Landscape Architecture Portfolio

LEIGH

PORTFOLIO

EDIT

ME

MEREDITH LEIGH, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA E. MSLEIGH77@GMAIL.COM C. 352.328.0559

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CONTENTS DOCTORAL RESEARCH WORK SAMPLES

COTTON CLUB RE-VISIONING RENDERINGS

SIXTH STREET RAILS TO TRAILS LANDSCAPE DESIGN

MLA PROJECT SAMPLES

THESIS PROJECT

COFRIN NATURE PARK MEMORIAL

CASTILLO DE SAN MARCO/AIA

COCONUT CREEK MASTER PLAN

EAST LUCAYA MASTER PLAN

TURLINGTON PLAZA AND HALL

HAMILTON COUNTY HERITAGE TRAIL

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH BUILDING PLANTING PLAN

SGT. COREY DAHLEM MEMORIAL

TURLINGTON HALL LOADING DOCK BACK PAGES

CREATIVE WORKS

PHOTOGRAPHY

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Abstract: In 2009, 15% of households in the United States were considered food insecure and one in four children faced hunger every day (Nord, 2010). Previous research indicated that, in the U.S., access to healthy foods has been a challenge in many urban areas. Researchers have highlighted the effect of the built environment on rates of obesity and obesogenic disease.

In predominantly low-income neighborhoods where there is a paucity of quality healthy food outlets such as supermarkets, obesity rates tend to be higher.

Evidence also shows that in areas where poverty rates are high, convenience stores and fast food restaurants abound and supermarkets are scarce. This study argues that, in the literature, there is still no consensus on definitions or measurements of disparities in urban food access and contends that not all “food deserts� share the same characteristics, and therefore cannot be served by the same solutions.

This study’s aim was to develop a spatial typology for classifying disparities in urban food access in order to move beyond the common labeling of an area as a food desert or food insecure. The study was designed as a quantitative exploratory case-study using GIS to map three spatial barriers (proximity, diversity of availability and mobility) to healthy food access and to compare these spatial barriers to three socio-economic measures (income, age and single mothers). Tampa, Florida was used as the study site. The result was a typology of six scenarios that categorize each census block group based on its healthy food access characteristics.

Results of the analysis of spatial barriers and socio-economic data revealed no correlation between any of the spatial factors and income. However, the analysis did reveal that there were a higher percentage of single mothers in neighborhoods with at least one supermarket nearby. There were also more single mothers in neighborhoods where access to public transit and vehicle ownership rates were lower. Householders 65 and older tend to have good mobility and live in areas well-served by a variety of healthy food outlets. Implications for urban planning policy and urban design are discussed as well as directions for future research.

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Open Spaces Sacred Places Grant Proposal: Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center On this multi-disciplinary team, I was responsible for creating these renderings for the re-visioning plan for the Cotton Club and nearby Perryman’s Grocery stand.

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Open Spaces Sacred Places Grant Proposal: Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center The concept plan included a story telling tree, a sculpture and buttlerfly garden, and a quiet rest area under a magnolia tree grove.

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Sixth Street Rails to Trails Landscaping Project Gainesville, Florida

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Client: City of Gainesville Public Works Goal: Low Impact Design, aesthetic enhancement, landscape and hardscape concepts for a historic railroad converted to a bike trail that runs through the urban core of Gainesville

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Sixth Street Rails to Trails Landscaping Project Gainesville, Florida 12

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Sixth Street Rails to Trails Landscaping Project Gainesville, Florida 14

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Wood boards continue to break up and deconstruct with more plantings breaking through.

Reclaimed wood creates the boardwalk. The weathered appearance contrasts with the green, native plantings which punch through

Gabion pocket Reused create track tu

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Parking Lot

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Parking lot planted buffer space

Boardwalk from reclaimed wood, with large tree planters

Bike trail with brick edges

Boardwalk with plantings

Free-standing gabion wall

Section elevation of looking north through mini-park and bike trail Scale: 3/16” = 1’-0”

n wall planted with t or epiphytic plantings. d rails and rail ties the look of a train urned on its side.

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Section Elevation of gabion wall with plants and re-used rail ties Scale: 1/4” = 1’-0”

Sixth Street Rails to Trails Landscaping Project Gainesville, Florida

Parking lot planted buffer space

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Boardwalk and plantings

Bike trail with brick edges

Section elevation of looking south through NW 10th Avenue entrance Scale: 3/16” = 1’-0”

Boardwalk with plantings

Free-standing gabion wall

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Master’s Thesis Project

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Experiential Urban Landscapes Paris, France

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Survivors of Suicide Memorial Garden Cofrin Nature Park Gainesville, Florida 24

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St. Augustine, Florida

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A1A Riverwalk Design & Castillo de San Marcos Visitor Center

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Illustrative Master Plan for marketing package Coconut Creek, Florida 29

Conceptual Master Plan East Lucaya, Grand Bahama 30

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Turlington Plaza Redesign Advanced Construction

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University of Florida Gainesville, Florida

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Using GIS, the above is a proposed future land use map of Jasper, Florida in Hamilton County.

We were asked to propose ways to help improve this county’s economic outlook. Through GIS analysis and historical and cultural study of Hamilton County, I proposed the below map which features a heritage trail drive.

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Infrastucture suitability model and map for Hamilton County, Florida

Analysis of proximity of natural resources to major urban areas for Hamilton County, Florida

Analysis of physical features for Hamilton County, Florida gave a picture of what areas would be suitable for development

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University of Florida Biomedical Research Building Planting Plan

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Built Projects

University of Florida Lieutenant Corey Dahlem Memorial Pedestal

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University of Florida Turlington Hall Seatwall & Planting Plan

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And in my spare time I....

Experiment with Illustrator

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and Photoshop

Sketch 41

Rendered with Prismacolor Pencil & charcoal drawing

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Drawings scaled up from a postcard featuring Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, courtesy of Walt Disney Animation (1955)

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Dabble in watercolor

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E X P O S U R E 45