Urban Ag: The Pulse

It's been a while since I've done a significant post on urban agriculture. This is somewhat purposeful - for one everywhere you look the topic has caught fire. A quick summary shows recent articles in the LA Times, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, American City, CNN, San Francisco Chronicle, Globe & Mail, Granville, Dwell, Slate - and on, and on...


:: image via Treehugger

For a variety of current and upcoming projects - and a more expansive paper I'm writing - I've been compiling a number of case-studies and other assorted research around the concept of urban agriculture. Here's a quick update on some of the recent findings. Anyone interested in Urban Agriculture would be remiss to not check with City Farmer - which always has links to a number of papers worth checking out, including these:

:: Urban Agriculture Resource and Education Centre - Concept Paper
:: Edible Backyards: Residential land use for food production in Toronto
:: Urbanization and class-produced natures: Vegetable gardens in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (MRB)


One worth some further elaboration, Edible Cities featured a group from the UK did a study of US-based urban agriculture projects entitled (the report is available here) which "...shows edible cities are the future - Edible Cities, looks at examples of urban agriculture projects in cities and identifies a series of opportunities that other cities could be adopting."


:: image via City Farmer

The report summarized a number of topics and opportunities, from SustainWeb: "A commercial element to many of the US projects, which is much less common in the UK; A more liberal situation in the US than in the UK to encourage composting, but less willingness than in the UK to include animals in some urban agriculture projects; Different approaches to fencing and public access to projects, which varied within the US, depending on context; Imaginative and productive ways of growing without access to subsoil, either in raised beds on hard surfaces or, in one case, in hydroponics on a barge; Inspiring use of an holistic and sustainable approach to fish farming in an urban area which produces marketable quantities of tilapia."

Also included were ideas on promoting food production in cities, again from SustainWeb: "Using the many possibilities of urban tree planting to promote traditional varieties of fruit and nuts; Untapping the potential of both Royal Parks and other parks to accommodate some food growing in their grounds; Exploring under-utilised spaces such as derelict council property, private gardens and social housing to grow food; Making use of the abundant buildings in urban areas to grow food on rooftops, up walls and in window boxes; Building on the food growing expertise that already exists in a multicultural community, as well as providing education and training for new growers."

The materials are available for download, with a suggested donation. I have yet to delve into the report in any detail, but it definitely sounds promising. A cross-post from the concept thrown out by _urb_ on Agro-urbanism... as well as the original post - which has some comprehensive thoughts to check out. One quote worth repeating: "Luckily, architects, landscape architects, and urbanists have been planning for this type of situation. There have been many proposals in the last couple of years for different types of agricultural based infrastructures that can be integrated into nurban areas, what I am calling AGRO-URBANISM. The impetus for these proposals are manifold and include the concerns previously mentioned as well as issues of sustainability and sustainable development, a re-positioning of the landscape architecture discipline and the rise of the hybrid discipline “landscape urbanism”, and recent trends in architecture focusing on performance-based design which derive inspiration from ecological and biological systems."

A local project worth checking out is the Rocket Restaurant here in Portland, of which City Farmer had a long post from rooftop gardener Marc Boucher-Colbert. I mentioned this previously, but this article talks in detail about the trials and tribulations of rooftop ag on this innovative project, along with some more photos.

:: images via City Farmer

Some interesting background on the concept of rooftop agriculture, via Marc: "The Austrian architect and painter Hundertwasser, who seemed like he was one not to mince words, said something to the effect that by building a structure, one murders the biotic community there (pretty much true, as far as I can tell), and that, therefore, one has a moral obligation to plant the roof and restore what one has killed."

The main thrust of a number of theorists is the idea of reclaiming land within the urban core for agricultural purposes. An article from March in the Guardian on Middlesbrough posits this as well, saying: "All over the town, disused urban spaces were turned into fertile corners bursting with freshly grown fruit and vegetables as more than 1,000 residents." I've mentioned the project before, as well as directed people to the work of David Barrie (and his wide-ranging blog) but it becomes the crux of urban agriculture.

Definitely more to come... as it's still a hot topic.

Reading List: Vertical Gardens

Arriving last week, one of many books to come in the next year focussed on green walls and vegetated architecture. Vertical Gardens, authored by Anna Lambertini with an introduction by Jacques Leenhardt and photos by Mario Ciampi. Much like the gardens themselves, the photos of projects are full of variety and almost moist to the touch with vegetative lushness.



:: image via Amazon

The popularity of Vertical Walls has exploded recently, and there is a daily display of new projects that are incorporating the ideas into the building form. The book is great in providing real examples of built projects, instead of representative green material that so often shows up in renderings. A few of the projects were featured here previously, including Musee de Quai Branly, by Patrick Blanc, and projects by Edouard Francois.

A sampling of other notable projects included in the book (note photos are not from the book, but gleaned from other sources) Buy the book! It's worth it for the imagery alone!


:: High Rise of Homes, James Wines - image via Life Without Buildings



:: Cheminee vegetale la Defense, Blanc and Francois - image via Fabian Coughnaud


:: Pershing Hall Hotel Plant Wall, Patrick Blanc - image via Businessweek


:: MFO Park in Zurich via Archidose



:: Flower Tower, Edouard Francois - image via DesignBoom



:: Acros Building Fukoka, Emilio Ambasz - image via Metaefficient

There are very few books on the subject, so if you are at all interested, I would recommend this one. I imagine this lack of books will change, as the woefully small shelf of green roofs and living wall books is going to explode to encompass more space and i will have to sell back everything else. On that note, later in 2008, the much anticipated book The Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc, will be available for review. In the meantime, Lambertini's book contains a good amount of Blanc's work which will have to suffice along with his great website.


:: image via Amazon

A Potential Body of Landscape Urbanism - Part 1

My questions about identifying works of landscape urbanism has its first lead.  A reader (and fellow former North Dakotan Brook Meier - an architect now practicing in India) offered some projects worthy of explanation.  He used to work for the firm LA Dallman in Milwaukie, Wisconsin and mentioned the collective Crossroads project, which he succinctly summed up as "A multi-part urban story that links transit-ways and neighborhoods while creating something out of nothing." 

The project consists of three parts, The Marsupial Bridge, The Urban Plaza, and the Brady Street Bus Shelter.  As three distinct projects, the have are solidly formed pieces of landscape architecture, and urban design - with the infrastructure of a bridge thrown in for good measure.

:: images via LA Dallman

These projects were not planned as a cohesive work of landscape urbanism per se, but form an assemblage of projects that start to take on some of the characteristics of landscape urbanism, including providing a diverse connective tissue (Wall, 1999b) of disparate elements, being opportunistic in looking at context to drive design decisions, incorporating a 'civic infrastructure' (Poole, 2004b) and embracing elements of indeterminacy in flexible programming of the central public space, giving what Waldheim would refer to as "imaginatively reordered relationships between ecology and infrastructure." (Weller & Musiatowicz, 2004: p. 66).

A look at the three elements of the project give an idea of the elements.

Project 1. The Marsupial Bridge

"The Marsupial Bridge is a pedestrian walkway that uses the existing Holton Street Viaduct structure as its "host". The bridge weaves through the existing structure that was originally engineered to support trolley cars, a transportation system which was abandoned with increased automobile use in the early 1900s. Hanging opportunistically from the over-structured middle-third of the viaduct, The Marsupial Bridge responds to the changing transportation needs of the city by increasing pedestrian and bicycle connections. The bridge is a "green highway" that activates the unused space beneath the viaduct, encourages alternative forms of transportation, and connects residential neighborhoods to natural amenities, Milwaukee’s downtown, and the Brady Street commercial district. The Marsupial Bridge’s undulate concrete deck offers a counterpoint to the existing steel members of the viaduct, inspired by the notion of weaving a new spine through the structure. Recalling the wood docks along the Milwaukee River, formerly an industrial corridor linking northern territories with the Great Lakes, the concrete deck is finished with wood deck and handrails, and stainless steel stanchions and diaphanous apron. Floor lighting is integrated behind the apron, and precision theatrical fixtures are mounted above to create a localized ribbon of illumination with minimal spill into the riparian landscape below."

Project 2. The Urban Plaza
The most well known of the three, which has been covered in some of the mainstream press, is the Urban Plaza segment, nestled under the end of the bridge abutment.

"The Urban Plaza converts an unsafe underbridge area into a civic gathering space for film festivals, regattas, and other river events. The position of the Urban Plaza within the existing viaduct presented an unusual challenge due to the lack of natural daylight for plant growth. Accordingly, this area could not be defined through landscape design in the conventional sense; rather, concrete benches are set amidst a moonscape of gravel and seating boulders. The benches provide a respite for pedestrians and bicyclists as they make their way across the Marsupial Bridge, and by night the benches are lit from within, transforming the Plaza into a beacon for the neighborhood. This strategy challenges the traditional notion of public space as a “town square,” or “village green,” and provides a site-specific program for the underbridge zone."

Project 3:  Brady Street Bus Shelter

"The Brady Street Bus Shelter serves as a waiting station for city bus passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians, and marks the gateway between lively Brady Street and the new Urban Plaza and Marsupial Bridge. The shelter is set within a platform defined by concrete and stone walls that are shaped and folded to serve as benches, retaining walls, and structural elements. Mahogany benches rest upon interlocking concrete and steel supports, forming an L-shaped plan that invites varied seating positions and protects users from the elements while allowing clear views to approaching buses. Large steel sash glass panels serve to block wind and frame views down the connecting Lift Station Path, and wood wraps the steel elements that come into direct contact with the occupants. The Bus Shelter collects rainwater through a butterfly roof, which drains into a cast concrete basin below."

The 'Assemblage' as Landscape Urbanism?

In sum, although not specifically defined work of LU, there are some compelling elements that shed some light on at least a retroactive definition of this in terms of landscape urbanism.  I think a new typology of non-site specific landscape architecture may be the 'assemblage' of landscape urbanism - the idea of 'terra fluxus' that involves developing "processes over time, the staging of surfaces, the operational or working method, and the imaginary." (Corner, 2006, p.28)   The location amidst existing urban infrastructure brings a contextual approach to the project approach, described as "Hanging opportunistically from the over-structured middle-third of the viaduct" and alludes to the recapturing urban space with a purpose, outlining a "...green highway" that activates the unused space beneath the viaduct" a 'civic infrastructure' system. (Poole, 2004)

Moving on to the Urban Plaza, this project reclaims, in a simple manner, residual urban void space  - the terrain vague (de Sola-Morales, 1995)  that would typically be fenced off or overgrown dross (Berger 2006 & Lerup, 1994), and transforming it into "a civic gathering space for film festivals, regattas, and other river events".  While site specific, the designers admit it's a difficult task that requires a new aesthetic sensibility, as"this area could not be defined through landscape design in the conventional sense".  Rather than treating this with the lens of neo-traditional open space, but "challenges the traditional notion of public space as a “town square,” or “village green,” and provides a site-specific program for the underbridge zone"   

(all above underlined quotes are clipped from the LA Dallman project descriptions quoted earlier) 

The non-traditional nature of the space, echoing a "response to the failure of traditional urban design and planning to operate effectively in the contemporary city" (Corner, 2003, p.58) and the inventive programming as urban theater are compelling, making me think of Reed: "focus is on catalyzing and coordinating"  with a " form may change and develop in response to conditions unforeseen and unknowable”. (Reed, 2006b) and Shermans “sufficient looseness with regard to future scenarios” (Sherman, 2006)

Click to 'activate' the image

The final Bus Shelter node is the most landscape architecturally defined site-specific element, with some stormwater infrastructure, gateway treatment, and greater system connectivity with transit, using a fairly traditional vocabulary of form and materials.  

I'm not offering a position one way or the other, but offering some investigation and context in some work that is compared and contrasted to the very fluid definition of landscape urbanism.  Projects will appear and slide along a continuum from traditional to fantastic and analysis will allow us to place projects within the framwork.  Keep the projects coming, as it is through the collection of this 'body' of landscape urbanism that understanding can be gleaned.  It may be compelling, or at least a form of post-mortem for LU - gathering an actionable set of precedents and strategies moving forward.

Sources:

Refer to the Landscape Urbanism bibliography for references enclosed in parentheses.

Works of Landscape Urbanism?

A long-standing question that seems to have arisen in recent days due to discussions on Ecological Urbanism, coupled with a reconnection to the Landscape Urbanism bibliography.  I've also recently rescued my book collection from storage - so have an opportunity to look specifically at some of the pertinent literature to glean what we could consider a 'working list' of projects that make up a coherent body of landscape urbanism.  Is Wikipedia correct in stating that "...most of the important projects related to this theory have yet to be built, so design competitions have been an influential stage for the development of the theory." Or is there something of substance out there.

:: Parc de la Villette Entry - OMA - image via OMA

For instance, again from Wikipedia (i know not the most definitive source - but I'm greasing the skids here) lists four 'projects' in the listing for Landscape Urbanism.

• Fresh Kills Landfill Competition, Field Operations/James Corner
• Downsview Park Competition, all finalist entries
• Parc de la Villette Competition, OMA entry/Rem Koolhaas
• Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, West 8/Adriaan Geuze

:: Fresh Kills Park - Field Operations - image via Fresh Kills

Three of these are competition entries, including the unbuilt concepts for Downsview Park and the OMA/Koolhaas entry for Parc de la Villette (the built entry being that of Tschumi).  Another competition entry that is often referenced, the Field Operations/James Corner design for Fresh Kills Landfill - is a long-term implementation that is technically in process, but may be years before it is realized. Finally, a surprising entry (I think, not due to the project but that I've never heard this associated with LU before) is Schouwburgplein, a wonderfully interactive plaza in  Rotterdam by West 8/Adriann Geuze.

:: Schouwburgplein - image via West 8

So two questions:
1. What are the elements required for a work of landscape urbanism ?
(i.e. scale, context, key concepts, necessary elements, temporality, products, etc.)

2. What projects would you consider a valid work of landscape urbanism?
(as opposed to, or differentiated from a work of another discipline: architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning, ecology, etc.)

:: Downsview - The Digital and the Coyote - Tschumi - image via Downsview 

Again, it may be one of those conceptual culs-de-sac involving the fuzzy distinction between a priori (conceptually defined) and a posteriori knowledge (proven through experience) and trying to retroactively apply intent versus finding those projects designed using a specific theoretical approach.  In fact, I suspect that may be the case, but it's worth exploration. And, as there are folks actively designing under the guise of LU - what is the product, historical or contemporary that explains the concept in physical form?

Reading List: The Sourcebook of Contemporary Landscape Design

As always, the holiday season came with a typically literary bent, as family and friends know of my bibliophilic tendencies - and I have a free moment or two to read - so look forward to some book reviews that have been waiting in the wings for a couple of months. One tome that was a wonderful additon to the library (thanks mom and sis!) is 'The Sourcebook of Contemporary Landscape Design', by Alex Sanchez Vidiella - published late 2008 by Harper Collins.


:: image via Harper Collins

These are interesting books - focused on imagery and graphics from a number of international projects that may or may not have made it into the collective consciousness - save voracious readers of blogs and European-focused journals like Topos. Thus, while some projects were known, this volume contains many projects that were new to me - and offers great photographs to reinforce and show some of the great detailing.

An excerpt of the books visually based content from the Harper Collins website:


:: image via Harper Collins

Alas, the constraint of a visually-based sourcebook is the lack of project context - which is so wonderfully presented in books like comprehensive book of 2008 The Public Chance, or special volumes on projects that are regionally or typologically based - which provide a necessary overview and grounding. There is some minimal location and context - but for the most part these projects become objects themselves, albeit wonderfully designed, implemented, and illustrated in the text.

At a remarkably affordable $60 US price tag - it's a steal to gather all this material in one spot, so definitely check it out for your office or better, yet, pick up one for your coffee table at home. No longer will visitors to your house need to know what landscape architecture is, and can be, after taking a look at this visual feast.

A Dozen of the Best of 2008

Well, in the spirit of the impending new year, it's time for a look back on the 300+ posts from Landscape+Urbanism to glean what was new, provocative, innovative, and just plain awe-inspiring. In my biased opinion, reading through the archives and downloads from the year - is that 2008 was definitely the year of Veg.itecture - both in visuals, technologies, and built works. So in this vein - a totally random and unscientific look the best of the best for Veg.itecture, Landscape and Urbanism that will continue to inspire into the new year.

1. Best Veg.itecture Project
Hands down, the most amazing project of the year was the California Academy of Sciences Building in San Francisco. Photogenic, innovative, and inspiring, this project blew everyone away, causing me to proclaim, in hyperbolic fashion, that Piano et.al. had reached the pinnacle of veg.itecture... and I still stand by this.


:: image via Metropolis

2. Best Urban Agriculture Project (tie)
This is a tie between the practical and the visionary. First, these Agrotecture visions came from the Architecture Association of London (via Pruned), such as this airborne vineyard: "The audacious structure, the winery and the vineyard for red wine grapes are connected by a suspended transport network enabling the use of ground space for a public park. With a capacity to produce 10,000 bottles of red wine annually the project re-articulates private and public space blending productive infrastructure with quality areas to Londoners and tourists."


:: image via Pruned

And the tie comes from a radically different type of urban agriculture project, from What If, an architecture collective from the UK with a novel idea: "A formerly inaccessible and run-down plot of housing estate land has been transformed into a beautiful oasis of green. Seventy 1/2 tonne bags of soil have been arranged to form an allotment space. Within their individual plots, local residents are carefully tending a spectacular array of vegetables, salads, fruit and flowers. A new sense of community has emerged."


:: image via What If

3. Best Living Wall
This one is via Balmori Associates for their design for the 'World Mammoth and Permafrost Museum', located in Yakutsk, Siberia. These interior living walls are made up of vegetation from the mosses and lichens that draped the Siberian tundra - and also regulate interior temperature and air quality.


:: image via Balmori Associates

4. Veg.itect of the Year
James Corner of Field Operations... big surprise?... Nope.:)


:: image via Metropolis

5. Best Book
While the new Patrick Blanc book was amazing, and I am constantly turning to Meg Calkins book on Sustainable Materials - my vote for best book of the year goes out to The Public Chance: New Urban Landscapes by a+t architecture publishers which offers solid and graphical analysis from a broad range of projects from around the world. Check it out - it's one that will continue to inspire (and it has since I've wrestled it back from my students from Fall term).




:: images via a+t architecture publishers

6. Best Use of Materials
There were a ton of potential projects to choose from regarding inventive uses of materials, but in review, this project from Foster and Partners for the United Arab Emirates Shanghai Expo Pavilion utilizes patterns of Islamic art and culture as well as playing with color and light... as always - we shall have to see how it comes together in reality.


:: image via Atelier A+D

7. Best Magazine
I am pleasantly surprised to honor Metropolis Magazine with the best magazine of 2008, for a couple of divergent reasons. First, their expanded coverage of landscape architecture projects has been unprecedented, and will hopefully continue in 2009 with thoughtful and insightful features - not just blurbs about a range of projects. Second, the provocative Susan Szenasy's comments on landscape architecture have fueled some healthy and much needed debate internally - which makes us all better.


:: image via Metropolis

8. Best Blog
Spawned on March 09, 2008, Arch Daily seems like one of those blogs that has been around forever - and I'm constantly amazed by the amount and quality of imagery and posts from around the world. Plus this site is perhaps most low-key and informative in the trend towards vegetated architecture - showing built (yes, in the digital flesh) projects to show that yes, it is possible to do this stuff, and do it well.


:: image via Arch Daily

9. Best Project Graphics
Coming via Pruned, this project from Marti Mas Rivera, of Universitat Politecnica De Catalunya, Barcelona, a rainwater harvesting project for the Arabic Fortress Hill of Baza in Andalucia. In the time of wicked computer graphics and the lost art of hand-drawing, these fusion-graphics restored my faith in the beauty of the minimal...




:: images via Pruned

10. Firm/Collective of the Year

My vote goes to a collective of Spanish designers that make up the group Urbanarbolismo - and are constantly producing great and inspiring work around the concepts of veg.itecture, landscape and urbanism - reconnecting the natural to the built environments. Plus, their site can be instantly translated into Spanish for those of us who's bi-lingual skills leave something to be desired.

:: La Torre I-214 refrigerada mediante bosque - image via Urbanarbolismo

11. Best new resource
Land8Lounge is like Facebook for landscape professionals without all the annoying stuff I hate about Facebook. In addition to being a good social networking site, the L8L community provides opportunities for discussions of the profession, the ability to show and see new work, as well as the possibility of getting exposure to the world-wide professional community like never before.


:: images via Land8Lounge

12. New Idea for 2009:
My vote for best new idea of the upcoming year isn't a static technology or implementation, but a re-alignment of design with nature that will illicit a vibrant and change-provoking dialogue for years to come. PHWREE Urbanism was coined by Dave Brown (minusa 'silent or lispy W') to become PHREE Urbanism - which stands for POST HUMANIST REWILDED ECO ETHICAL URBANISM... remember those words...


:: image via Tomorrow's Thoughts Today

AIA 2008 COTE Top-10

The recently announced winners of the 2008 AIA COTE Top Ten Winners unearthed some fantastic projects - and a whole lot of sustainable features and some Vegetated Architecture as well. In honor of Earth Day 2008, we thought it appropriate to showcase those verdant and green selections here.

The Yale University Sculpture Building and Gallery by Kieran Timberlake Associates features sustainable landscape in a number of ways: "The green roof on the gallery and native plant landscaping, which includes mature trees, serves as a connective habitat patch for avian species moving through the urban corridor between these parks."

:: image via ArchitectureWeek

The next selection is the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Previously dubbed the "Greenest Building in the World" via Treehugger and some reported hyperbole via Rick Fedrizzi. The work of The Kubala Washatko Architects features some great features and is the first 'carbon neutral' operating building recognized by LEED. Some site features include wood harvested from on-site trees, rainwater scuppers, and a greater idea of fitting the greater landscape context - something Leopold would have appreciated.

:: images via Treehugger

The Ceasar Chavez Library in Phoenix by Line and Space featured sustainability with desert style - with rainwater harvesting and storage in a nearby lake - as well as high efficiency landscape irrigation system to cut water use by over 50%. Additionally (via AIA Top Ten): "Water from patio and foundation drains is piped to trees surrounding the library, and condensate from rooftop mechanical units is used to irrigate the vegetated island of the new parking lot."

:: image via AIA Top Ten

Closer to home, the Discovery Center at South Lake Union by MillerHull is a great example of design for deconstruction and reuse amidst native PNW landscaping. It is interesting to see how temporariness and deconstructabilty lead to a very light touch in regards to landscaping - but I guess that makes sense rather than invest in significant landscaping that will be ripped out eventually (but this building is in a park so that's definitely a debatable issue).

:: image via Treehugger

The Pocono Environmental Education Center by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennslyvania for the National Park Service, and involved a creative reuse of materials and simple details. From AIA Architect: "The design is a layered solution in which visitors pass through the forest, cross a wetland, enter the building through an opening in the dark north wall, and cross through a bar of service spaces into the bright, sun-lit main room. The jury said they were impressed by the economy of the project and applauded the use of simple materials and simple details... The jury also said they loved the creative use of the discarded tires reclaimed from the site for use as walls."

:: image via AIA Architect

Other projects that have garnered awards this year include:

:: Garthwaite Center for Science & Art, by Architerra (Boston, MA).

:: image via AIA Top Ten

:: Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life by Vincent James at Tulane University.

:: image via Tulane

:: Nueva School Hillside Learning Complex by Leddy Maytum Stacy.

:: image via AIA Top Ten

:: Macallan Building Condominiums by Office dA and Burt Hill in Boston, Massachusetts

:: image via AIA Top Ten

Finally, one of my favorite projects of the year so far, is the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center in Flushing, NY by BKSK Architects has been featured on L+U previously, with a wide range of sustainable features and vegetated architecture - including a native plant green roof, innovative stormwater management, and a mountable sloping vegetated rooftop to ground connection.

:: image via Wired New York

Check out more on this project here. Overall, it's interesting that these projects, the cream of the green crop is starting to evolve into the realm of integrated site and building, with some inventive irrigation systems and green roofs but there still seems to primarily be the standard disconnect between green building technology and how this interacts with landscape. It's going to be an interesting trend to see how vegetated architecture continues to drive these award winning projects. Should be even more exciting in years to come.