opportunity and some sunny weather this weekend to swing by and snap a few images of the completed park.


:: image (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The $3.5 million park design was completed by Hargreaves Associates, along with local firm Lango-Hansen and artist Doug Hollis. Finished size is 2 acres, and the design plays off the proximity to the river, high density mixed use buildings, and the potential to be a flexible event space.

:: image via Portland Parks and Recreation

The context of the park is interesting, as the area is now starting to fill up with more buildings, giving some scale to what was previously a flat 2 block area. This makes me think that the scale and design of the park will be much more appropriate given the final build-out of this dense neighborhood. The designers worked a number of elements into the space and I think successfully captured the ability to split the space up into smaller 'rooms' without diminishing the whole. As mentioned on the PP&R website, the park offers a range of uses for this emerging neighborhood. These include:

"Urban Gardens: A community gathering area with movable tables and chairs and a built-in bocce court, a garden retreat area with granite seat walls and a historic marker honoring the site of Portland's first cabin, and an environmental play area with a spray/play stepping stone feature and seating logs.

Naturalized Landscape: Boardwalks, naturalized plantings, undulating topography with stormwater detention, and Song Cycles public art created by Doug Hollis.

Open Lawn: Flexible space, including an 8' tall sloped landform for seating, sunning, and play.

Other Features: A variety of trees and plantings, pathways with benches, park lighting, a festival edge on Bond, electrical infrastructure for events, bicycle racks, a drinking fountain, dog waste bag dispensers, trash receptacles, and streetscape improvements."

The dominant feature of the park is the large open grassy area, which was being used mostly for dog walking. The sculptural mound, obviously is a typical Hargreaves signature, but seems restrained here as a backdrop and tilted plane that could work as amphitheater seating. While maybe 10 feet at it's apex, you don't feel terribly high up due to the flatness of the surrounding landscape. Dare I say the berm needed to be much larger and more dramatic to really have the impact in this sized space.




:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The individual rooms contain such features as water play, sculpture, and interpretive elements all bordered by waves of plantings defining the spaces while allowing hints of what lies beyond. The water play was interesting as it was surrounded by rubber playground tiles (the slightly darker brown) for safety - and the individual pieces of the feature itself use two different rock textures for an undulating appearance.




:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The waves of plantings give definition to the space, along with the curving pathways. This layering provides an interesting foreshortening of spaces adding to their comfort and intimacy..


:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The plantings and pathways also lead to other rooms, for instance this flexible seating area and bocce court. The ability to move furnishings around takes advantage of the user preference for where and in what configuration they sit. These seats surround a simple decomposed granite court (the same d.g. used for secondary pathways) again simply delineated with sparing use of stone.




:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The remaining perimeters of the park (to the south and west sides) feature a series of low depressions and raised boardwalks, creating a wet, shade garden with Pacific Northwest species mixed with selected non-native ornamentals including groves of multi-stem birch which are a nice touch. The boardwalks cut through these wet zones, and vary from a sinous curving variety here...


:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

... to the much more rigid straight boardwalks weaving through the south section. The shade is predominantly from the building directly south, casting a shadow almost completely within this zone - and giving a very different feel from the heat of the open lawn areas - probably even more so in the height of winter.


:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

The sculptural elements 'Song Cycles' by Doug Hollis are also dotted through this area, making for some visible movement and drawing the eye skyward. I was kind of disappointed with these - essentially an oversized bicycle wheel with some cups to catch the wind and swing them round. From the RACC website, they were "... Inspired by a historic photograph of bicyclists resting at a nearby site, these “Song Cycles” are activated by the wind."


:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

And a quick video of them in action I took...

'Song Cycles' from Jason King on Vimeo.

These areas are definitely shady at mid-day, offering some relief from the heat. They do suffer from a lack of usable seating, as most of the paths are raised above grade with an occasional seat. Obviously meant to be moved through more than to linger, the shade and coolness makes it a refuge worth hanging around for and I wish there would have been a larger space carved out on this end mirroring the more sunny north side. Perhaps one must make due with just hanging your feet over the ipe decking into the water below?


:: images (c) Jason King - Landscape+Urbanism

It was interesting how little you notice the proximity to the interstate from inside the park - it registering just as a low drone in the background. While the context of the park seems cut off from the riverfront (which will hopefully seem more appealing once it is completed), another contextual element that's fascinating is the constant movement of the Portland Aerial Tram nearby the park. The little pill from pill hill kept drawing my eye upwards in fascination (the thing has been in for a couple of years now, and I seem to never tire of watching it)... another short video:

Aerial Tram from Elizabeth Caruthers Park from Jason King on Vimeo.

As a new neighborhood park (in an emerging neighborhood that some still say hasn't emerged) I was expected to see the park completely devoid of people, even on a sunny Saturday. While not teeming, there was a respectable crowd moving through - either hanging out in the seating areas, lounging on the berm, running dogs in the lawn, and grabbing a quick smoke break from a restaurant across the way. All in all I give the park high marks - and it's going to be interesting to see how this space evolves - influenced by new building in the neighborhood, more people residing and working here (like the LEED Platinum OHSU Center for Health and Healing in the distance), and intentional active programming of the spaces. The designers did a great job of incorporating a lot of activity and flexibility into 2 acres, and I'm looking forward to seeing this park mature and thrive. Now about that berm...

Bell Street Park - Seattle

A new project recently via the Daily Journal of Commerce unveiled by SvR Design Company in Seattle shows a pair of proposals for Bell Street Park: "The project will affect the area from First to Fifth avenues and create 17,000 square feet of park space. The city is converting one lane of traffic to public recreational space and reconfiguring parking to create a linear open space with landscaping, lighting and pedestrian amenities."


:: image via Seattle Parks

The team created a couple of different concepts, based on good streetscape principles and some of the cultural and natural history of the area of the city. A description of the concepts and some commentary from Nate Cormier, landscape architect at SvR is included in the article, along with a representative concept block of each plan:

CONCEPT ONE
The first 'Sluiced Surface Plan': "...was inspired by the earth moving that created Bell Street... it is meant to represent the changed landscape. The pathway through the park meanders down the street, moving from side to side. Cormier said it reflects the fact that cities are always changing, and that some landscapes are made while others are unmade. "


:: image via Daily Journal of Commerce

From a presentation on the design, some additional images to explain the concepts a bit further, exploring some of the significant 'flattening' that happened to topographic features through sluicing.


:: image via Seattle Parks

And finally a vignette sketch of the plan.


:: image via Seattle Parks

CONCEPT TWO
The second, called 'Measured Movement Plan': "...was inspired by the rhythms of the street and also reflects the area's history as Seattle's film row. In this design, the park would have a pathway straight down the street. “This one says, the people in a sense are the architects,” Cormier said. “It's more of a stage, more flexible, more taut compared to the other one that really sets up those opportunities more explicitly.”


:: image via Daily Journal of Commerce

The more formal elements of this plan are derived from a more mechanical processes and industrial heritage, as well as referencing the areas history of film. The repetition and modulation of spaces using the filmic idea of frames, using lighting and the tracery of impressions of people as a conceptual framework for organizing the site.


:: image via Seattle Parks

A vignette sketch of this plan as well.


:: image via Seattle Parks

Certificate in Urban Green Infrastructure

My colleagues Brice Maryman and Nate Cormier, both landscape architects at SvR Design Company in Seattle, are teaching a pair of online courses this Spring and Summer with a focus on Urban Green Infrastructure. These two know the ins and outs of the topic, through their work locally and through the ever-expanding Green Infrastructure Wiki. Check out an overview of the course via an online presentation here.



Some additional info from the online site:

"Discover how strengthening a city's green infrastructure network increases community health and ecological resilience. Learn to recognize, quantify, and apply ecosystem services and amenities in an urban environment. Explore humanity's evolving relationship to nature as expressed in biophilia and emerging theories of landscape performance.

Develop integrated and elegant solutions to the complex infrastructural challenges facing growing cities and envision "high performance landscapes" that are multi-functional, yet culturally resonant. Experience the latest advances in urban landscape stewardship, and stay up-to-date with innovative, open source communication technologies, from wikis and social networking media to online collaboration and presentation tools"

The two courses include a Spring session entitled "Planning Urban Green Infrastructure Networks" which "...provides an overview of urban green infrastructure planning, drawing on the methods and techniques from strategic conservation planning, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, landscape ecology, and other related disciplines. You will learn how to organize a holistic planning process and work with the six green infrastructure systems in terms of their functions and services. Through case studies, lectures, and interactive exercises, you will learn to integrate systems into community-wide networks. The course will also cover innovative policy and funding strategies."



This is followed by a Summer class focusing in more detail "Designing High Performance Landscapes" where participants will "...explore the technical and aesthetic design considerations of high performance landscapes. You'll gain an appreciation of landscape aesthetics in an urbanizing world. Through case studies and carefully led design exercises you will learn to synthesize diverse programmatic functions into elegant solutions."

You can course overviews, instructor bios, and more on the site. The courses are developed in partnership with the UW College of Built Environments and the UW Department of Landscape Architecture