Écolibrium wins PA/DE ASLA Honor Award, People's Choice Award

I'm excited to announce that my class's work on Écolibrium, an exhibit for the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show received an Honor Award and a People's Choice Award from the Pennsylvania/Delaware chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The award was presented at the 2012 Pennsylvania/Delaware chapter annual meeting in Lancaster, PA on April 14th.

The Design Paradox

This semester, I am taking a class called History and Practice of Community and Regional Planning; an elective course outside of my major that so far has been extremely thought-provoking. What I find particularly interesting is the question that seems to have plagued the planning profession since the end of the modernist era (and to an extent, before and during that time): What is the proper role of planners?

I believe that this is a fair question with no obvious answer. From the material we have been studying, it's clear that there are rational arguments for and against the profession, some of them involving very complex yet fundamental issues like civil liberties, free markets and democracy. The question specific to planning itself can surely be broadened to include any number of the design professions, including landscape architecture.

As the modernist era ended and the idea of the "master plan" was called into question, so too was the role of planners. As people lost faith in the rational approach to planning and the notion of universal design, the science behind the profession gave way to new planning approaches that increasingly involved politicians, developers and other specialty professions. The participation of these various groups in the planning process left many to wonder who controls planning and what are the motivations behind it?

Fast forward to the present day and we find ourselves with a new brand of capitalism, global markets, more reliance on technology and transportation and less reliance on fixed places. In planning, and I suppose in the broader realm of place-making, centralized efforts have largely disappeared and given way to a fragmented mosaic of projects; each different in form and function, most catering to the needs of a few at the expense of many and producing negative externalities to society at large. All the while, these projects seem to fit the mold of a free, capitalistic society where individuals, not governments, make the majority of decisions despite, in some cases, blatant disregard for public welfare.

That being said, my studies in landscape architecture are and have always been about providing publically-accessible spaces and amenities; parks, plazas, paths, gardens, transit, etc. Hundreds of hours have been devoted to understanding neighborhood needs and designing spaces for a vast array of user-groups. As I disembark from the whimsical idealism of landscape architecture in academia and pursue a career of practice in the real world, I'm fascinated and curious to discover what my role as a landscape architect (a designer and a place-maker) really is. What is the practical balance between private development and public welfare? Given the economic workings of our society, are the two mutually exclusive? As a designer and a hired professional rendering a service for a client, how much can I advocate for my personal beliefs and what sacrifices must I make?

My interest in this topic has led me to a book that I have just begun to read called Citizen Designer by Steven Heller. A collection of excepts and essays related to design, the book examines the relationship between design and citizenship through the lenses of social, professional and artistic responsibility. It is available on the Amazon Kindle Store for the fantastic price of $3.19!

VIA | philadelphia

This semester, our Senior Design Studio has been working on 3 miles of abandoned rail corridor in the middle of Philadelphia; a project we are calling VIA | philadelphia.

For the past week, we've been exploring different conceptual approaches after a thorough inventory of the site and surrounding neighborhoods. Here's a first glimpse!

Berks Street Plaza

Class: LA Design Studio V
Semester: Fall 2011
Professor: Stuart Appel

Goals & Objectives

1. Form & Function - Provide an appropriately scaled and programmed space that respects the community edge, major circulation patterns, proposed retail, structured parking, and the gateway into Temple University.

• Provide varied opportunities for seating.
• Define spaces that function as entry courts to the proposed retail locations and the pedestrian entrance into the parking garage.
• Maintain a visually appealing edge to the community by maximizing the presence of vegetation.
• Emphasize pedestrian circulation in the design; the location of the space necessitates a focus on motion and circulation to and from various nearby destinations.

2. Sustainability - Intercept stormwater before entering into the city’s combined sewer system; recharge groundwater supplies with an engineered infiltration basin.

• Employ an artful strategy for conveying rainwater to the ground.
• Utilize a major, swaled rain garden that directs water into an underground infiltration system.
• Use plants that are selected first and foremost for their suitability to a relatively wet and shaded site.

3. Human Experience - Increase human curiosity and interaction with nature in the urban environment.

• Use plants and materials that appeal to and stimulate the senses.
• Allow opportunities for tactile interaction with water.
• Convey an educational message regarding sustainability and stormwater management.

Design Narrative
[coming soon]

PECO Green Roof - Temple University, Ambler Campus

This Fall, I've been working on a project with Professor Rob Kuper to develop a time-lapse video of the PECO Green Roof on Temple's Ambler Campus. The video is comprised of nearly 3,000 still-frame photographs taken by a fixed camera from April 2009 to June 2010. Although there are several videos around the Internet documenting the installation of a green roof, this appears to be the first one to chronicle the evolution of a green roof post-installation. I'm tremendously grateful for the opportunity to work on this project and hope that the results are both inspiring and educational!

Envisioning Francisville's Future wins PA/DE & National ASLA Honor Awards

[UPDATE] This past summer, our class was notified that this project had won a National Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. I was one of five team members fortunate enough to make the trip to beautiful San Diego, California to attend the 2011 National Conference where we received the award on behalf of our class. Details on the project can be found on the ASLA 2011 Student Awards Website

I'm excited to announce that my class's work on Envisioning Francisville's Future, an urban revitalization project for our sophomore design studio course last Spring, received an Honor Award from the Pennsylvania/Delaware chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The award was presented at the 2011 Pennsylvania/Delaware chapter annual meeting in Skytop, PA on April 9th.



Below are some details on the project that were provided for the submission:

Purpose of the Project
The project purpose was to teach undergraduate, sophomore, landscape architecture students the process of developing a sustainable community revitalization plan for an urban neighborhood; to introduce philosophies of neo-traditional planning and transit-oriented development (TOD); to reveal the community planning process in a large city, and to acknowledge and incorporate recent city planning and urban greening initiatives. Francisville was the study site - an underserved neighborhood in lower-north Philadelphia plagued by urban blight. In the last half-century, it has experienced social and economic depression, including the migration of its residents, decay of its physical form, and the loss of significant commercial activity. Students were required to understand the social, cultural, economic, and ecological aspects of the neighborhood. They were then charged with applying TOD principals as they developed master plans for a more sustainable Francisville - plans that would restore the urban fabric and create a diverse, successful and active community.

Role of Landscape Architecture Student
The students' role was to analyze the site; understand it's inherent opportunities and constraints; learn from local case studies and apply TOD principles in developing community master plans. The analysis phase, included site visits, community meetings and interviews. Studio reading material included a report entitled “Moving Francisville Forward: A Blueprint for the Future”, created by Interface Studio in 2007, The Image of the City (Lynch) and The Next American Metropolis (Calthorpe). After a comprehensive site analysis, students identified the opportunities and constraints relating to sustainable redevelopment. Several case studies within Philadelphia were assessed for their success in a particular aspect of community planning. These included Chestnut Hill for its thriving commercial corridor, Fairmount for its dense urban form, and Society Hill for its green network. Finally, student groups were required to conceive revitalization master plans that proposed innovative, sustainable designs for a new, 'green' Francisville.

Local Significance
- Connecting students to practitioners of community and city planning, urban infill development, and open-space design.
- Connecting students to the community, particularly through interaction with the motivated Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation (FNDC) that has declared a goal of becoming the “greenest neighborhood in Philadelphia”.
- Integration of city-wide initiatives including the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green Streets Program, the 2035 Comprehensive Plan for Philadelphia, and Green 2015, for which Francisville was chosen as a featured neighborhood in Spring 2010.

Special Features
- Audio documentary featuring the memories, realities, and hopes of long-term residents.
- Community work day where students partnered with the community to construct a fence and restore an old vineyard.
- Presentation to the community at The Arts Garage, attended by residents, business owners, and members of the FNDC.
- Making Francisville Studio work available to the FNDC for use in the redevelopment process.
- Establishment of two student internships by FNDC.
- Field trips focusing on sustainable design including the 'Rag Flats', Northern Liberties, Philadelphia and the National ASLA Green Roof in Washington DC.

Close-Ups with Coneflowers

Place: Ambler Arboretum
Date: July 3rd, 2011