haptic ground
urban soil landscapes
SAMANTHA DABNEY
Samantha Dabney Rhode Island School of Design Two College Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Published in 2012
Š 2012 Samantha Dabney All rights reserved. This publica on may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmi ed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the wri en permission of Samantha Dabney. Designed by Samantha Dabney Printed in the United States of America
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Dune landscape hosts a rich vegetative ecosystem that remains dormant year-round except in the case of a rare spring rain. Rhas al Khaima, United Arab Emirates
“... the soil of any one place makes its own peculiar and inevitable sense. It is impossible to contemplate the life of the soil for very long without seeing it as analogous to the life of the spirit.� - Wendell Berry, The Unse ling of America
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contents
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TERMS
ABSTRACT
___________________________
1 INTRODUCTION: URBAN SOIL MATRIX 3
URBAN SOIL: HERE BE DRAGONS
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insert textURBANISM here ljkxcvjia o iasjdf iodajio aoijsdfoiGROUNDING LANDSCAPE
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CORPOREAL URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
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SOIL: DESIGN CONCEPT
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SOIL: DESIGN MATERIAL
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EMBODIED GROUND
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16 SOIL 101 ___________________________
22 SOIL LANDSCAPE PRECEDENTS 24 28
LA BASTIDE, FRANCE Bordeaux Botanical Garden
TIANJIN CITY, CHINA Tianjin City Qiaoyuan Park
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VARIOUS LOCATIONS, USA Haystack Veil, Gowanus Canal Sponge Park, Crack Garden ___________________________
34 SOIL LANDSCAPE: PROVIDENCE RI 40
SITE ANALYSIS
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DESIGN METHODOLOGY
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DESIGN INTERVENTION ___________________________
104 CONCLUSION ___________________________
106 BIBLIOGRAPHY vii
terms A sidewalk stutters for the measure of one house. Leaves and nutrients collect; a tree grows; and 12 footfalls are softened. Potential for soil landscapes is witnessed. Providence, Rhode Island
The story of people, animals, vegetation, water, climate is an accumulated narrative in the soil, visible only from above but sensed intuitively in any place. Masai Mara, Kenya
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SOIL is the archive of every geologic shudder; every rainfall and every foo all; every birth, desire, and loss. It is the material expression of life. SOIL is a dynamic body that supports plant growth as a direct result of its interac on with the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Created and altered by the influences of climate, base materials, flora and fauna, gravity, me, and human ac vity, the soil of every place is a unique mix of organic ma er, sand, silt, clay par cles, water, gas, and the debris of civiliza on. 12
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ANTHROPOCENE The current proposed geologic epoch defined by dis nct geochemical and morphological impacts humans have had on soil and the lithosphere 1
ARIA Anthropogenic soil condi
on with at least one layer that has 3% or more highly disordered mineral content 2
BIOPHILIA A concept that suggests a human urge to connect with other life forms, crea ng an ins nc ve bond between people and nature 3 DROSSCAPE Deindustrialized urban waste landscapes poised for adap ve renewal (Alan Berger)
ECOLOGY The study of the rela
onship of living organisms to one another and to their environments
ECOSYSTEM A permanent or temporary biologic region defined by the interac ons between organisms--including humans--and abio c physical systems including air, water, soil, rock, sun, and nutrients 4
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES The suppor
ve, cultural, provisionary, and regula ng func ons of an ecosystem that contribute to human well-being. 5 They include: 1. “Food and other biomass produc on 2. Environmental Interac on: storage, filtering, and transforma on 3. Biological habitat and gene pool 4. Source of raw materials 5. Physical and cultural heritage 6. Pla orm for man-made structures: buildings, highways”6
GARBIC Anthropogenic soil condi
on with organic waste
material 7
HAPTIC The sense of touch; communica
ng or
understanding through touch
HEALTH “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” 8
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IMAGINATION The ability to evoke worlds and form
SOIL DEGRADATION Deleterious or detrimental
mental images, sensa ons and concepts in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses. Imagina on helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which people make sense of the world, and it also plays a key role in the learning process.
results of human-induced changes to soil, related primarily to climate, vegeta on, and interac on with the geosphere 13
INFRASTRUCTURE The physical parts of the interconnected systems that supply materials and services that allow, maintain, or improve a culture’s well-being 9
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INVISIBLE Inaccessible to the human sense of sight
SPOLIC Anthropogenic soil condi
MATRIX The womb or point of origin; the source from which something originates; in archaeology: the area surrounding an excava on site; in geology: the rock material that encases a fossil or gemstone
MEDIATE To occupy a middle posi
SOIL QUALITY The ability of a soil to perform ecosystem services. Organic ma er content and depth, the presence of living organisms, bulk density, covering vegeta on, soil structure, and pH are the dynamic proper es of soil that can be altered, influencing a soil’s ability to func on. One inch of soil that may take 500 years to develop can be compacted, sealed, eroded, or contaminated within a ma er of months, insert hereits ljkxcvjia severelytext reducing quality 14o iasjdf iodajio aoijsdfoi-
on between two
on with industrial byproducts(mine, river dredging, construc ons, etc.)15
STRATIGRAPHIC SIGNATURE A dis
nct profile of
bio c, chemical, and sedimentary layers
physical or conceptual bodies
SURFACE The external, superficial aspect, or upper boundary of an object, plane, or body
MUNDANE Of the physical world rather than the spiritual world; terrestrial; pedestrian or everyday
URBAN ECOLOGY The study of the rela
PEDOGENESIS (from ancient Greek “birth” of “soils) The study of the processes that lead to the forma on of soil
PEDOLOGY The study of the processes and proper
es of
soil rela ve to geographic loca on 10
PHENOMENON A spa
o-temporal object or sensory experience known through the senses rather than by thought or intui on
REDUCTIC Anthropogenic soil condi
on with waste products that have gaseous emissions (e.g. methane, carbon dioxide) that result in anaerobic condi ons 11
onship of humans and living organisms to one another areas of human se lement
URBAN SOIL “Soil material having a non-agricultural, manmade surface layer more than 50 cm (20 inches) thick that has been produced by mixing, filling, or by contamina on of land surface in urban and suburban areas.”16 Highly variable characteris cs create a wide range of ecosystem service availability. URBIC Anthropogenic soil condi on with containing more than 35% building rubble and man-made ar facts 17
RHIZOSPHERE The zone of soil surrounding a plant root where the biology and chemistry of the soil are influenced by the root. This zone is about 1 mm wide, but has no dis nct edge. Rather, it is an area of intense biological and chemical ac vity influenced by compounds exuded by the root, and by microorganisms feeding on the compounds.
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This thesis explores specific systematic, material, and poetic potentials of soils in cities.
How can the design of soil landscapes provide new sensory, spa al, and cultural readings of the city while also addressing the health of urban ecosystems?
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abstract
Once represented by dragons on world maps, uncharted territories were places of fear and misunderstanding that arose out of a lack of knowledge. Today, vast swaths of urban land are represented by blank spots on soil maps. These voids indicate a chasm that has distanced us from an intellectual, ecological, and sensory understanding of soils in ci es. Misunderstanding has spawned misuse and distance. Technology has temporarily suspended the necessity of soil for plant growth and ecosystem services, crea ng the illusion that soil is accessory to human survival and that infrastructure and chemical nutrients can replace billions of years of accumulated life without consequence to our daily lives. The results of this a tude are tallied in spring floods that wipe out neighborhoods, in back yard gardens that grow lead- and cadmium-poisoned vegetables, higher carbon dioxide levels, and in the omnipresence of weeds to name a few. As soil health decreases, urban ecosystems become less hospitable to people.
landscapes, and as solu on for climate change become inevitable. The site of design inves ga on is the dismantled I-195 highway onramp in Providence, Rhode Island. 20 acres spanning two linear miles, 70 feet of eleva on change, two planning zones, the I-95 highway, the Providence River, two watersheds, four soil classes, and 200 billion years of traceable geologic history provide rich fodder for systema c design strategy and human engagement. The site is considered a host site as plants, soil, and organisms grown here are selec vely harvested and transplanted throughout the rest of the city. Surgical and minute perfora ons that consider both the visible and invisible landscape allow the Providence Soil Matrix to be expansive across the site, the city, and the region for genera ons.
This thesis is an explora on of urban soil as a cultural and ecological design fron er. Given a new understanding of urban soils and their processes, histories, and ecological rela onships, unfamiliar urban landscapes emerge. Soil as a design concept, as a way for people to connect to urban
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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Once a driver of se lement pa erns and decision-making, soil is now but a messy remainder in the calcula on and design of constructed urban spaces. An urban street tree reaches its capacity for survival, limited by inadequate soil volume, moisture, nutrient availability, and temperature moderation. Providence, Rhode Island
To touch anything other than concrete, brick, or stone on a walk in the city is to experience an act of in macy. A sidewalk stutters for the measure of one house. Leaves and nutrients collect; a tree grows; and 12 footfalls are softened. Potential for soil landscapes is witnessed. Providence, Rhode Island
“The deepest meaning of any place is its sense of connec on to human life and indeed to the whole web of living things.�
-Kevin Lynch, Managing the Sense of a Region
introduction: urban soil matrix Soil is an expression of life: past, present, and future. The pa erns, values, and rhythms of civiliza on and all life on earth are marked in and shaped by this skin. Despite being comprised primarily of rock minerals, soil breathes and is in constant flux. It is in constant exchange with the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere; processing energy, filtering water and ma er, providing habitat, storing genes and history, genera ng plant growth, and providing the basis for human life.1
adapt to the pace of technological progress. The introduc on of chemical fer lizers, while momentarily increasing crop yields, severs the connec on between the life-giving components of soil and plants, diminishing soil fer lity by cas ng reverbera ng shocks to hydrologic and biologic systems. This a tude is quickly rendering a dull, lifeless, material with which we are unable to connect: dirt.
While climate, gravity, biota, bedrock, and me are commonly understood as the change agents of soil composi on2, the hand of man has altered the composi on of soil more than all geologic processes by an order of magnitude.3 Scien sts have proposed a new epoch in the geologic register of me to mark this phenomenon where earth’s stratographic signature has been molded predominantly by people, calling it the Anthropocene.4
Saliniza on, erosion, reduced organic ma er, toxicity including over-fer liza on, sedimenta on, paving, landslides, and compac on are direct, manmade threats to soil as a living body. Although the actual scope of soil degrada on is only par ally known, its measurable results on our livelihood can already been seen reduced storage capacity of carbon, biodiversity, and water; disturbed gas and nutrient cycles; and diminished soil fer lity. 6 In our produc ve haste, not unlike failed civiliza ons before us, we have forgo en that our survival is directly linked to soil.
While perhaps this might indicate an in mate rela onship with soil, we are further removed from this source of life than ever before. We strip soil of its armor and source of regenera on through destruc ve forestry and agricultural prac ces.5 We use it as a dumping ground. We treat it as a commodity, assigning it value based on anthropocentric quan fiers of efficiency and produc vity. We disassociate it from its slow rela onship with me and accumula on, expec ng that it can
Our ability to feed ourselves food that is rich in nutrients and free of toxins hinges on the a tudes, decisions, and behaviors we adopt as individuals and cultures toward soil in the coming decades. We are in greater need now than ever of a new rela onship with the ground below—and increasingly above and around—us. A new paradigm that priori zes soil, understanding its matrix quali es, will lead to an as-yet unexplored way of living in and designing ci es and the lives that make them.
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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Psalter World Map, author unknown, c.1260 British Library
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urban soil: here be dragons Urbaniza on cannot be defined as the “end of nature,” but instead a different spa al organiza on of nature and its processes.7 Urban soil is covered with buildings and impervious ground surfaces. This pa ern of sealing shuts down soil’s interac on with water, air, plants, people, and many animals and microorganisms. Patches of soil that remain unsealed in ci es are o en exposed to extreme fluctua ons in temperature and moisture; overloading of chemical lawn fer lizers; contamina on from industry, house paint, and transporta on; compac on; limited organic ma er; and disrup on from development.
simplis c term misrepresents urban soil heterogeneity, shapes our a tudes toward soil in ci es, and undermines the poten al for the contribu on of these soils to ecosystem and human health. A growing body of work in ecology and pedology points to the unrealized value of soil to urban ecosystem health, calling for the applica on of this knowledge to urban planning and design.9 Similar to the dragons that once represented uncharted territories on naviga onal maps, this fron er is ripe for explora on by scien sts, historians, designers, and ci zens.
And yet, urban soils form an essen al part of urban ecosystems and have the poten al to provide many important ecosystem services. They remain; however, largely overlooked.8 Ironically, it is the profound altera on of soils by humans in ci es that has kept us from gaining a deeper understanding of and apprecia on for these soils. Transport of fill between loca ons, the introduc on of foreign materials and chemicals, leaching, and mechanical processes have created highly variable condi ons across regions as well as from one street corner to the next. This has le soil scien sts with a monumental task of classifying minute soil regions that vary significantly over both me and space with a rigid system of classifica on that doesn’t account for anthropogenic variables. The result is large blank areas on soil maps dubbed “urban soil.” This overhaptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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grounding landscape urbanism Recent theory in landscape architecture and landscape urbanism calls for the reconsidera on of the form and organiza on of ci es based on dynamic ecosystem func ons. This perspec ve of urban systems can be traced to the field of geography, and provides a relevant contribu on to landscape architecture in considering the applica on of ecological systems func on rather than form to design. Scien fic knowledge in ecology, par cularly urban ecology from the past decade has the potenal to make profound changes to the structure of ci es and how they are experienced and valued by people. The language and conceptual complexity of ecosystem ecology; however, can be unfamiliar and overwhelming to a designer. It is the most basic tool of landscape architects, yet is considered the realm of soil scien sts. Disciplinary specializa on has resulted in lack of cra . This phenomenon can be seen in an increasing reliance on the verity of digital representa on in the design fields. Digital visualiza on has become a more important tool to landscape architects than soil or plants. While they do inspire thinking, theore cal discourse, and imagina on, sexy drawings with swaths of green and ecological key terms can be misleading. The results of this lack of applied material knowledge of soil can be seen in the movement to “green” ci es. Although it has been one of good inten ons, efforts have been
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
skin-deep and short-lived. Commonly-accepted soil specifica ons in landscape architecture o en do not take into account specific localized plan ng condi ons that will allow a tree to last longer than its guarantee period. Most urban trees planted today last only 7 to 15 years.10 As the concept of landscape urbanism takes hold, specificity of knowledge and material prac ce will be vital tools for landscape architects. Unraveling, transla ng, and finding meaning in the ecological sciences is necessary for these concepts to be understood and adopted. Richard Frodeman, a philosopher in environmental ethics, pointed out that “scien fic advances do not truly become the possession of a culture un l these discoveries are expressed through that culture’s art and poetry.” 11 A deeper understanding and fresh perspec ve of soil science in par cular has the poten al to transform the design process and urban landscapes. Contemporary landscape architecture requires a new way of seeing and understanding urban ecological systems.
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“How would poli cal responses to public problems change were we to take seriously the vitality of (nonhuman) bodies?�
-Jane Benne , Vibrant Ma er: A Poli cal Ecology of Things
Deep roots of perennial prairie grasses give life to soils through aeration, increased organic matter, symbiotic bacterial and animal life, and by connecting them to the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
corporeal urban infrastructure Soil is a living body. Only recently has the cri cal role it plays in an ecosystem’s ability to funcon begun to be realized both in science and in landscape architecture. Human nature’s tendency to take ac on only at a cri cal point of impasse or threat is apparent in the case of soil. Par cularly in the face of global climate change and urbaniza on, soil infrastructure has the capacity to become an integral component of the city. The European Commission proposed a strategy to research and address the issues related to soil resource degrada on in 2006. They iden fy the primary human-related ecosystem services of soils as the produc on of biomass; the storage, transforma on, and filtra on of nutrients, water, and substances; a raw material source; habitat and gene pool for biota and people; a cultural environment for human ac vi es; an archaeological record; and a carbon transformer and sink. A study of urban soils in 2006 of eight ci es across the US showed that urban soils hold significant poten al to sequester large amounts of organic carbon, par cularly in pervious areas of post-industrial zones.15 On a disciplinary level, this thesis challenges landscape architects, urban planners, and ci zens to develop a new way of conceiving of the ground below us and the role it plays in the crea on of public urban spaces. From ci zen field guides and fer l-
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izers stocked on the shelves of Wal-Mart to urban strategies and the designs of landscape architects, healthy func oning soil has limitless room to grow into the founda onal infrastructure of a city. That soil is not merely a material but a producve metabolic force, can no longer be ignored by designers. The priori za on of humans as the only living bodies in ci es has expanded the culturenature divide that manifests in human abuse of natural resources and ecosystems. Jane Benne recently posed in her book Vibrant Ma er: A Poli cal Ecology of Things, “How would poli cal responses to public problems change were we to take seriously the vitality of (non-human) bodies? By “vitality” I mean the capacity of things...not to impede or block the will and designs of humans but also to act as quasi-agents or forces with trajectories, propensi es, or tendencies of their own” She con nues by asking designers what would happen if, “we gave the force of things more due?“ To not only give energe c forces more weight, but to piggyback on their func ons as natural bodies, will provide us with a form of urban infrastructure previously unexplored. If a designer can develop a dialogue between a corporeal body of soil and one of a person and a community, new spa al, rela onal, economic, ecologic, and force-driven poten als emerge.
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Left: Interpretation of sidescan sonar mosaic of geology of Long Island Sound bathymetry Right: Sidescan sonar mosaic of bathymetry, same location U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2001
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soil: design concept
Given soil’s connec on to all aspects of the biosphere and to people, it can serve as an intellectual and inspira onal point of departure from theory for designers. Many landscape theorists argue that an ecological approach to design fails to take into account the intui ve and irra onal poten al of ar sts and designers. Landscape architect and theorist James Corner posits that the tradi onal scien fic approach to landscape as ecology ignores the cultural and social makeup of ci es. The linear, ra onal, logical approach of tradi onal ecology “ignores the emo ve, expressive, mysterious, chao c nature of ar ficial man made landscapes.”13 To call for the roo ng of a design proposal in the makeup of the soil—anthropogenic or natural— does not call for the adop on of the scien fic method or an analy cal approach to design. The author does not promote a mediated site’s ecology, but rather an authen c dialogue between soil and plants, soil and ecosystem, and soil and person; one where plants relate to exis ng condi ons, where the process of me is integral to design. Designers can be liberated by the knowledge of exis ng and constructed soil landscapes. The resul ng work has the poten al to take on new form, engage history, and become reintegrated into ecosystem services.
from the soils that were there before industrializa on. A snapshot of historical site soil should not be a designer’s ul mate goal. Given the current and pending impact of climate change, these condi ons will only con nue to vary from any present moment. Anthropogenic material, physical, and chemical altera ons to a site’s soil can become part of a designed landscape’s character as “form is the diagram of force.”14 Similar to finding inspira on from landscape archaeology, fragments from the built environment o en create localized mineral dis nc ons. Extant marble steps or concrete founda ons, for example, could alter the pH of a cubic yard of surrounding soil enough to create miniature ecosystem microcosms.
The material, chemical and structural makeup of soils in the post-industrial city o en departs
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Profiles of Representative Soils [top: color, bottom: chemistry and mechanicacs] Atlas of American Agriculture, 1953
soil: design material
Over the course of the past two centuries, design has ceded the territory of soil knowledge to science and engineering, losing a specific material understanding of the most basic material of landscape architecture. Landscape treases wri en before this paradigm shi called for the integra on of soil analysis and management with site design. Knowledge of soil as a material dictated site planning and design. Today, oversimplifica on of this living body as merely a structural surface or innate plan ng medium limits a designer and a site.
soil in rela on to human experience from the scale of the body. Armed with a textbook understanding of soil chemistry, biology, and physics, this project aims to develop a working pale e of urban soils as a way to approach the design of urban landscapes. With an understanding of the make-up, func ons, and applica ons of soil in rela on to the places people live, a designer will know the dierence between healthy soil and dirt and how the former can translate to unexpected experiences in ci es that elevate a person from the mundane.
Soil is an ar s c medium that designers can use strategically and crea vely. From its physical proper es including color, texture, smell, moisture, and structure to its rela onal chemical and biological proper es as it interacts with plants, animals, people, water, and topography, avenues of crea ve explora on are vast. Similar to Tadao Ando’s work with concrete, his material explora on transformed our understanding of this material as one with limitless design poten al. Piet Oudolf has done the same for plant material in large-scale landscapes. Select landscape architects who have held soil as a central component of their designs, resul ng in projects that obtain a sensi vity to site that is notable. This project explores the material poten al of
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“Even when the deep mud of a sodden path sucks in our steps the soil does not for that become an external reality divorced from our ac ons, just a difficult partner which we have to contend with.” 1
-Philippe Descola, Soil and Culture
embodied ground
We experience the world through our bodies as much as we do through our eyes. Toe-and-heel to ground is the first point of departure into the outside world. To walk on pavement is a different experience than to walk on soil or sand. Concrete encourages speed and direct passage from one point to the next. Soil requires careful a en on. Irregular pocks and lumps demand minute muscle adjustments to balance. The presence of gas and water in soil respond to the human foot and hand, accep ng and deforming to pressure, then resis ng and countering it in an effort toward stasis. More than any other medium, soil is the ul mate mediator between people and ecosystems. It is at once invisible and omnipresent. It compresses me, bringing past epochs to our current reality. In our produc ve haste however, a distance has emerged between us and the ground, making it harder than ever to feel a sense of connec on. Furthermore, a long-held reliance on designing for the image has restricted landscape architects. A. Toland and G. Wessolek, two soil scien sts, write that “Natural beauty is reduced to humanly perceived colors, textures and shapes, without considera on of the delicate interac ons, complex biological and geological processes, and rich natural history embodied in every natural form or group of forms.“17 Healthy
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soil presents a unique proposi on to a designer in its complex, non-visual composi on. Taste, smell, moisture content and organic content, porosity and texture aid in choreographing an immediate environment. This material provides a window in which landscape architects can gain access to the design of rela onal bodies or the energy transferred between them. Contribu ons to architectural theory from the perspec ve of thermodynamics and energy are invaluable for landscape architects as well. Although there is li le need for thermal boundaries in outdoor spaces, there exists spa al and sensory poten al in the considera on of designing energe c bodies. Michelle Addington discusses energe c exchanges at boundaries and interfaces, no ng that “Ac ve energy exchange occurs at the boundary between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings.” 18 When understood as an interface between the five realms of the geosphere, it can be conceived of as an energe c body. It is here that the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology are their most powerful. Interacons between living organisms and metabolic processes can be witnessed and sensed. When a designer recognizes these processes and mechanisms, a new field and way of working emerges.
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endnotes 1
terms Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams, “Are we now living in the Anthropocene?” (GSA Today 18.2, 2008) 4.
2
“Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b.htm>.
3
Edward O. Wilson. Biophilia. (Harvard UP: Cambridge, MA, 1984).
4
5
F. Stuart Chapin I(II, Pamela A. Matson, Harold A. Mooney. Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. (Springer Science + Business Media: New York, 2002) 4. Walter V.Reid , Harold A. Mooney, et al. “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystems and Human WellBeing, Synthesis.” (Island Press: Washington DC, 2005) 50.
6
G.Tóth, V. Stolbovoy, and L. Montanarella. “Soil Quality and Sustainability Evalua on - An integrated approach to support soil-related policies of the European Union.”. (Office for Official Publica ons of the European Communi es, EUR 22721 EN: Luxembourg, 2007) 1.
7
“Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b.htm>.
8
The World Health Organiza on, 1946
11
“Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b.htm>.
12
ISRIC World Soil Informa on h p://www.isric.org/ about-soils.
13
Johnson, D.L., S.H. Ambrose, et al. “Meanings of environmental terms.” Journal of Environmental Quality 26, 1997. pp581-589.
14
New York City Soil Survey Staff. 2005. “New York City Reconnaissance Soil Survey.” (Staten Island, NY: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conserva on Service, 2005) 6.
15
Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b.htm>.
16
J. G. Bockheim, “Nature and Proper es of Highly Disturbed Urban Soils” (Paper presented to Div. S-5, Soil Sci. Soc. Am.: Chicago, Illinois, 1974).
Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b. htm>.
17
text 1
9
Jeffrey Fulmer. “What in the world is infrastructure?” (PEI Infrastructure Investor July/August, 2009) 30-32). 2
10
Ronald Amundson. “Soil Preserva on and the Future of Pedology.” (Paper presenta on: Division of Ecosystem Services, University of California, Berkeley, Retrieved 2006-06-08) 1
14
Garrison Sposito. The Chemistry of Soils. (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989) 3.
Timothy A and Phillip J. Craul. Soil Design Protocols for Landscape Architects and Contractors. (New York: Wiley, 2006.) 21.
insert chapter header 3
Bruce H. Wilkinson. “Humans as Geologic Agents: A Deep- me Perspec ve.” (Geology 33.3, 2005): 161.
4
Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams, “Are we now living in the Anthropocene?” (GSA Today 18.2, 2008) 4.
5
1997) 56. Andrew Karvonen, Poli cs of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City. (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2011), 23.
14
Richard T.T. Forman and Edward O. Wilson. Land Mosaics: the Ecology of Landscapes and Regions (Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1995) 5.
15
Richard V. Pouyat,” Ian D. Yesilonis, and David J. Nowak. “Carbon Storage by Urban Soils in the United States.” (Madison, WI: Journal of Environmental Quality, July 6, 2006), 1574.
16
D. Hagan, C. Dobbs, and F. Escobedo. “Florida’s urban soils: underfoot yet overlooked.” (University of Florida-IFAS, EDIS FOR 271, 2010).
Edward Landa and Chris an Feller. Soil and Culture. (Springer: Dordrecht, 2010.) xvii.
17
Andreas Lehmann and Karl Stahr. “Nature and Significance of Anthropogenic Urban Soils.” (Journal of Soils and Sediments7.4, 2007) 247.
A. Toland and G. Wessolek. “Core Samples of the Sublime—On the Aesthe cs of Dirt,” inSoil and Culture. (Springer: Dordrecht, 2010.) 246.
18
Michelle Addington, “Architecture of Con ngency” in Hylozoic GroundL Liminal Responsive Architecture. (Riverside Architectural Press: Cambridge, Ont., 2010) 71.
Gergely, Vladimir Stolbovoy, Luca Montanarella. “Soil Quality and Sustainability Evalua on: an Integrated Approach to Support Soil-Related Policies of the European Union.” (Ins tute for Environment and Sustainability 2007) 5. Ibid., Tóth, 5.
7
Andrew Karvonen, Poli cs of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City. (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2011), 25.
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insert text hereTransla ljkxcvjiaons o iasjdf Robin Evans, from iodajio Drawingaoijsdfoito Buildingfoijsd and Other Essays. (The MIT Press: Cambridge, jasd dadoijda
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Karen Cappiella, Tom Schueler ,et al. “Urban Watershed Forestry Manual: Part 3. Urban Tree Plan ng Guide”. (Center for Watershed Protec on: Ellico City, MD, 2006) 1.
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Edward Landa and Chris an Feller. Soil and Culture. (Springer: Dordrecht, 2010.) xvii.
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soil 101
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biosphere
hydrosphere
atmosphere
atmosphere
creating stratographic s
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dabney
masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
signature
Urban condi ons prohibit soil from interac ng with the atmosphere, water, plants, animals, and people; limi ng its ability to regenerate, store carbon, grow plants, filter water, and create healthy environments for people. haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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Wat e r S
(flood or drought)
WƌĞĚŽŵŝŶĂŶƚůLJ Įůů͕ ŚŝŐŚůLJ ǀĂƌŝĂďůĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚ
Inconsistent
CA RB ON
PARENT MATERIAL MATERIAL
SLOPE HILLSIDE POSITION
WATER TABLE AVAILABILITY STORAGE CAPACITY
TOPOGRAPHY
MOISTURE
TEMPERATURE SEASON CLIMATE SOLAR RADIATION
TIME
>ĞƐƐ ĐŽŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ͗ ϭ͕ϮϬϬ ĐƵďŝĐ Ō
PLANT G ROWT H_fe rtili ty 30’
,Žƚ͗ ŚĞĂƚ ŝƐůĂŶĚ ĞīĞĐƚ н ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ƌĞŇĞĐƟǀŝƚLJ
WĂƌƚ ƐƵŶ ;ƐƚƌĞĞƚ ƐŝĚĞ ŵĂƩĞƌƐͿ
DŽƐƚ ĐŽŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ͗ ϭϰϬ ĐŌ
15’
ge a r to
ST Uncontained OR AG E +
+30’
LE C CY
CONTEXTUAL CONDITIONS
>ĞĂĨ ůŝƩĞƌ ƌĞŵŽǀĂů͕ ƐŽŝů ƟůůĂŐĞ͕ ĚĞŶŝƚƌŝĮĐĂƟŽŶ
salinization)
Adjacent to road + sidewalk (Particulates, contaminants + compaction,
pH
Highly acidic in urban areas
DECOMPOSITION AVAILABILITY
PAVING / SEALING
DISTURBANCE
COMPACTION DEVELOPMENT DENITFIRIFICATION DEFORESTATION AGRICULTURE / TILLING ORGANIC MATTER REMOVAL
MINERAL INCL. SALINIZATION CHEMICAL
ological Record Archae
/ŵƉĞƌǀŝŽƵƐ͕ ĚŝƐĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚ ƐŽŝů ĂƌĞĂƐ н ŚĞĂƚ ŐĂŝŶ
SIZE FORM GEOMETRY STRUCTURE 6.0 - 6.8 IDEAL
CONTAMINANTS
NUTRIENTS
TEXTURE
LEAF LITTER WOODY MATTER SMALL MAMMALS BACTERIA MICROBES
ORGANIC MATTER
WƌĞǀĂůĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ĐůĂLJƐ н ĐůĂLJ ƉůĂƟŶŐ
+ 10 year lifespan
(cleaned leaf litter)
7-10 year max lifespan
>ŝŵŝƚĞĚ ŽƌŐĂŶŝĐ ŵĂƩĞƌ
POROSITY ORGANIC CONTENT SOIL MINERALS
BULK DENSITY
Nu tri en t
Gro u nd
ing ity Host Biodivers
(compaction)
LAND USE THREATS
on ati rm fo ns ra
Very dense
CHARACTERISTICS
le eop rP fo
MATERIAL
YSTEM SERVIC ECOS ES T
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soil landscape precedents 22
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Distinct constructed soil and ecosystem conditions visible from above at the Bordeaux Botanical Garden, La Bastide, France Image: Bing Maps, 2012
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bordeaux botanical garden mosbach paysagistes, 2002
The program of the site is a research facility for biodiversity and resource management, located in the center of a post-industrial mixed-use neighborhood. The most relevant part of this project to my work is that different soil characteris cs and constructed geomorphological strata create different growing condi ons and plant communi es. Soil strata and composi on lead the design conceptually, formally and experien ally. A sequence of water garden, Field of Crops, and Environment Gallery dictate which plants are placed where. Individual topographic landscapes with specific soil condi ons are constructed. Program and human engagement follow plant ecosystem growing requirements. The primary soil material is grani c sand. Hilltops provide drier, well-drained condi ons while depressions collect organic material and water, crea ng smaller microclimates. Even compressed urban soil condi ons are modeled at the edges of the elevated sec ons.
niches, cultural marks, are unsubtle elements in the spaces. This project diverges from the author’s in its overly didac c nature of the construc on. Furthermore, a viewer experiences the site by walking around soil and site condi ons, never on or through them. This level of removal from experience makes it more of a garden to be viewed than touched. Mosbach liberates herself from not using only na ve plants which gives her a level of flexibility to construct ecosystems within one loca on. This is achieved through specific soil types and profile depths. This is a soil landscape because the project is just as much about the substrata as it is the aboveground elements. Its success lies in the designer’s specific treatment of the substrata as a narra ve, a material, a matrix, and a design strategy.
Other parts of the soil are archaeological, housing fossils and the marks of human civiliza on. Contemporary soil condi ons of compac on are mimicked at the edges of soil profiles. Erosion,
Left top: compacted urban to upland forest local ecosystems conditions are modeled. Left bottom: 3 different hydric conditions from local areas are reconstructed. Images: Groundswell, Constructing the Contemporary Landscape
27
Constructed wetlands with specific soil and plant palettes reconstruct and choreograph human and ecosystem at Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park, Tianjin City, China Image: Turenscape Plan Graphic from ASLA Awards Publication website 2010 29
Landform depressions and plant communities designed to create diverse soil conditions Above: aerial perspective of site after completion, below: recent springtime image reveals the results from poor management and ignoring actual soil site conditions Top and bottom right images: Turenscape Photo from ASLA Awards Publication 2010, Bottom left image: Tom Turner, Garden Visit blog www.gardenvisit.com/blog
tianjin qiaoyuan park: the adaptation palettes turenscape, 2008
This 22 hectare park in the city of Tianjin grew out of a desire to convert a garbage dump and stormwater deten on area to an ecological and cultural resource. The project has been widely hailed as a monumental project both for China and the field of Landscape Architecture. The designer’s integra on of a series of constructed wetlands into a city park was enormously successful both ecologically and culturally. The project has served as inspira on to many designers since its comple on in 2008. Recent reports show a different and conflic ng site condi on; however, than the one first published two years ago. Compacted, barren, and dry soil indicate one or a combina on of possible failures: a design strategy that overes mated the designers’ ability to change exis ng soil condi ons, a plant pale e that was incompa ble with fluctuaon seasonal soil and climate condi ons, a rapidly changing local climate, or inadequate management prac ces.
temperature condi ons, organic content, seasonal satura on levels, acidity, and texture. Unlike this project, a plant and soil amendment pale e must be integral to the soil landscape’s present and future condi ons. On one hand, this project provides an inspira onal jumping-off point in the design of a soil landscape, and on the other its failure to endure points to the importance of acknowledging the development of soil landscapes that engage the stratographic signature.
While the original design intent produced a soil landscape that was produc ve, responsive, and engaged visitors while providing ecosystem services, it is now perhaps an even more valuable lesson in the importance of designing landscapes that authen cally integrate a site’s soil condi on with a plant pale e. This is also a lesson in the importance of designing for future climate condions in ci es. Soil landscapes must be assessed in terms of present and an cipated water and
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haystack veil philip beesley and warren seelig, 1998 deer isle, maine
30,000 cut saplings are arranged in connected tripods and cover a secondary layer of cut branches, lichen, and moss. A second skin is created, suspended over the exis ng topography. Thicker ground is developed on which human habita on is tenuous at best. The processes of accre on, structural complexity, and absence of human ac vity are of par cular interest. His construc on restricts engagement. While Beesleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current work focuses on synthe c organisms, landscapes, and soils which, his deep probing into the metabolic func on of landscape and ground are thoughtprovoking.
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gowanus canal sponge park DLandStudio, unbuilt brooklyn, new york
Construc on of produc ve ecological landscape, this project incorporates both human use and ecological func on. Ecological func on and cultural exchange are equal factors in this design. The a tude toward soil and vegeta on as ecological func on is important in a reading of this project. Development of a healthy soil system along the canal edge gives this project depth of stratographic signature that could prove informa ve to any designer.
crack garden CMG landscape architecture, 2008 san francisco, california
This projects works within exis ng site and climate condi ons to develop a simple and aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable landscape. Even at such a small scale, this project mines the rela onship between soil as a growing medium and plant viability in harsh urban condi ons. This demonstra on typifies the superficial â&#x20AC;&#x153;greeningâ&#x20AC;? of ci es. While in the long term, this concrete would will become part of a parent material, in the short term it contributes minimally to human well-being.
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soil landscape providence, rhode island 34
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Distinct constructed soil and ecosystem conditions at host site Soil landscape, Providence, Rhode Island Bing Maps base, 2012
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BLACKSTONE PARK
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ROGER WILLIAMS PARK
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BLOCK ISLAND SOUND
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This page: post-industrial Providence and the Narragansett Bay are characterized by a decaying matrix of parking lots, highways, vacant buildings + channelized waterways prone to pollution + flooding. The removal of the I-195 on-ramp gives way to an ecological corridor around which the city will regenerate. Facing page: from highway to ecological corridor, the host site links soil landscapes.
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site analysis
The concept of “stratographic signature” emerges from Providence’s subterranean geologic and cultural history.
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take a peek Undressing a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soil profiles reveals layers of history, ecological functions + malfunctions. An authentic design frontier for landscape urbanism becomes apparent.
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masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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3
2
1
site selection criteria
1. Post-industrial or brownfield site 2. Flood zone 3. Cover “Urban Land” soil classifica on at least in part 4. Connect to exis ng open or green space 5. Densely populated urban area 6. Connect 2 different neighborhoods
Three distinct areas emerged from the site selection analysis that met the majority of outlined criteria. While all three could prove to be valuable explorations for this thesis, site #1 was chosen because of its proximity to the most densely populated center of Providence and straddling two residential zones.
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mapping urban density + stratographic signature 1. Cri cal Providence cut lines 2. Buildings 3. Impervious or paved surfaces 4. Pervious surfaces 5. Waterways
This analysis is an overlay of a 2012 aerial map, one of impervious surfaces and buildings, one from 1823, and current contour lines. Overlaid with critical urban sections, it exposes the accumulation of Providenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dense cultural layers over time. Key areas for intervention and strategy become apparent.
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A traffic study reveals 4 hierarchies of roads. Similar to the smallest hair-like plant roots, these are the most critical to the neighborhood ecosystem for both soil and people. Select 4th hierarchy streets are targeted for surgical pavement removal.
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masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
soil zones to strategy Soil condi ons precede the urban grid, yet they are superseded and altered by the form, structure, and use of urban landscapes. Industrial processes, roads, parking lots, lawn chemicals, buildings, and urban hydrology are but a few examples. Specific urban soil condi ons require design strategies for inhabita on, circula on, vegeta on, and restored ecological func on. Landscape urbanism must look beyond the urban grid to develop comprehensive strategies for healthy ecosystems. Here urban zones are re-imagined, guiding site analysis and design strategy.
UD highways
paved
paved flood zone
postindustrial toxic
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
urban lawns
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A vast wasteland up to 400 feet wide in places after the removal of I-195 reveals a dearth of human-scale spaces and an opportunity to create a corridor for people and for the urban ecosystem. River and urban edges become focal points for cultural interaction and entry to the host site. Top: East view to river and south bank, Middle: North view to urban edge, Bottom: South view to the south bank.
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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design methodolog
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ogy gy
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masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
soil: matrix
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
soil: mediator
Soil is the ul mate mediator. In its constant interacon with the geosphere and with all living beings, this body stands between epochs and between people. It is a natural filter of water and air. In concert with plants, biota, and solar radia on it is self-remedia ng through Phytoremedia on. Pollu on has become an inherent hurdle to healthy urban ecosystems. Soil in ci es is o en laden with lead from gasoline and paints, heavy metals from industry, and organic pollutants from human waste. As such, soil loses its capacity as mediator: unfit for growing food for people or animals, for filtering or storing water and air, for habitat, and even to the touch. Remedia on strategies range according to toxin severity and spread and to the me limita ons for cleansing. In most cases, dilu on is the solu on to pollu on. Increased organic ma er can reduce base level organic and inorganic toxicity levels. On the extreme end of the pollu on spectrum, soil removal and treatment or capping strategies are common prac ces but o en ignore the root of the problem. Phytoremedia on on the other hand, given sufficient me, is a soil (re)media ng opera on that is becoming increasingly common. Different plants func on with soil and microbes differently. While some hyperaccumulate toxins in their roots, others concentrate toxins in the soil’s rhizosphere.
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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soil: choreographer
Soil possesses dis nct spa al quali es that influence a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding of a space. While o en misunderstood or overlooked, the soil of each place quietly intones hap c experiences that are embodied in that exact loca on at any given moment in me. As a result, soil is o en the invisible choreographer of every landscape. It is at once engaging and silent, respiring without breath or mo on, enabling life while remaining separate from each life form. A corporeal experience with soil--rather than visual--can be in mate and sublime. While it is easy for a designer to turn to form as a means of engaging a person with this natural body, it undermines the subtle inherent quali es of soil that give it space-making powers. While landform can enhance human and ecological experience of a soil landscape, it can also become a crutch. A soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smell, its rela ve humidity or squish underfoot, its light absorbency or dry reflec vity, its cracks or worms choreograph specific vegeta on, living beings including people, sunlight, atmosphere, and water over me.
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design intervent interventi
tion ion
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designing soil: materials + mechanisms
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PA
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GE ON N
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RI MA A new urban park emerges from the stratographic signature--the subterranean landscape--rather than the urban grid. Spaces for ecosystem func ons, for subtle human sensory engagement, and for urban redevelopment are created over me. The Providence Soil Matrix is choreographed for tomorrow, for next year, for 100 years from now and beyond. Four zones are created according to site eleva on, soils, and cultural uses: The PALUSTRINE URBIC FOREST is the highest point on the site. It buffers I-95 from the rest of the city, is a bare root nursery, and eventually becomes a central loca on for low-rise residen al buildings for the community and for Johnson and Wales University. The PALUSTRINE URBIC FARM is downslope from the forest and is the nursery for deciduous and fruit trees. This zone will become the central residen al hub of the site and clusters of buildings will have space for vegetable gardens and outdoor gathering.
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
The MARITIME URBIC PLAIN marks the start of the flood zone and the site’s transi on from residen al to commercial. Streets become more dense and forest opens to prairie grass plains. Three public plazas are created between new buildings, lying at the intersec ons of foot paths and pervious streets. It is in these plazas that the first views to the river become apparent. The RIVERINE URBIC SPONGE is en rely in the flood zone, lying adjacent to the Providence River. Also the site of former heavy industry and energy produc on, it requires toxic remedia on. Mul ple Salix species are planted across the site. Coppiced biennially, they become an animated element of the city, par cularly in contrast to Providence’s summer Water Fire event on the river. Restaurants, bars, and shops line the upper reaches of the site while sunken paths carve through the willow groves connec ng to the river. A path traverses the river’s edge 6” above the high de line, becoming wider at points for par es, barbecues, and sunbathing.
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Providence Soil Landscape c.2030. Succession has occurred over 20 years: Pinus and broad leaf tree species have migrated to parking lots and street edges. New buildings have come to occupy street edges on the host site while critical sections have remained open. A hierarchy of paths has emerged crossing through and across the site.
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
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palustrine urbic forest
erances. Open spaces are filled with shade-tolerant and pollu on-sensi ve Tsuga groves and other deciduous species. Microclimates within the forest emerge. Leaf li er choreographs localized soil with different smells, perennial plants, and biota. Light and color of these different species indicate soil changes across the site both daily and seasonally.
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The dry, acidic, highly compacted glacial outwash hilltop lies at the uppermost reaches of the site and southern Providence. Soil devoid of potassium, phosphorus, organic ma er, and moisture is remediated first by Panicum and its deep roots. A er two seasonal growth cycles, a nursery of Pinus rigida and nigra bare root saplings that can withstand site condi ons are planted in a 10’ x 15’ grid. The grid is thinned to 20’ x 15’ with trees selec vely transplanted throughout the city’s streets and parking lots. Over me these take on a different character, dwarfed by restric ng soil and moisture volumes, anima ng and remedia ng otherwise barren parking lots and streets. Trees inset three to five rows from the edges of streets are completely removed due to shade intol-
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
Three circula on hierarchies emerge, differing according to use and dis nguishable by material and ver cal rela onships of path to ground. The first order is vehicular: streets no wider than 22’ and constructed en rely of pervious paving. Material changes instead of curbs indicate pedestrian zones. Li le bluestem is planted on the edge of all streets to hyperaccumulate petrochemical hydrocarbons. The second path order is a bike path of varying widths running the en re length of the host site. Constructed of crushed stone with a structural sand base, it extends con nuously through streets and into public plazas. The third order is pedestrian: footpaths no wider than 5’ that traverse the site laterally and break from the bike path at moments. Elevated sec ons are constructed of wood planks while sec ons that meet the ground disappear en rely for a corporeal connec on with the soil. Paths connect cultural strongholds like the Jackson Walkway that connects an exis ng church to the excavated ruins of two others. Over me, 7-story residen al buildings grow out of the eastern edge of the forest: a new form of life.
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PANICUM VIRGATUM + ROOTS 84
FESTUCA ARUNDINACEA
VERBASCUM THAPSUS
ARCTOSTAPHYLOS UVA-URSI
VACCINIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM
PINUS RIGIDA
TSUGA CANADENSIS
PINUS NIGRA
STEWARTIA PSEUDOCAMMELIA
HAMAMALIS VIRGINIANA
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Johnson + Wales University
Jewelery district
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dabney
masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis
maritime urbic plain
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gr Pr as ai s ri pl e ai n
B li etu ne la g g ar ath rov Pl ea er es az s in as g
Ne w bu c il ol di le ng ge s
path materials are laid.
The paved urban matrix transforms into a fer le soil matrix. Wherever possible, the moves are surgical allowing for a cri cal mass of soil and vegeta on; thus, allowing the func on of ecosystem services that are responsible for making a city resilient and health for people. Andropogon scoparius along roadways hyperaccumulates petrochemicals and add organic ma er to the soil while shadetolerant Betula and Pinus promote soil respira on + temperature regula on of streetscapes.
Rather than exis ng as the back of the Johnson and Wales and Brown University campuses, the site becomes a second front. New college and commercial buildings occupy prominent street-front loca ons, as well as forming the cultural hub of this part of the site. Central plazas are created in the spaces formed between buildings, allowing for gathering, sunlight, and occupa on of this dense por on of the site. It is also at this point of the site that the river first becomes visible. The pedestrian path takes form from buildings, sun orienta on, rela onship to central plazas, and view corridors to the city, moments on the site, and to the river. The width and height of the primary and secondary paths are predicated on exis ng and future building use, occupa on of outdoor spaces, and cri cal mass of people. For example, two public plazas emerge from the path as it crosses two smaller pedestrian streets. Pedestrians and human occupa on begin to define these spaces rather than vehicular traďŹ&#x192;c. The path narrows again as it moves away from the street un l it intersects with a building, becoming wider for cafe tables and benches that will host conversa on and reflec on within the site.
Where only perfora on is possible, parking lots are perforated at varying sizes. Tree well standards are adapted for 120 cubic of soil minimum. Trees are transplanted from the host site nursery. Pervious
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PANICUM VIRGATUM + ROOTS 88
ANDROPOGON SCOPARIUS, PHYTOREMEDIATOR
FESTUCA ARUNDINACEA
PRUNUS MARITIMA
BETULA PAPYRIFERA, PROPOGATED ON HOST SITE
BETULA LENTA, PROPOGATED ON HOST SITE
PINUS RIGIDA, PROPOGATED ON HOST SITE
JUNIIPERUS CHINENSIS
PINUS NIGRA, PROPOGATED ON HOST SITE 89
The street leading to the heart of the Johnson & Wales University campus delineates forest from plain. Structural sand rain gardens with Little Bluestem + streets with permeable pavers collect + filter water while hyperaccumulating petrochemical runoff. Top: Sectional perspective looking North to the campus. Bottom: Transitional material study at the same location
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riverine urbic sponge
s nt b a u ur h a y st it re un w mm Ne co +
n io t ia ve ed ro m g e or on t i y t ph uc d ix ro l p Sa +
Plagued by a post-industrial inheritance of toxic ground, the primary design interven on is both mediator and narrator. A long-term phytoremediaon strategy animates this area with mixed Salix species. Coppiced biennially in a rota onal cycle, the branches are used to for revenue: in the produc on of Biochar—a soil amendment—as well as for co age industries and the arts. The roots that store inorganic chemicals will be removed every 30 years un l the soil is suitable for human contact.
outwash parent material, the site is well-suited to act as a riverine sponge. Given increased organic ma er, the soil will have an exponen ally greater ability to store and filter water. New residen al, commercial, + university hubs grow out of a new fer le urban matrix. Choreographed paths converse with choreographed soil landscapes, squeezing between pines, opening to public plazas in clearings, + scraping along building facades. As the path moves into the primary remedia on zone, it is recessed into the earth. This allows for a different spa al and sensory rela onship to the ground. It also serves as a physical barrier to toxic soil, ac ng as an inverted ha-ha. A pedestrian bridge crosses the bones of the former industrial-grade bridge, connec ng to the eastern edge of the river and to the exis ng India Point Park and Blackstone and East Bay Bike paths. A third path engages the river’s edge. At certain points it extends into the river, floa ng just 6” above the water line, providing a different perspecve of
Located next to the Providence River, and once in the Providence River, the site now lies in the 500year flood plain. As climate change intensifies, this por on of the site will face more frequent flooding. With large aggregate stones and sand of glacial
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SALIX ALBA, COPPICED
SALIX SACHALINENSIS
CORNUS SERICEA
JUNIIPERUS CHINENSIS
BETULA NIGRA
ASTILBE SPP.
IRIS SIBERICA
JUNCUS EFFUSUS 97
year 1 soil aeration wetland dredging site earth works
year 2 panicum seeding salix planting at river
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initial intervention Certain elements of the first itera on of design on the site were carried into later versions. The primary phased vegeta on including Panicum, Salix, and Pinus remained consistent. It established the importance of a large host site and primary zones.
year 3 tree nursery planting pedestrian bridge across I-95
What this itera on lacked however was the resistance of the urban grid and economic and development reali es of 20 open acres in an urban center. The grade changes made here were also abandoned as it be became clear that they were unnecessary to achieve the established goals.
years 5-10 selective tree transplanting salix harvesting
Host site--soil landscape--becomes ecological and cultural corridor with residen al infill, agriculture, street tree and salix produc on for phytoremedia on. Soil and trees produced on-site are spread throughout the city, and Providence begins to take on a new, unique, thriving character. 99
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river remediation In the ini al design itera on post-industrial soil at the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s southern edge is dredged and piled, allowing for flood storage as predicted in future climate change scenarios. Piled landforms of toxic soil are treated on-site with phytoextrac ng Salix viminalis, Salix osier, and Populus. Salix branches are harvested for local cra s, on-site installa on + erosion control. This strategy was abandoned because of superfluous earthworks and lack of considera on for human engagement at the site. The material concepts were carried into subsequent design itera ons.
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urban remediation Neighborhood urban streets are iden fied as cri cal for the Providence Urban soil landscape. Pavement removal is a primary strategy in the ini al design itera on, crea ng pervious soil condion across en re street except for sidewalks and crossing points. Trees from specific Providence pale e according to site sun, moisture, and traďŹ&#x192;c condi ons are planted from host site nursery. Pervious path materials are laid.
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conclusion
This thesis has resulted in a rich explora on of the material, ecological, and spa al poten als of soils in a specific city. Perhaps more importantly, it has set the stage for further inquiry and work. Intensive research in soil science and urban ecology provided an invaluable basis of understanding of this material and its systema c rela onship to human environments. The level of inves ga on undertaken as a designer was at once overwhelming and thought-provoking but never boring. It has compelled me to con nue my work with one of many lenses on science. It has also amplified the value of gaining an contextual understanding of a material intellectually, crea vely, and with the hands and the body. At the outset of this thesis, classmates and professors alike had difficulty conceiving of the concept of a “soil landscape”. While diagrams of principles and site condi ons were cri cal in establishing my material and mechanical language, it wasn’t un l I developed a systema c plan over me that this idea became illuminated. Sec on-perspec ves were instrumental in developing a soil landscape in rela on to an urban landscape. As the design project emerged and ideas became spa al, the thesis came to seem inevitable. The simple idea of giving design priority to the invisible landscape proved rich and provoca ve. The spaces that grew out of a proposed urban soil matrix were compelling and unexpected against the backdrop of an urban skyline and ground 104
plane. Early skep cs, cri cs, and colleagues in architecture and landscape architecture have remarked that this proposi on supplies the discipline with a new way of approaching landscape urbanism and landscape architecture in ci es. To treat the ground as a body rather than a plane is to design for resilience in ci es. It is a way of establishing an authen c connec on between form and force. A designer’s ability to work with, mark, and manipulate a material with mul -sensory and -func onary capaci es is powerful and underexplored. It is no coincidence that this thesis corresponds with a cri cal juncture in the discipline. As landscape urbanism and urban design claim large-scale project territory, landscape architecture con nues to struggle with insecuri es of associa on with garden design and hor culture. A shi in scale must not be equated with a departure from a common material pale e and gestural acuity. As urban- and regional-scale applica ons of systemsbased design take hold, specific material knowledge as it relates to ecology, the human body, and culture is necessary for the transla on of a drawing to an engaging landscape. In my cri cal assessment of my process, I have ques oned the depths of my own understanding of soil. The difference between embrained and embodied knowledge keeps surfacing. Whereas the former is a cogni ve, learned understanding,
dabney
master’s thesis
the la er suggests a knowledge that is engrained in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporeal being through a prac ce of ac ons. Undertaken during the course of a three month New England winter, I focused on acquiring material, philosophical, and spa al knowledge of soil: largely embrained. It was a short amount of me to cover an immense quan ty of basic scien fic ground and apply it to the context of a largescale site. I constantly shi ed between scales and processes. Small soil boxes in my studio, soil samples dug on the host site and reviewed in a lab in Connec cut, and a vermiculture experiment in my basement were insigh ul small-scale experiments. The result at this juncture is a broad and deep embrained knowledge of soil. The development of my embodied knowledge through a physically- and sensory-engaged, poe c, and dirty rela onship with this body; however, has only just begun. I an cipate years of prac ce, balancing intui ve and corporeal responses, tested markmaking, and engagement with people and research from mul ple fields and sites. This endeavor will require small- and large-scale design interven ons that ini ate a dialogue between soil and dirt, soil body and human body, and soil system and ecosystem. Specific tests of mark-making on soil that engage and enhance its non-visual proper es with diďŹ&#x20AC;erent materials and mechanisms will hopefully lead me toward
haptic ground: urban soil landscapes
an embodied understanding of this material. Ideally, results of these site installa ons will be ins nc vely sensed by any living being, human or non-human. The ideas and work presented here are meant to serve as stepping stones for other students, designers, and for myself. The concepts I developed of soil as matrix, choreographer, and mediator hold value as independent design proposi ons. While the former two have become self-evident, that of soil as a mediator between a natural, non-human, energe c body and a human body remains to be explored. It has received li le a en on in landscape architecture yet holds great promise for the design of resilient, sensory-rich, authen c landscapes across mul ple scales. The design of soil landscapes are in fact capable of crea ng new cultural, spa al, and ecological readings of and interac ons with the city. Further inves ga on is required to test their impact on sensory experiences and energe c exchanges in ci es. The concepts, materials, and mechanisms of this complex material have the capacity to ground landscape urbanism and landscape architecture.
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bibliography soils Amundson, Ronald. “Soil Preserva on and the Future of Pedology.” Paper presenta on: Division of Ecosystem Services, University of California, Berkeley, Retrieved 2006-06-08. [Provides a working defini on of Pedology, a paradigm of pedology in rela on to biosphere change, and an a tude about the diversity of soils in the context of the anthropocene.]
Berry, Wendell. The Unse ling of America: Culture & Agriculture. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1977. Print. Brady, N.C. The Nature and Proper es of Soils, 10th ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990. pp103-110. Bockheim, J. G. “Nature and Proper es of Highly Disturbed Urban Soils” Chicago, Illinois: Paper presented Div. S-5, Soil Sci. Soc. Am., 1974. [Provides a working and complete defini on of urban soil commonly accepted in the field of soil science.]
Craul,Timothy A. and Phillip J. Soil Design Protocols for Landscape Architects and Contractors. New York: Wiley, 2006. Print.
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Craul, Phillip J. Urban Soil in Landscape Design. New York: Wiley, 1992. Print. [Excellent resource for all urban soil knowledge (despite its age) including nutrients, energy cycles, urban systems, landfills, heat and light influences, organic and inorganic wastes, compac on, root growth, urban tree viability, etc…]
Day, Susan D., Wiseman, Eric, Dickinson, Sarah B., and Harris, Roger J. “Tree Root Ecology in the Urban Environment and Implica ons for a sustainable Rhizosphere.” Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 36.5 (2010): 193-205. [This text explains the importance of the root-soil environment in urban contexts to both tree health and to ecosystem services. Basic func ons and threats are explained in empirical examples and context. This text also points out the cri cal func on of the urban rhizosphere ecosystem on local urban ecosystem scale as well as global environmental issues.]
Hagan, D., Dobbs, C., and Escobedo, F.. “Florida’s urban soils: underfoot yet overlooked.” University of FloridaIFAS, EDIS FOR 271, 2010. [Soils, despite being cri cal to ecosystem services, remain largely overlooked in science.]
Johnson, D.L., S.H. Ambrose, et al. “Meanings of environmental terms.” Journal of Environmental Quality 26, 1997. pp581-589.
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Landa, Edward, and Chris an Feller. Soil and Culture. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010. Print.
[This will be a key text for my thesis as it takes soil out of the context of the mundane, probing the secondary quali es of what makes it phenomenological. Looking into art and culture in par cular, it disembodies soil and its conven onal contexts in excellent examples.]
Lehmann, Andreas, and Karl Stahr. “Nature and Significance of Anthropogenic Urban Soils.”Journal of Soils and Sediments 7.4 (2007): 247-60. Print. [This text makes the case for soil as an important tool for urban planning.]
Marull, Joan, Joan Pino, Enric Tello, and María José Cordobilla. “Social Metabolism, Landscape Change and Land-use Planning in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region.”Land Use Policy 27.2 (2010): 497-510. [This text looks at the structural and services impacts of land-use planning. Land and energy inefficiency from the mid-19th century to present can be traced to the func onal landscape structure. Ecosystem complexity necessary for biodiversity and basic processes are uncertain without taking the “agro-forestry mosaic” and “network of protected areas“ into account.]
Pouyat, R. V. “Carbon Storage by Urban Soils in the United States.” Journal of Environmental Quality 35.4 (2006): 1566-575. p1574. This ar cle surveyed 6 US ci es and the amount of carbon stored in them in different classifica on zones. They discover huge poten al for carbon storage in urban areas, par cularly the Northeast post-industrial zones.
Scharenbroch, Bryant C., John E. Lloyd, and Jodi L. Johnson-Maynard. “Dis nguishing Urban Soils with Physical, Chemical, and Biological Proper es.” Pedobiologia 49.4 (2005): 283-96. Print. Sabine, C., Hemann, M., Artaxo, P., et al. (2003) “Current status and past trends of the carbon cycle.” Toward CO2 Stabiliza on: Issues, strategies, and consequences. Island Press: Washington DC.
technologies”. www.oecd.org. University of Ohio. December 13, 2011 <h p://www.oecd.org/ dataoecd/4/41/48114734.pdf >.
[This text gives a comprehensive overview of the funcon of urban soils in terms of ecosystem services as well as evalua ng their quality in present and future terms (associated risks).]
Sposito, Garrison. The Chemistry of Soils. Oxford University Press : New York and Oxford, 1999. narra on of soil chemistry withaoijsdfoigood overinsertAnimated text here ljkxcvjia o iasjdf iodajio view of physical makeup. jasd foijsd dadoijda
Tóth, G., Stolbovoy, V. and Montanarella, L. 2007. Soil Quality and Sustainability Evalua on - An integrated approach to support soil-related policies of the European Union. EUR 22721 EN. 40 pp. Office for Official Publica ons of the European Communi es, Luxembourg. This text gives a comprehensive overview of the funcon of urban soils in terms of ecosystem services as well as evalua ng their quality in present and future terms (associated risks).Also provides a good defini on of soil quality.
Watson, Gary W., and Dan Neely. The Landscape below Ground: Proceedings of an Interna onal Workshop on Tree Root Development in Urban Soils. Savoy, IL: Interna onal Society of Arboriculture, 1994. Pp115-125. “Urban Soils and Their Future” gives an excellent overview of urban soils, what threatens them, and how they can be amended. The paper also discusses the situa onal context of a single tree in an urban environment versus a group and versus a single tree in a natural environment and the different stresses it undergoes. He closes the paper with a sugges on that more welldesigned underground landscapes will lead to healthier trees + ecosystems above ground.
Wilkinson, Bruce H. “Humans as Geologic Agents: A Deep- me Perspec ve.” Geology 33.3 (2005): 161. Print. Details the order of magnitude of human influence on soils in the anthropocene.
“Secondary Carbonates.” FAO. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. h p://www.fao.org/docrep/W8594E/w8594e0b.htm>. Siebielec, Grzegorz. “Fellowship Summary Report: Contribu on to development of novel methods for monitoring and understanding of soil remedia on
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landscape theory Benne , Jane. Vibrant Ma er: A Poli cal Ecology of Things. Durham: Duke UP, 2010. Print. “Big Nature Park” James Corner, Richard Kennedy and Mark Scholle in Landscape Architecture in Canada; Volume 11, Number 4 (Fall 2009), pp. 13-16. Evans, Robin. “Transla ons from Drawing to Building and Other Essays.“ Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1997. P56. “Ordinary things contain the greatest mysteries.”
Conan, Michel. Gardens and Imagina on: Cultural History and Agency. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collec on, 2008. Print. [This text explores the psychological defini on of imagina on and how gardens have fostered imaginary pursuits throughout history. He looks at Islamic paradise gardens in par cular. The lens in this text is primarily historical: a way of understanding different contexts for the presence of imagina on in the garden.]
Forman, Richard T. T. Land Mosaics: the Ecology of Landscapes and Regions. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1995. Print. [Foreword and chapters on boundary, energy, and soils are par cularly useful references. Forman talks about the value of open systems (heterogeneous gradient) in landscapes.]
Francis, Mark, and Randolph T. Hester. The Meaning of Gardens: Idea, Place, and Ac on. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1990. Print. [Chapter 2: “Nature is More than a Garden” by Ian McHarg discusses the inherent differences between nature and garden, primarily that of me. The ability for nature to tell stories of millennia in one loca on gives it richness, depth, mystery, and charm. Chapter 9: “Landscaping the Unconscious” by Dean MacCannell is par cularly relevant. He discusses our aversion to “darkness” in ci es and an “othering” ruralurban a tude that prevails.]
Karvonen, Andrew. Poli cs of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2011. P23.
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[This passage looks at the conflic ng approaches of McCarg and James Corner: linear, ra onal, logical approach of tradi onal ecology and that it ignores the emo ve, expressive, mysterious, chao c nature of ar ficial manmade landscapes. Chapter explores themes of wilderness vs. designed ecosystems. Excellent resource.]
Lopez, Barry Holstun. The Future of Nature: Wri ng on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Edi ons, 2007. Print. Oelschlaeger, Max. The Idea of Wilderness: from Prehistory to the Age of Ecology. New Haven: Yale UP, 1991. Print. [A series of essays on contemporary theories of wilderness will help me more cri cally understand and define wilderness, par cularly in the context of modernism. Chapters 3: “the Alchemy of Modernism: The Transmuta on of Wilderness into Nature” and 4: Wild Nature: Cri cal Responses to Modernism.]
urban ecology Reid, Walter V., Mooney, Harold A., et al. “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystems and Human WellBeing, Synthesis.” Washington DC: Island Press, 2005. [This text provides a cri cal understanding of ecosystem services as they relate to human health and climate change. Provides sta s cs and analysis of specific results of ecosystem changes to ecosystem services and human well-being over the last 2 centuries, and in the last 50 years in par cular.]
Cappiella, Karen, Tom Schueler, et al. “Urban Watershed Forestry Manual: Part 3. Urban Tree Plan ng Guide”. Center for Watershed Protec on: Ellico City, MD, 2006. [This text contains the average lifespan for a tree in urban condi ons (7-10 years) and comprehensive informa on on urban forestry prac ces.]
Chapin, F. Stuart III, Matson, Pamela A., Mooney, Harold A. Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. New York:
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Springer Science + Business Media, 2002. Print. Conan, Michel. Environmentalism in Landscape Architecture. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collec on, 2000. Print.
[Anne Whiston Spirn’s ar cle “Ian McHarg, Landscape Architecture, and Environmentalism” discusses the tension and disconnect between the ecocentric or ecological determinant perspec ve of McHarg and other more socially-centric landscape architects.]
Fulmer, Jeffrey. “What in the world is infrastructure?” PEI Infrastructure Investor July/August, 2009. 30-32. [Provides a good defini on of infrastructure.]
Gaston, Kevin J. Urban Ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print. [Looks at land use strategies, ecosystem func ons in ci es, and ecosystem services.]
“Ecosystem processes along an urban-to-rural gradient.” McDonnell, Mark J et al in Urban Ecosystems, 1997, 1, 21–36. [This ar cle and its authors were cri cal to the development of the urban-rural gradient ecosystem theory. They studied a transect from the Bronx to Litchfield County, measuring ecosystem func ons in oak forests. This ar cle will be helpful for my discussions of applied yet large-scale ecosystem func ons in rela on to human se lement.]
Richter, Ma hias, and Ulrike Weiland. Applied Urban Ecology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print. Urban, James. “Alterna ves to Structural Soil for Urban Trees and Rain Water”. FASLA Lecture: Annapolis, Maryland. Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams, “Are we now living in the
Beesley, Philip, and Pernilla Ohrstedt. Hylozoic Ground: Liminal Responsive Architecture. [Cambridge, Ont.]: Riverside Architectural Pr., 2010. Print.
[While this text focuses on ar ficial ecosystems and the work of Beesley (also the ar st of Haystack Veil) the theore cal wri ng by Michelle Addington in “Architecture of Con ngency” about the energy dynamism at boundaries and human percep on of space is excellent and thought-provoking. Other discussions in the book about the complexity of soils is excellent theore cally, mustljkxcvjia be understood as iodajio a text about synthe c insertalthough text here o iasjdf aoijsdfoisystems.]
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King, Victoria. “Art of place and displacement: embodied percep on and the hap c ground.” Master’s thesis: University of New South Wales. School of Art History and Theory , 2005. Woodward, Joan. Waterstained Landscapes: Seeing and Shaping Regionally Dis nc ve Places. Bal more, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2000. Print. This narra ve piece is wri en by a western landscape architect who reads the arid mountainous landscape of the Rocky Mountains. Her perspec ve is mainly on water and place orienta on. Her tone and clarity of place and work will help guide my tone and keep me on course to what is really meaningful to me.
“Prometheus of the Everyday: The Ecology of the Ar ficial and the Designer’s Responsibility,” Ezio Manzini and John Cullars in Design Issues; Vol. 9, No. 1 (Autumn, 1992): The MIT Press , pp. 5-20. [“The Culture of Doing” and “Purposive Consciousness” paragraphs illustrate the challenges of technology and human ethics, par cularly in the context of producve consumer cultures. “Purposive Consciousness” is a compelling idea that our increasing reliance on and control by machinery and technology as produc ve forces challenges the balance of our minds, bodies, and environment.]
Anthropocene?” GSA Today 18.2 (2008): 4. Print. [This ar cle explores the stratographic, biologic, and physical impacts of human ac vity.]
health perception
Children, Nature, and the Urban Environment: Proceedings of a Symposium-fair : Proceedings of the Symposium-fair Held 19-23 May, 1975 at the C. H. Marvin Center of the George Washington University,
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Washington, D.C. Upper Darby, PA: Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Northeastern Forest Experiment Sta on, 1977. Print. [The rela onship between children, nature, and the city lies at the heart of this book. I am par cularly interested in the engagement of children both because they are the future but also because I think that because their minds are so open and imagina ve, that if we design with them in mind, we can design richer urban spaces. This book also brings in development science and psychology to the understanding of this rela onship.
Decamps, H. “Ecology and Design. Frameworks for Learning.” Bart R. Johnson and Kris na Hill (Eds.) Island Press, Washington, 2002, 530Bp.” Nature Sciences Socie es 11.3 (2003): 333. Print. Louv, Richard. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. New York: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005, 2008. Print. Lynch, Kevin, and Tridib Banerjee. Growing up in Ci es: Studies of the Spa al Environment of Adolescence in Cracow, Melbourne, Mexico City, Salta, Toluca, and Warszawa. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1977. Print. Wilson, Edward O. Biophilia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1984. Print.
public realm Cumberlidge, Clare, and Lucy Musgrave. Design and Landscape for People: New Approaches to Renewal. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Print. Di, Palma Vi oria., Diana Periton, and Marina Lathouri. In mate Metropolis: Urban Subjects in the Modern City. London: Routledge, 2009. Print. [This text aims to cri cally understand the rela onships and dis nc ons between public-private, interior-exterior, domes c-urban. The use of “in macy” in this book is in rela on to an unveiling of the inner self, par cularly in the context of community. This book will help me to be er understand these constructed boundaries and
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specific cases in which they are defied. The individual versus the collec ve experience within a city.]
“Gender, Class, and Urban Space: Public and Private Space in Contemporary Urban Landscapes,” Liz Bondi in Urban Geography; Volume 19, Number 2 (February 15-March 31, 1998): Bellwether Publishing, Ltd., pp. 160-185. Landry, Charles. The Crea ve City: a Toolkit for Urban Innovators. New Stroud, UK: Comedia, 2008. Print. “Public Space in a Private Time”, Vito Acconci in Cri cal Inquiry; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1990),: The University of Chicago Press, pp. 900-918. Stable URL: h p://www.jstor. org/stable/1343774 [Acconci argues that public spaces aren’t in fact public, but formerly private spaces that were deemed public, or belonging to the collec ve. And public spaces aren’t in fact owned by the people, but typically by a private en ty.]
Valen en, Donata. Return of Landscape. Jovis Verlag GmbH, 2010. Print.
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