Conclusion

The implemented research made me realize that fire should not be treated as an enemy in all circumstances [Fig. 13]. Rather, it is a natural phenomenon that cannot be excluded from Earth processes. Landscape architects tend to design for completely removing fire from their projects or preservation proposals. However, in many cases it can be used as means for regeneration.

Furthermore, when designing for urban areas surrounded by fire-prone landscapes, it is essential to take into consideration the directions of bigscale flows. Where will stormwater and debris flow? How could their force be decreased or directed? In case of wildfire, where will residents gather in order to be safe? How could their properties be protected through design gestures?

Ideas discussed in this study may seem unimaginable to be realized, however they are built up from the parameters that landscape architects are engaging with. In aboriginal thought, ‘country must be used and appropriately burned if life is to continue’ (qtd. in Bird et al, 2016). In the age of megafires, it is essential to create landscapes that have fire as an ally, not as an enemy.

ARTICLES

Ethel Baraona Pohl (2012). ‘Nature as Infrastructure’, DOMUS, (19 January). Available at: https://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2012/01/19/nature-as-infrastructure.html (Accessed: 4 December 2021) Bird W. Douglas, Bird B. Rebecca, Codding F Brian, Taylor Nyalangka (2016). ‘A Landscape Architecture of Fire. Cultural Emergence and Ecological Pyrodiversity in Australia’s Western Desert’, Current Anthropology, (Volume 57, Supplement 13). Available at: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/685763 (Accessed: 1 December 2021) Christensen L. Norman (2005). ‘Fire in the Parks: A case study for Change Management’, Fire management, (Volume 22, 4). Available at: http://www.georgewright.org/224christensen1.pdf (Accessed: 30 November 2021) Collected work (2017). ‘Restoration of the Vall d’en Joan Deposit, El Garraf’, Arquitectura Viva, 207: Monografias, pp.64-68. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/restauracion-del-vertedero-de-la-vall-den-joan-4 (Accessed: 4 December 2021) Fernandes M. Paulo, Rego C. Francisco, Rigolt Eric (2010). ‘The FIRE PARADOX project: Towards science-based fire management in Europe’, Forest Ecology and Management, (14 December). Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112710007279 (Accessed: 25 November 2021) Shechet Ellie (2021). ‘This Fire-Loving Fungus Eats Charcoal, if It Must’, The New York Times, (28 November). Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/science/fungus-wildfire-charcoal.html (Accessed: 5 December 2021) Struzik Ed (2020). ‘The Age of Megafires: The World Hits a Climate Tipping Point’, Yale Environment 360, (17 September). Available at: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-age-of-megafires-the-world-hits-a-climate-tipping-point (Accessed: 29 November 2021) Pyne J. Stephen (2020). ‘Our Burning Planet: Why we must Learn to Live with Fire’, Yale Environment 360, (20 October). Available at: https://e360.yale.edu/features/our-burning-planet-why-we-must-learn-to-live-with-fire (Accessed: 29 November 2021) Schuler A. Timothy (2021). ‘Fire at the Doorstep’, Landscape Architecture Magazine, (14 January). Available at: https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2021/01/14/fire-at-the-doorstep/ (Accessed: 1 December 2021) ArchDaily (2008). ‘Galindez Slope and Pau Casals Square / ACXT’, ArchDaiy, (17 November). Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/9093/galindez-slope-and-pau-casals-square-acxt (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

BOOKS

Pyne J. Stephen (2019). ‘Aboriginal ire: Controlling the Spark’ in Pyne, Fire: A brief history. Seattle: University of Washington Press Zeunert Joshua (2017). Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability. NY: Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Zimmermann Astrid (ed.) (2011). Constructing Landscape. Materials, Techniques, Structural Components. Birkhäuser: Basel

Saunders William (ed.) (2012). Designed Ecologies. The Landscape Architecture of Kongjian Yu. Birkhäuser: Basel

ORGANISATIONS

ASLA (2019). ‘Firescape Demonstration Garden’. Available at: https://climate.asla.org/FirescapeDemonstrationGarden.html (Accessed: 30 November 2021) Ε.Μ.Υ. (2021). ‘SIGNIFICANT WEATHER and CLIMATIC EVENTS in GREECE’. Available at: http://www.emy.gr/emy/el/pdf/heatwave_2021.pdf (Accessed: 30 November 2021) Lincoln March Natural Area (2021). ‘Conservation & Prescribed Burns’. Available at: https://lincolnmarsh.org/conservation/ (Accessed: 30 November 2021) The Wild (2020). ‘Wild. Research Lab’ by Greg Kochanowski. Available at: https://www.the-wild.org (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

REPORTS

IPCC (2021). Climate Change 2021. The Physical Science Basis. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/download/ (Accessed: 20 October 2021)

VIDEOS

ΚΑΘΑΡΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ (2021). ‘Συγκλονιστικό βίντεο εκκένωσης της Λίμνης Ευβοίας μέσα απο το φερι μποτ’. [Online video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqv8XrpF1Hc&list=PLoTl-oAe0aLBY1g91Fi9eH9YMWm8flte0&index=1 (Accessed: 30 November 2021)

WEBSITES

BATTLEIROIG (2021). ‘Landscape restoration of the controlled waste landfill of the Vall de Joan, in the Garraf Natural Park. The progressive recovery of life in the old landfill, configuring a new agricultural landscape through topography, hydrology and vegetation.’ Available at: https://www.batlleiroig.com/en/projectes/diposit-del-garraf/ (Accessed: 4 December 2021) RIOS (2020). ‘Wildfire Resilience for Home and Landscape’. Available at: https://www.rios.com/projects/sustainable-defensible-space/ (Accessed: 1 December 2021) San Marcos Growers (2019). ‘Firescape Garden’. Available at: https://www.smgrowers.com/resources/firescape.asp (Accessed: 30 November 2021) TURENSCAPE (2017). ‘Qunli Stormwater Park: A Green Sponge For A Water-Resilient City’. Available at: https://www.turenscape.com/en/project/detail/4646.html (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

Fig. 01 People fleeing the wildfire on a ferry boat at the island of Evia, Greece. The fire reached the sea before it was distinguished. Source: ΚΑΘΑΡΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ (2021). ‘Συγκλονιστικό βίντεο εκκένωσης της Λίμνης Ευβοίας μέσα απο το φερι μποτ’. [Online video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqv8XrpF1Hc&list=PLoTl-oAe 0aLBY1g91Fi9eH9YMWm8flte0&index=1 (Accessed: 30 November 2021)

Fig. 02 In the first 2 weeks of August, the Mediterranean was hit by a severe and extensive heatwave. As a result, wildfires burnt extensive areas of the countries in the basin. Source: NASA (2021). ‘Fire Information for Rescue Management System’. Available at: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#t:adv;d:2021-08-01..2021-08(Accessed: 30 November 2021)

Fig. 03 Amid the worst heatwave in three decades in Greece, almost a third of the island of Evia was surrendered to the flames. The lady’s reaction to fleeing her home was shared by international media. Courtecy: Konstantinos Tsakalidis Source: Time Photo Department (2021). ‘TIME’s top 100 Photos of 2021’, TIME, (24 November). Available at: https://time.com/6123078/top-100-photos-2021/ (Accessed: 30 November 2021)

Fig. 04 Innovative fire landscapes aim to reduce fuel surrounding the property. In this diagram, there are demonstrated two different, yet similar, approaches to such gardens. The zoning is based on the guidance of California’s fire department. Author’s own diagram (2021)

Fig. 05 For this project the separation of stormwater and landfill water was essential. Thus, there is a careful study of water runoff slopes, storage, and reuse. Landfill is sealed with waterproof sheets and its liquids are collected by a draining pipe, guiding them to a treatment unit. Author’s own diagram (2021) Base Image Source: Collected work (2017). ‘Restoration of the Vall d’en Joan Deposit, El Garraf’, Arquitectura Viva, 207: Monografias, pp.64-68. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/restauracion-del-vertedero-de-la-vall-den-joan-4 (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

Fig. 06 Turenscape created an ‘ecological infrastructure’; as Kongjian Yu points out, nature has the ability to clean and regulate flows if left alone (Ethel, 2012). The design creates a necklace of earthworks towards the city to direct stormwater, while the inner part sees no intervention. Author’s own diagram (2021) Information source: Saunders William (ed.) (2012). Designed Ecologies. The Landscape Architecture of Kongjian Yu. Birkhäuser: Basel

Fig. 07 Instead of casting the whole cliff with concrete, the architects designed a playful landscape that both protects from landslides and returns the landscape to public realm. Traces of the existing rock are revealed in places. Author’s own diagram (2021)

Information source: ArchDaily (2008). ‘Galindez Slope and Pau Casals Square / ACXT, ArchDaiy, (17 November). Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/9093/galindez-slope-and-pau-casals-square-acxt (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

Fig.08 In this study, Kochanowski expands the idea of eco-corridors to cover the whole fire-prone landscape surrounding the city. He proposes a holistic approach to deal with wildfires and their consequences. Author’s own diagram (2021) Image source: The Wild (2020). ‘Wild. Research Lab’ by Greg Kochanowski. Available at: https://www.the-wild.org (Accessed: 4 December 2021)

Fig. 09 It is fundamental that the landscape receives the correct amount of fire (Pyne, 2020). Small, controlled burns, in combination with manual management can protect wild forests from burning to the ground. Author’s own diagram (2021)

Fig. 10 Aboriginal tribes recognize 5 stages within their managed landscapes (Bird et all, 2016). They intend to have patches of different growth within a region, as it is a valid indicator of biodiversity and thus, food resources. Author’s own diagram (2021)

Fig. 11 The patches are recognizable in the landscape. Fire corridors are also used for circulation purposes as well as to isolate certain habitats that are not well adjusted to fire (Pyne, 2019). Aboriginal philosophy on landscapes is depicted also in their characteristic paintings. Author’s own diagram (2021) Image source: Bird W. Douglas, Bird B. Rebecca, Codding F Brian, Taylor Nyalangka (2016). ‘A Landscape Architecture of Fire. Cultural Emergence and Ecological Pyrodiversity in Australia’s Western Desert’, Current Anthropology, (Volume 57, Supplement 13). Available at: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/685763 (Accessed: 1 December 2021)

Fig. 12 Forest managing organizations worldwide reproduce aboriginal fire practices to their reservation areas. Such practices are done with scientific care and the results are being studied carefully. Author’s own diagram (2021)

Fig. 13 A post-wildfire pine forest in Greece. The wind directed the flames through it, but the relatively low intensity did not burn the trees to the ground. In a way, fire thinned the forest and helped trees to obtain more space and reach the sunlight. Author’s own archive (2018)