T H E
D E LTA
T R I P T Y C H
A C U LT U R A L O R I E N T E D R E C R E AT I O N A L P L A N F O R T H E M c C O R M A C K W I L L I A M S O N T R A C T ALEX ESPINOSA | SENIOR PROJECT | SPRING 2014
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S I G N AT U R E S
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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
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6 ABSTRACT
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Nature Based Recreation
7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Food, Wine, and Heritage Related Activities
10 INTRODUCTION
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Education and Interpretation Facilities
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
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Cultural Events
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Objectives and Goals
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Heritage Facilities
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State Scale Context
CULTURAL CONTEXT
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Regional Scale Context
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Migration to the United States
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Site Description
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Origins: The Pearl River Delta
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Historic Conditions: Regional Scale
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Adapting to the Western World
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Historic Conditions: Site Scale
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Trapped in Debt
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Alternative 1-A Conditions
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Life in Walnut Grove
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Alternative 1-A Conditions vs. Historical Conditions
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Life in Locke
DELTA RECREATION
PRECEDENTS
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Providing Direction
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Luna Park
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Minimizing Costs by Seizing Multi-Use Opportunities
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Brooklyn Bridge Park
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Dove’s Nest Park
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Cardada Viewpoint
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Wildlife Crossing
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
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Zhongshan Shipyard Park
80 REFERENCES
DESIGN 52
Site Analysis
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Chinatowns of the Delta
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Site Plan
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Courtesy and Ferry Docks
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Dock Plan
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Dock Section
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Bird Blind
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Bird Blind Plan
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Viewpoint Section
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Floating Campsite
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Campsite Plan
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Campsite Section
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Day Use Facilities
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Day Use Facilities Plan
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Campground Section
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ABSTRACT This proposal examines the historical context of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Landscape to formulate a comprehensive cultural-oriented recreational plan for the McCormack Williamson Tract. My investigation into the Delta’s cultural history directed me toward the Chinese population who’s demanding labor shaped the Delta into the forms we observe today. The delta landscape we experience today was greatly impacted by Chinese efforts yet there is little acknowledgment of their historical significance. This proposal aims to commemorate the Delta’s Chinese history through historical narratives and abstract projections of Chinese ideology onto the landscape. These projections will be represented by forms which compliment the geology, ecology, and culture of the Delta’s past while promoting the interests of current and future generations.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Thank you for your support and taking the time and effort to guide me through this project. You always made yourselves available and welcomed me into your offices each time I was stuck. Thank you, Brett Milligan, Patsy Eubanks Owens, Steve Greco, and Jeff Loux. TO MY PROFESSORS: Thank you for giving me a strong foundation over the last three years. Your work and wealth of knowledge has been an inspiration. The personable department you’ve created is a very inspiring environment to work in. TO MY FAMILY: Thank you for supporting me in every way possible through my years here in Davis. TO MY FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES: Thank you for making my UC Davis experience fun and enjoyable.
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVES & GOALS
THE SITE
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9
INTRODUCTION
The McCormack Williamson Tract’s location within the
are most capable of empathizing with their own species. By
surrounding Delta offers significant potential in ecological,
providing a resource for the public to explore and learn about
hydrological, and cultural restoration. Although little is
their local heritage, a greater appreciation of their community
known about the Delta as it once was, there is a growing
and environment can be developed. This appreciation and
effort to accumulate resources to reconstruct this complex
desire to explore their communities past is the essential
landscape. The majority of these efforts have prioritized on
component
ecological and hydrological restoration since the health and
integrity of our communities from a micro to macro scale are
environmental restoration. Environmentalists often depend on
directly dependent on the two. Cultural restoration does
public donation and volunteer work to complete restorative
not present immediate recognizable changes in the health
projects. A widespread public awareness and desire to
of the environment the way the other two do but still needs
contribute to these efforts can be catalyzed by establishing
to be established and used as a tool when redeveloping the
cultural resources that provide direction for visitors.
landscape.
In order to restore the delta, ecological detectives are
encourage people to explore the environment they inhabit.
using a discipline known as “historical ecology” in which they
The establishments may consist of libraries, museums,
examine original navigational charts, government land surveys,
art galleries, memorials, and event hosting facilities.
drawings, photographs, and even journals. By overlaying
these sources, researchers can make apparent target areas
historical communities of Locke, Walnut Grove, Isleton, and
of restorative efforts. By integrating cultural restoration,
Rio Vista brings forth an ideal opportunity to incorporate a
researchers as well the public can better understand the time
culture-oriented recreational development in cohesion with
frame of events, incentives and techniques of those who have
the existing ecological and hydrological restoration proposals.
shaped our landscape into what we experience today. Humans 10
that cultural restoration is able to provide.
Funding
is
often
the
most
limiting
factor
in
Cultural establishments act as destinations that will
The McCormack Williamson Tract’s adjacency to the
FIG. 1.0
FIG. 1.1
FIG. 1.2
FIG. 1.3
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12
FIG. 1.4 Staten Island at sunset
OBJECTIVES & GOALS Purpose
• Assess recreation demand and opportunities • Describe issues that may affect recreation • Provide Recreation, Education, and Habitat • Recommend additions and/or improvements to state managed lands and programs in and around the McCormack Williamson Tract Design
• Recognition of Delta’s Chinese culture through the incorporation of Chinese architectural and landscape theories • Interactive and inviting engineered structures that compliment the geology, plants, animals, and cultures of the past
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S TAT E S C A L E C O N T E X T FIG 1.5 This analysis observes satellite imagery through the four different climates of California. The western coast, the central valley, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the desert. 14
PROJECT SITE: McCORMACK WILLIAMSON TRACT
REGIONAL SCALE CONTEXT FIG 1.6 This analysis observes satellite imagery within the San Joaquin and Sacramento Delta Region 15
SITE DESCRIPTION
16
The Williamson McCormack Tract is a Delta Triptych of tidal perennial aquatic habitat, tidal emergent wetland, riparian zones. This very flat parcel only differs five feet in elevation across its entirety. This particular plot is an important component within Central Delta because of its location within the Pacific flyway, adjusted topography, and its potential to become a model for delta recreation. Research has been analyzed along the delta for years in order to adapt to the ever changing hydrogeological conditions. Agriculture has sculpted the land into a very flat typology that has become vulnerable to biological and infrastructural issues. Ecological concerns have redirected land management toward a more efficient use by addressing needs of farmers, ecologists, planners, and politicians. The Williamson-McCormack Tract is approximately 2.6 square miles in size. Its longest uninterrupted span is 3 miles long. This is an important consideration when considering recreational paths and site features. The sole point of access from the west side does not provide sufficient access to the property. The WMT also contains the 2000’ Hearst-Argyle Tower which hosts KXTV channel 40. This tower must remain on site and the plan will be adjusted accordingly. The most accessible vehicular point of access is the I-5, which lies directly to the east of the MWT. The I-5 provides access to the existing 25 separate field crops. . At a neighborhood scale, Dead-Horse island lies just to the southwestern border. The island used to be
contains remnants of their cultural past. The parcel is 30 minutes within driving distance from Sacramento and 15 minutes within driving distance toward Walnut Grove. The nearest housing consists of scattered residences associated with the local farming operations. With a holistic plan in mind, the nearby communities would experience growth-inducing effects. The site plan would adapt to this growth and reduce flood risk in the surrounding area. The site is an important component in ecological restoration amongst the Pacific Flyway. We can plan to increase habitat value by resloping the levees to provide diverse vegetative cover for wildlife, levee stability, and interior erosion protection from inundation. Breaching the levee will provide the opportunity to increase native habitat and corridor connection. The existing channels are not capable of maintaining flood water capacity. This incapability damages nearby communities, farmland, habitat, and an obstacle for developing infrastructure. Adjusting the channels would allow more tourism and demand for recreational activities. These pastimes would contribute to the attraction and economic value of the adjusting central valley. Considering the larger state, national, and global scale is the best way to begin accommodating coordinated needs to meet local goals. Creating a holistic plan for the relatively small (on a state scale) tract will magnify the benefits of multiple ecologies.
FIG 1.7 McCormack Williamson Tract’s current conditions
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HISTORIC CONDITIONS:REGIONAL SCALE
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of the early 1800s.
This map reconstructs the complex patterns of the
Delta region prior to significant Euro-American modification. The historical Delta was heterogeneous. Despite broad low topography, wetland form and function was controlled by strong physical gradients which introduced regional heterogeneity.
At the center of the Delta, riparian forest extended
downstream into the tidal Delta along the natural levees of the Sacramento River, and to a certain extent on the San Joaquin and Mokelumne rivers. In the northern and southern Delta, tidal wetlands graded into non-tidal perennial wetlands. At the upland edge, a wide array of seasonal wetlands and terrestrial habitats occupied positions along the alluvial fans of the rivers and streams that entered the valley.
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FIG 1.8 The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of the early 1800s.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is at
the heart of California’s water supply. This inland delta, where two major rivers converge and mingle with San Francisco Bay tides, has been re-engineered and re-plumbed over the last 160 years to meet the needs of a growing state.
Historical records of the Delta’s ecology
reveal features such as floodplain lakes, wide riparian forests on natural river levees, large flood basins, tidal channels, and wetland plains of freshwater vegetation. These features can be incorporated into a “restoration vision” in which we can then visualize the scale and placement of restoration efforts to maximize the McCormack Williamson Tract’s ecological potential.
FIG 1.9 The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of the early 1800s.
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HISTORIC CONDITIONS:SITE SCALE The lowest part of the tract near the cross-cut channel separating the MWT from Dead Horse Island shows a low shallow basin grading up slowly to the north. The highest part of the tract depicts the extent and elevation of the natural riparian levees of the Mokelumne. These features splay out like a crevasse, suggesting points where flood flows were relieved from the Mokelumne River. In the northeast corner of the tract, Boyd mapped a low point, which still persists today as a wetland or lake feature. Many of these features are still visible on the landscape, though with muted topographic distinction (Conservancy, 2014).
Legend (ft)
Section 0 1 2
(0.5 m)
2.5 3 3.5
(1 m)
4 5 6
00
0.375
.751
(1.8 m)
.5 Km
FIG 1.10 Topography in the early 1800s would have been still different from this topographic map drawn in 1930. By the early 20th century, the Delta had been substantially modified; peat had decomposed, revealing traces of fluvially created features in the landscape. Long Profile of the tract (10x vertical exaggeration) showing topographic variability as mapped in 1930. 20
FIG 1.11 These Diagrams show the habitat gradients during three different time periods
Historical Gradients. In the early 1800s, the low elevations in the Delta would have been composed of freshwater tidal emergent marsh, laced with tidal channels, bordered by riparian forests of varying widths. Lakes and upland transition areas were present at slightly higher elevations (Conservancy, 2014). Early 1800s LAKE
Tidal Channel
Upland
Tidal Emergent Marsh
Riparian Forest River
Elevation
3.5
5
10
Contemporary landscape. Over time, sections of the Delta were diked and leveed and Dead Horse Island became separated from the MWT. Marshes and riparian zones are no longer connected to the rivers and tidal channels have been cut off or filled.
HWY
5
2012
Agriculture
Upland Road River
Elevation ELEVATION -2
5
10
Future gradients with sea level rise. As sea level rises, tidal channel and marshes will transgress towards the uplands. If Channels are reconnected to marshlands and artifical levees degraded, the potential for habitat connectivity and resilience is much greater. HWY 5
2100
Upland Sea Level Rise
Elevation -5
-2
5
10
Riparian Forest River 21
A LT E R N AT I V E 1 A C O N D I T I O N S
FIG 1.11 This alternative facilitates controlled flow-through of McCormack-Williamson Tract during high stage combined with a scientific pilot action of breaching a levee to optimize fluvial processes. The southernmost portion of the tract would be open to tidal action.
• Degradation of east levee to function as a weir • Degradation of the tract’s southwest levee to match the elevation of the island’s floor • Reinforcement of Dead Horse Island East Levee • Modification of downstream levees to accommodate increased flows • Construction of transmission tower protective levee and access road • Removal of existing farm residence and infrastructure • Enhancement of levee slope and habitat • Modification of pump and siphon stations • Breaching of Mokelumne River levee • Allow boating on the southeastern McCormack-Williamson Tract • Excavation of Dixon and New Hope borrow sites • Excavation of and restore Grizzly Slough property • Dredging of South Fork Mokelumne River • Enhancement of Delta Meadows Property
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A LT E R N AT I V E 1 A C O N D I T I O N S C O M PA R E D TO HISTORICAL FIG 1.12 The expected habitat types to form along with the completion of the Alternative 1-A plan.
FIG 1.13 This map overlays the conditions being introduced by the Alternative 1-A plan with historic topography. The historic topography coheres with the plan to expand riparian habitat on the eastern levee below the breach. This region would be the most suitable for recreational facilities to be built.
Legend (ft)
Section 0 1 2
(0.5 m)
2.5 3 3.5
(1 m)
4 5 6
(1.8 m)
Seasonal oodplain to be transgressed over course of SLR
Higher ground on historical natural levee; oaks, alders, willow
Burton Lake and northeastern pond reconnected to Mokelumne river
S U G G E S T E D I M P L E M E N TAT I O N S Historical water body Natural levee (Riparian forest)
Burton Lake
Current Elevation (m)
Radio tower Delta Meadows
Backside of levee at a 1:100 ratio, planted with riparian vegetation Tule marsh, tidal grading to marsh grasses
FIG 1.13
Upland ecotone transition between riparian forest and seasonal oodplain
Potential tidal channels Potential oodways
Tidal channels from Snodgrass Slough provide increased connectivity for sh
Open water at bottom, tidal, intertidal marsh to north
Conceptual diagram of suggested features and short-term restoration design considerations. Another way to conceptualize potential restoration options is shown above, as an annotated plan view of the McCormack-Williamson Tract. The annotations call out areas which could be suitable for different vegetation types, channel types, and possible connections based on current topography. These are validated by historical findings and functions of the historical MWT. Concepts for restoration are drawn from historical function of the Tract, such as tidal channels branching from Snodgrass Slough, but take into account current topographic constraints. The historical natural levee is shown in this schematic, tracking surprisingly well
with the higher elevation and potential future conditions under sea level rise areas found today. We use elevation as a way to place vegetation and aquatic features on the landscape in a way that make sense given historical ecological and physical function. This plan view considers short to medium-term restoration design options that could be accomplished within the geographic and political reality and constraints of the current MWT. It is important to keep long-term planning goals in mind, including connections upstream and downstream, considering the importance of the MWT along the tidal-fluvial gradient in the northeast Delta (Conservancy, 2014). 25
D E LTA R E C R E AT I O N
The Delta and Suisun Marsh is a unique form of landscape
in its deceiving complexity. Looking toward the horizon, the delta appears to be a singular flat plane of grassland with a few water streams running through it. It is not until you’re able to see the delta from above that you can comprehend the complexity of the intertwining streams and puzzle piece islands. This tangled landscape offers diverse recreation opportunities. The delta is used for fishing, boating, bird watching, other nature activities, and hunting. Visitors enjoy regional restaurants, campgrounds, picnic areas, local produce, wine, historic buildings, and towns. Although many take advantage of these opportunities, the delta is still an unfamiliar region to many people.
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FIG 2.00 The distincitive one-lane yellow bridge just outside of Isleton 27
PROVIDING DIRECTION
Establishing water trails and interpretive facilities in the region
and boating destinations such as boat-in campsites. Improve signage and other information to help new visitors explore back roads and
• RELATED PHOTO AND OR DIAGRAM
waterways, which connect gateway communities to recreation base camps. Provide interpretation and education on natural resources at recreation facilities. Offer volunteer opportunities and partnerships for events, facility construction, and management (State Parks, 2011). FIG 2.01 Delta Levees
M I N I M I Z I N G C O S T B Y S E I Z I N G M U LT I - U S E OPPORTUNITIES
Integrating recreation into other area projects, such as water
supply, ecosystem restoration, and flood control projects. After disasters, consider recreation as an alternative use if deeply flooded islands are too expensive to reclaim (State Parks, 2011).
FIG 2.02 California’s drought is an opportunity to change the way we use water for recreation
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N AT U R E - B A S E D R E C R E AT I O N • The delta and Suisun marsh attracts bird watchers, anglers, and waterfowl hunters. • More than 40 percent of Bay Area and Central Valley residents
• RELATED PHOTO AND OR DIAGRAM
enjoy bird watching and other wildlife viewing. • More than 34 percent participate in outdoor photography. • About 1 in 5 San Francisco Bay Area residents goes angling and about 1 in 3 of Central Valley residents enjoy the sport (State Parks, 2011).
FIG 2.03 Fishing is one of the most popular recreation activities in the Delta.
F O O D , W I N E , A N D H E R I TA G E R E L AT E D ACTIVITIES
• Settlers from around the world have developed a rich cultural foundation that is apparent in historic communities such as Locke, Walnut Grove, and Old Town Sacramento. Local produce, wineries, and ethnic restaurants have the potential to become large attractions. • Many residents enjoy culture-oriented recreation. • More than 60 percent enjoy driving for pleasure, more than 54 percent visit historic or cultural sites, and more han 50 percent attend festivals, historic reenactments, or other outdoor cultural events (State Parks, 2011).
FIG 2.04 Downtown Locke
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E D U C AT I O N A N D I N T E R P R E TAT I O N F A C I L I T I E S Many communities contain facilities for visitors to interpret and learn about the region. Nature oriented facilities in the area: • Cosumnes River Preserve • Rush Ranch Historic homes display the narrative of early settlers from other areas of the U.S. Fewer sites interpret the contributions of immigrants from
FIG 2.05 Delta Farmer’s Market near Isleton
China, Japan, the Philippines, or other nations (State Parks, 2011).
C U LT U R A L E V E N T S
Delta communities honor festivals of many ethnic traditions like
the Chinese new year and dragon boat festival that occurs annually in Old Town Sacramento (State Parks, 2011).
FIG 2.06 Dragon boat race in Old Town Sacramento 30
H E R I TA G E F A C I L I T I E S
Communities reflect the heritage of small towns, agriculture,
riverboats, and railroads. Too often, however, the deterioration or loss of important buildings impairs these towns’ historic fabric. Some are protected as museums (State Parks, 2011).
FIG 2.07 Outside the Dai Loy Museum in Locke
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C U LT U R A L C O N T E X T During the mid-nineteenth century, many Chinese immigrants found work as laborers in the reclamation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Between 1850 and 1880, the Chinese as laborers and tenant farmers, were primary agents in the molding of the early cultural landscape of the Delta. Although Chinese exclusion in the 1880’s forced many Delta Chinese from the region, some persisted and collected in a number of small Sacramento River communities. These communities became the basis of the Chinatowns which flourÂished during the twentieth century as the Chinese influence in the Delta passed into a new phase of activity.
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FIG 3.00 Chinese Paifaing archways, Tangyue Village 33
M I G R AT I O N T O U N I T E D S TAT E S The Delta’s Chinese immigrants of the 1800s had traveled overseas from another drainage basin, the Pearl River Delta. A rapid growth in population disturbed the balance of man to land in China, which forced many to leave the coastal provinces of Fukien and Kwangtung in seek of refuge. Their proximity to ports, along with their experience using maritime trade routes to Southeast Asia, led Chinese from these two provinces to find refuge overseas. Some migrated to Southeast Asia while others made their way to California, searching for Gum Shan, the Golden Mountain. As they made their journey across the Pacific, they brought their traditional beliefs, customs, religions, myths, and images along with them. As they settled into their new establishments along the Delta, they were forced to adapt to western customs. Consequently, many of their eastern ideologies became diluted in the undertaking. The old Chinese traditions that were carried with the first generations of immigrants have become increasingly indecipherable from the contemporary expressions of their inherited culture (Chu, 2014).
FIG 3.01 Map showing migration path from the Pearl River Delta to the California Delta 35
O R I G I N S : T H E P E A R L R I V E R D E LTA
The Pearl River Delta is located along the coast of south-east China in the Guangdong province. The Delta is the southernmost tip of mainland China, serving as a shipping and trading hub in which the neighboring populations have grown upon. The first Chinese migrants made their way to California with the desire to mine gold. They were eager to discover new wealth in whcih to provide for their families back home. Flood, famine, and general social and economic upheavel were repercussions of a revolution that lasted from 1851 to 1864. Most migrated with the intent of returning home once they had made their fortune but the obstacles they faced in the western world made this nearly impossible (Chu, 2014).
FIG 3.02 Chinese illustration of political influence
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The Pearl River Delta consisted of small fishing and farming
The western world along with the quickly evolving culture
villages but transformed into “megacity” of 10 million in less
of the Pearl River Delta left traditional Chinese migrants
than 30 years. When the reformist leader, Deng Xiaoping,
nowhere to settle their rich cultural traditions. This ancient
came to power after Mao’s death in 1976, he led the country
heritage is rapidly becoming diluted as globalization in both
toward a market economy. The Delta consisted of sleepy
California and the Pearl River Delta progresses (Chu, 2014).
border towns comprised mostly of rice paddies and duck farms. Under Deng it became a “reform laboratory” living up to its nickname “Window to the Outside World.”
FIG 3.03 Chinese painting of the Pearl River Delta 37
ADAPTING TO THE WESTERN WORLD
Between 1850 and 1880, operators of mining camps and railroad construction projects eagerly hired Chinese workers until bitter opposition was expressed from European American workers. Discrimination drove the Chinese away from mining, resulting in an abundance of migrants looking for work. They were quickly hired to complete the western section of the transcontinental rialroad. When the railroad was completed, some of those chinese laborers were then hired to work on an extensive levee project in the SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta.
FIG 3.04 Chinese laborers mining in the Sierra Nevada
The Chinese laborers eventually transformed 500,000 acres of swamp into California’s most valuable farm land. The industrial revolution led to the development of heavy machinery that replaced human labor on the levee project but also provided another new opportunity of employment. The new large farm lands in addition to the shift from wheat to intensively cultivated fruits and vegetables increased the demand for cheap manual labor (Chu, 2014). FIG 3.05 Chinese laborers building the levees
38
By the 1890s, technological improvements in canning made the cultivation of asparagus profitable which led to an even larger demand for manual labor. At one point, the Delta contributed 90% of the world’s asparagus crop. The predominantly male Chinese work force proved to be an able work force, which was expressed in the transformation and production of the California Delta landscape (Chu, 2014). FIG 3.06 Chinese laborers
TRAPPED IN DEBT The workers found their jobs through a fixed system led by
The bosses catered to the recreational needs of the the
Chinese “bosses.” These men established the Chinatowns
predominantly male population by activities, legal and
throughout the Delta tu use as a basis of operation. Laborers
otherwise. Gambling was especially popular because it not only
congregated in these chinatowns waiting to be offered their
provided recreation, but also provided the hope of financial
next job. During their stay, they’d often reside in boarding
gain (Chu, 2014).
and rooming houses, which the bosses owned and would purchase their supplies from bosses’ stores. This fixed system ensured the laborers would remain in the bosses’ debt.
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LIFE IN WALNUT GROVE
Walnut Grove became the center for both Japanese and Chinese workers in the Delta. The town was founded by John FIG 3.07 Walnut Grove
Wesley Sharp in 1851. His development of the area catalyzed the growing popularity of the town. He built a boat landing
He rented land to Chinese and Japanese workers at reasonable
and a hotel for travelers on the river, a lumber mill, brickyard,
prices, which led to growth of the Chinese community in
armory hall, ferry, school, and a general store with a post office
the 1880s. The businessmen of the community developed
in the back. These establishments attracted business owners
a commercial and social center for the hundreds of Chinese
to Walnut Grove and by the time Sharp had past away in 1880,
workers throughout the region. Most lived near their work
the town was thriving.
but would make their way to Walnut Grove on their days off. Chinese began settling in the northern section of Walnut Grove
Sharp’s heirs sold a large portion of the estate to Agnes Brown
in 1896 and eventually farmed approximately 80 percent of
and her son, Alex. By 1890, Alex Brown operated the hotel, a
the land in the Walnut Grove region.
cattle ranch, a store, a warehouse, and cultivated 4,000 acres of crops. He was also a U.S. postmaster and an agent of the
A fire broke out in the Asian portion of the town in 1915
Southern Pacific Railroad line of steamers, Wells Fargo, and the
and Brown supplied two tugboats to hose down the fire for
Western Union Telegraph Company. Brown’s used the wealth
two days. After the fire, the Chinese rented land from Brown
from his successful entrepreneurship to provide financial
one mile north of Walnut Grove where they built their own
backing to the Asian American communities of Walnut Grove.
community that would later become the town of Locke (Chu, 2014).
40
A more purely residential area began developing toward the
LIFE IN LOCKE
east where one and two story vernacular frame buildings were erected. Residents did not use expensive material because they
The town of Locke was the only town at the time that was built for Asians by Asians. Founded in 1915, a group of Chinese, originally from the Chung Shan district in Guandong Province, decided to build their own town. The Chung Shan Chinese were a minority within the larger Chinese immigrant population of the United States. Their Cantonese dialect provided a sense of identity and group cohesion. The State of California’s Alien Land Law of 1913 prevented aliens, including the Chinese from owning their own land. However, a committee of Chinese merchants were able to get a verbal lease from George Locke who owned the land. Three Chung Shan merchants had already begun their businesses in Locke in 1912. They served the migrating labor force that worked in the nearby asparagus fields. The town was laid out on River Toad along the levee. Buildings
did not own the land and believed they would be returning to their homeland soon. Since Locke was an unincorporated area, it became a popular place for prohibition-era speakeasies. The large numbers of people attracted from surrounding cities made drugs, gambling, and prostitution big businesses. During the 1920s, the town’s permanent population peaked at 600, but weekend visitors reached as high as 1,500. A theater, a hotel, a lodge, nine grocery stores, six restaurants, a flour mill, two slaughterhouses, brothels, bars, gambling halls, and boarding houses brought prosperity to the town. Locke’s successful development did not last long, though. The Great Depression began and the Prohibition movement ended. In addition, the asparagus industry declined and the increased development of mechanization left manual labor unneeded (Chu, 2014).
on River Road and Main Street combined commercial and residential uses, and merchants often lived above or behind their businesses. FIG 3.08 Locke 41
In 1937, Locke suffered another devastating fire but was quickly rebuilt. However, in the 1940s, the population began to decline as a result of strict immigration restrictions that did not allow the Chinese community to replenish. Locke survived after other rural Chinese communities dwindled. Although many second-generation Chinese-Americans moved to the cities for better economic opportunities, older people tended to remain in Locke, where they spoke only Chinese and ignored the customs of the modern world. Although the Alien Land Laws were eventually ruled unconstitutional, the residents of Locke never purchased the land where they had built their homes. Locke is now a National Historic Landmark representing the largest, most
FIG 3.09 Locke welcome sign
complete, example of a rural, agricultural Chinese-American community in the United States. Over the years, the Chinese population has dwindled to a handful. The remaining residents lease the land as they always have. Much of Locke has fallen into a state of disrepair and the wood construction is at high risk for fire damage. Locke is a redevelopment area under the jurisdiction of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (Chu, 2014).
FIG 3.09 Old medicine home in Locke
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L O C K E T O D AY
FIG 3.10 Old Gambling House in Locke
FIG 3.12 “The Shack”
FIG 3.11 Looking down the main avenue
FIG 3.13 Looking down the main avenue 43
PRECEDENTS The following precedents express ecological, recreational, and traditional design techniques that contain elements that could be translated to the McCormack-Williamson Tract’s comprehensive recreational plan:
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Luna Park
|
Heerhugowaard-South, The Netherlands
Brooklyn Bridge Park
|
Dove’s Nest Park
Qinhuangdao
Cardada Viewpoint
Wildlife Crossing
Zhongshan Shipyard Park (Pictured)
| | |
New York City, USA Switzerland West Vail Pass on I-70 in Colorodo |
Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China
FIG 4.00 Zhongshan Shipyard Park 45
L U N A PA R K Hosper has been working on the Park of Luna for the past 10 years. The result is a development of an attractive recreational area with several activities and a naturally purified swimming lake as it’s central element. The “City of the Sun” is completely surrounded bya “ring of open water”, which encompasses more than 70 hectares of new water. This ring separates the residential area from the surrounding recreational areas and guarantees that a large amount of open space can be experienced in te plan area.
FIG 4.01 Aerial view of Luna Park purification ponds
The water system is designed to store a great deal of water and conserve water during the summer. Close attention was paid to the water quality, accessibility, and the ability to experience the system. A number of structures were designed which include a circulation pumping station, a natural purification plant, a dephosphatising pond, a bridge, and a canoe crossing. Access to the pumping station offers a view toward the lake, which has been raised to make both visible and audible. This approach ensures the structures have become part of the large “water purification machine,” forming features that serve as locations where the process can be experienced (Hosper, 2014). FIG 4.02 Luna Park plan 46
B R O O K LY N B R I D G E P A R K Brooklyn Bridge Park is a world-class waterfront park with rolling hills, riverfront promenades, lush gardens, and spectacular city views. The park currently features playing fields, sports courts, running and bicycle paths, a boat launch for non-motorized boating, several playgrounds, picnic and barbecue areas, two dog-runs, and a pool. Our list of amenities continues to grow as we work each day to revitalize this previously deteriorated waterfront space and build a park that allows New Yorkers to rediscover
FIG 4.03 Brooklyn Bridge Park plan
the waterfront.
D O V E ’ S N E S T PA R K Turenscape’s ecological approach to the design of the park echoes traditional garden design from the Song Dynasty in the way it carefully integrates natural scenes (coastal scenery, in this case) with the design of the walking path to create a serial vision. Dense forests open into panoramic views of the sea, and with the immersion into the sights and sounds on the shore, especially the sounds of the birds, creates an intimate and earthly gettaway that is much different from anything else around (Turenscape, 2014).
FIG 4.04 Coneptual aerial of Dove’s Nest Park
47
CARDADA VIEWPOINT
“The question arose as to what people actually expected when they visited this
mountain. They were responses to our inability, to perceive our landscape as a horizon of history, to tell fantastic stories, and to marvel instead of to limit ourselves to a reductionist and aesthetic contemplation of nature thatm kaes nature a mere panorama. Burgi’s proposal included a laminate waterfall, a meeting place, a landscape promontory that is a passageway suspended inthe trees, new connecting trails past the biggest trees in the forest, a play path, a geological observatory, and a musical wood (Burgi, 2014). FIG 4.05 Burgi’s Cardada viewing platform
WILDLIFE CROSSING
The hypar-nature design concept combines design, ecology, and engineering
into a solution that is both cost effective and elegantly simple. At the core of the design concept is the realization that this landscape is not for humans. Rather than allowing the primarily visual, aesthetic drivers of landscape design to determine form, the hyparnature bridging system is inspired by the demands of ecological engineering. Instead of attempting to recreate the surrounding nature, the design distills the adjacent landscapes and habitats, condenses and amplifies multiple landscape bands (Forest, Meadow, Shrub, Scree) across the structure, and then extends these bands into habitat corridors that provide connections for a larger cross-section of species. The structure itself is composed of modular precast concrete hyperparaboloid (hypar) forms that allows for minimal site disturbance and easy creation, assembly, and deployment, and 48
can be expanded or adapted as migration pressures dictate (Archdaily, 2011).
FIG 4.05 Michael Van Valkenburgh & Associates Wildlife Crossing Competition winning design
Z H O N G H A N S H I P YA R D PA R K
This park was built upon an old shipyard and brown field.
The design explains itself as to how landscape architects can turn a wrecked site into a beautiful, meaningful and functional place, as well as to the important role landscape architects can play in urban renovation.
The shipyard was originally built in the 1950s and went
bankrupt in 1999. Though small in scale, it reflects the remarkable 50 year history of socialist China, including the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 70s . It is therefore a space to remember and tell stories to those who did not experience this period of history.
The site inventory of this small former shipyard included an
existing lake of fluctuating water levels, existing trees and vegetation, and the wreckages of docks, cranes, rails, water towers and other machinery (landezine, 2012).
FIG 4.05 Burgi’s Cardada viewing platform
49
DESIGN “Everything depends on an unforeseeable historic continuity. But if we succeed in developing our culture while continuing to respect our past, we have a chance of preserving it.� -Stephen Jay Gould (2000) The A-1 alternative for the McCormack-Williamson Tract will provide an opportunity to explore the principle of Yin and Yang on the site. The contrast of rectilinear geometry structures, and decorative elements (representing human artifice) with the free-flowing irregular forms of the Delta tributaries imitates a balance of opposites found in nature. The major design moves include opening public access and building a campground through the riparian and intertidal mudflat zone, creating public heritage facilities, restoring wetland and riparian habitat. 50
FIG 5.00 Exploration of forms and circulation 51
S I T E A N A LY S I S S I T E A N A LY S I S
Over a century ago, Chinese had migrated to all parts of California. The “squat labor� they executed transformed the Delta into the fertile farmland of the 19th century. AntiChinese riots forced these workers to find refuge in largecity Chinatowns. In addition, the exclusion laws of 1882 and 1892 had excluded Chinese immigration from California and effectively stopped the labor supply. In 1960, a little over 96 percent of the Chinese in the state lived in cities. Except for one small group in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Chinese in California, farmers for generations in China, had become urban people. These few remaining chinatowns along the banks halfway between Sacramento and the outlet near Antioch, represent the last concentration of Chinese in rural California.
FIG 5.01 Historic Chinatowns of the Delta 52
Upon entering the McCormack-Williamson Tract, we first
FIG 5.02
drove along a levee road where dense native riparian habitat was growing along the thin elongated islands between the river channels. This same habitat is the goal for restoring the levees to a more natural state.
The first view of the tract revealed how expansive and massive the site really was. A remnant lake can be see on the left which was most likely cut off from the main river stream when the levees were built.
FIG 5.04
The parcel had a few plots of land that were still being farmed but most of the tract appeared uncultivated. There were several radio towers in the region, one of which, the Hearst-Argyle tower will remain on the site after restoration. The tower is one of the tallest structures in the world at a height of 2000’.
FIG 5.05 53
S I T E A N A LY S I S The tract has several pumps located throughout the site. These pumps collect irrigation water that has drained from the farm plots before pumping it back into the surrounding rivers.
FIG 5.06
54
There were several houses situated along the eastern levee for migrant farmworkers. They were very dilapidated and some appeared abandoned.
FIG 5.07
The rivers that surround the tract are recreational attractions that attract boaters, bird watchers, anglers, hikers, campers, and some swimmers.
FIG 5.08
The McCormack Williamson Tract lies within the Great Pacific Flyway, which is the route along the western United States that migratory birds follow. The day of our visit, we were fortunate enough to witness thousands of sandhill cranes flocking near Staten Island. FIG 5.09
The most impressive portion of the visit inspired me to develop a design that would compliment the astounding views the landscape, waterscape, and skyscape provide. The clouds were brightly illuminated and mirrored perfectly FIG 5.10
on the calm water of the farm land. 55
SITE PLAN
BRIDGE OVER BREACH
EXISTING CONNECTION
FERRY CONNECTION
FIG 5.11
56
Despite its close proximity to the McCormack-Williamson Tract, the small town of Locke does not have any direct access to the site. There is an opportunity to incorporate a path that would
CONNECTION
lead to a preexisting boat launch, which could include a ferry system to transport visitors to and from the site.
PEDESTRIAN PATH EXISTING BOAT LAUNCH
FERRY TOWARDS MWT
LOCKE
FIG 5.12
57
FERRY DOCK These courtesy docks will be open for public use and as the main docking site for the ferry. The ferry would be built to display the care for craftsmanship that the Chinese exhibit in their boat making. The bright red-orange junk boat is reflective of the fishing boats still used in the Pearl River Delta and will become a distinctive identity for the site. The docks will zig-zag as they climb the face of the levee while maintaining ADA accessibility. Visitors can walk their way down the opposing courtesy dock to fish, bird watch, or continue boating toward the campground facilities.
FIG 5.13 58
FIG 5.14
59
FERRY DOCK PLAN
Toward Campground facilities ADA accessible ramps
Junk influenced shade structure
Toward Locke
FIG 5.15 Boarding Dock
60
S E C T I O N E L E V AT I O N
FIG 5.16
61
BIRD BLIND
Landscape painting is regarded as the
highest form of Chinese painting. One of the
FIG 5.17
most common mediums of representation were painted as triptychs on silk screens.
This bird blind is designed for the
visitor to reach the end of the structure where solid walls on each side would remove distractions from view, framing the landscape in a series of paneled openings which mimic the Chinese silk screen paintings.
62
FIG 5.18
FIG 5.19
63
BIRD BLIND PLAN
FIG 5.20
rd s wa litie o il t aci tra nd f g kin rou Hi pg m ca
64
BIRD BLIND SECTION THE STRUCTURE EMBRACES THE CURVILINEAR AND PRONOUNCED ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS SEEN IN CHINESE PAGODAS AND TEMPLES
TILED BLINDS CONCEAL BIRD WATCHERS WHILE STILL ALOWING VIEWS OUTSIDE
FIG 5.21
65
F L O AT I N G C A M P S I T E S
These floating campsites would be utilized by
overnight visitors. The floating framework could be used to support a canvas canopy, which visitors could check out from the rental kiosk.
The frame and overhang were influenced by the
fishing nets used in the Pearl River Delta. Each site could be illuminated by traditional lanterns at dusk, which would add an interesting visual element to the impressive reflections.
The sites could be placed in open water, only
accessible by aquatic means or along the shore and connected islands for pedestrian visitors.
FIG 5.22
66
FIG 5.23
67
PLAN
BOAT-IN OR PEDESTRIAN ACCESSIBILITY FIG 5.24
68
SECTION
THE FLAT WOODEN DOCK CAN BE ATTACHED TO THE SUPPORTING PILLARS USING A TRACK SYSTEM, ALLOWING THE CAMPSITE TO RAISE AND LOWER WITH THE FLUCTUATING TIDE LEVELS
FIG 5.25
69
D AY U S E FA C I L I T I E S
The day use facilities would be the most utilized portion
of the site. Boaters, anglers, campers, and other recreation and cultural enthusiasts’ experience will be broadened through these facilities: • Museum • Research Library • Exhibition and Event Hosting Room • Art Gallery • Restrooms • Courtesy/Fishing Docks • Elevated Birdwatching Platform • Boat and Campsite Rental
Solar panels are tiled on the facility rooftops. The
power gained from these devices is used for recharge stations, lighting, and plumbing. Any water runoff would be directed toward emphasized rain gardens planters placed around the site for visitors to enjoy.
The structures themselves occupy a sensitive habitat
zone where a conventional concrete foundation would pose problems. By using a fiberglass box filled with sand, the structures on the site can be structurally sound with greatly reduced ecological damage that would have been caused by conventional excavation and pouring.
FIG 5.27
71
PLAN
SOLAR PANELS
The campground
design was influenced by the iconic junk boats of the Pearl River Delta. The structures are built to be very open to enhance daylighting and views of the Delta landscape.
FIG 5.26
RAIN GARDEN
FIG 5.28 72
SECTION
EXPOSED SKYLIGHT AND WINDOWS
FIBERGLASS AND SAND FOUNDATION
FIG 5.29
73
FIG 5.30 View from patio overlooking the restored tract
74
THANK YOU
75
L I S T O F I L L U S T R AT I O N S RESEARCH
FIG 1.00 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf FIG 1.01 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf FIG 1.02 http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/Learning_Landscapes/For_Teachers/science_and_children/steel_rails_and_iron/article.html FIG 1.03 Created by author FIG 1.04 Photograph taken by author FIG 1.05 Diagram made by author using Google Earth satellite imagery FIG 1.06 Diagram made by author using Google Earth satellite imagery FIG 1.07 Diagram made by author using Google Earth satellite imagery FIG 1.08 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf FIG 1.09 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf FIG 1.10 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf FIG 1.11 http://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/McCormack-Williamson_SFEI-ASC_2013.pdf
D E LTA R E C R E AT I O N FIG 2.00 http://www.plattyjo.com/pittsburg-to-sacramento-a-day-along-the-delta/ FIG 2.01 http://www.deltasciencecenter.org/delta-levees FIG 2.02 http://www.ca.gov/drought/ FIG 2.03 http://www.rbbassfishing.net/rb-resources/central-cal-lakes/california-delta-map-and-info/ FIG 2.04 http://openplac.es/trips/locke-in-ca FIG 2.05 http://www.discoverthedelta.org/ FIG 2.06 http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2009/05/the-dragon-boat-festival.html FIG 2.07 http://www.scrapbookpages.com/photoessays/Locke/Locke03.html 76
C U LT U R A L C O N T E X T
FIG 3.00 http://arts.cultural-china.com/en/83Arts12864.html FIG 3.01 http://shyamalavikas.blogspot.com/ FIG 3.02 http://www.hunaneagle.com/modern-history.html FIG 3.03 http://www.treehugger.com/culture/traditional-landscapes-with-a-twist-photographer-yao-lu-makes-mountains-out-of-chinas-rubble-heaps.html FIG 3.04 http://asianamerican1.blogspot.com/2010/11/chinese-immigrants-and-transcontinental.html FIG 3.05 http://kickingthorn.com/v-web/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=Treatise FIG 3.06 http://thesecondpromise.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/the-chinese-must-go/ FIG 3.07 http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/locke/lovisual1.htm FIG 3.08 http://www.daytrippen.com/locke-california.shtml FIG 3.09 http://reflectionsfromthefence.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-trip-encore-locke-california.html FIG 3.10 Photo by Alex Espinosa FIG 3.11 Photo by Alex Espinosa
PRECEDENTS FIG 4.00 http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2012/07/zhongshan-shipyard-park-by-turenscape/ FIG 4.01 http://english.hosper.nl/uploads/Publicaties/Park_van_Luna_Artpower_Waterscapes_2013.pdf FIG 4.02 http://english.hosper.nl/uploads/Publicaties/Park_van_Luna_Artpower_Waterscapes_2013.pdf FIG 4.03 http://interactive2010.journalism.cuny.edu/2009/11/21/pardon-the-interruption-brooklyn-bridge-park-construction-continues/ FIG 4.04 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F67bIJGLGEA/TWA4GAGJ_mI/AAAAAAAAAqo/SmE2Iv8JxGk/s1600/04a+corn+field.jpg FIG 4.05 http://www.burgi.ch/ FIG 4.06 http://www.archdaily.com/123465/arc-wildlife-crossing-competition-winner-hntb-michael-van-valkenburgh-associates/ FIG 4.07 http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2012/07/zhongshan-shipyard-park-by-turenscape/ 77
DESIGN FIG 5.00 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.01 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.02 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.03 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.04 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.05 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.06 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.07 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.08 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.09 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.10 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.11 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.12 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.13 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.14 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.15 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.16 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.17 http://www.orientalhome.com/silkscreens/images/mountain_landscape.jpg FIG 5.18 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.19 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.20 Illustration by Alex Espinosa
78
FIG 5.20 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.21 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.22 http://cache.indiatravelz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fort-cochin-chinese-fish-nets.jpg FIG 5.23 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.24 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.25 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.26 http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/can-chinese-junk-actually-circumnavigate-11449-9.html FIG 5.27 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.28 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.29 Illustration by Alex Espinosa FIG 5.30 Illustration by Alex Espinosa
79
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