Resilient Selinsgrove: A Socio-ecological Systems Approach
Resilient Selinsgrove: a socio-ecological systems approach
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
LARCH 414 Design and Theory V: Advanced Landscape Architecture Design
Spring 2018
Resilient Selinsgrove
Penn State Instructors
Dr. Stephen Mainzer
Booklet Designers
Allie Chomyn & Tyler Jachera
Penn State Initiative for Resilient Communities
Penn State Students
Emily Bonanno
Natalie Brown
Allie Chomyn
Tyler Jachera
Sean Sweeney
Kyle Turner
Gathoni Waigwa
Ricky Watts
Jeff Wertheim
Hamer Center for Community Design Ecology + Design
Student Participant Project Results provided shall be used solely for Sponsor’s internal review and analysis. Any and all rights to the Student Participant Project Results, including all Intellectual Property Rights, if any, shall remain the rights of the individual Student Participants as appropriate under the law regarding rights to and ownership of intellectual property unless there is a separate written agreement addressing the ownership of intellectual property. Prior to any commercial use or subsequent transfer of any Student Participant Project Results, Sponsor must obtain the appropriate rights from the respective owners.
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1 Introduction
Dr. Stephen Mainzer
Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture Researcher, E+D: Ecology Plus Design
Recent increases in storm surges have threatened the environmental and economic resiliency of river towns. Located between the Susquehanna River and Penns Creek, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania suffers a flood event on average every two years with major flood events rapidly becoming more frequent. Significant portions of the town’s urban fabric are located within the flood zone and need progressive design solutions. However, Selinsgrove is a motivated but small town with a limited tax base. Effective short- and long-term design solutions will require a comprehensive understanding of the human and natural systems impacting the region’s landscape.
Visioning serves a vital role in supporting future design proposals. It is a nascent step in urban design and planning often employed by professional firms. The studio took a socio-ecological systems (SES) approach to envisioning a plan for Selinsgrove by synthesizing the region’s stakeholders’ values, natural resources, land use dynamics, and economic opportunities. Through a series of analytical exercises, community engagements, and self-guided design processes, students developed their ability to assess geospatial, biophysical, and social processes that contribute to the spatial form and resiliency of urban places. This process produced a town-scale Vision Plan and a series of individual site-scale design concepts.
This studio is a curricular-based project of the Hamer Center for Community Design supported by E+D: Ecology + Design.
Photos by Jeff Wertheim.
2 Design reviews, workshops, and exhibition
Students discussing their vision plan with members of Selinsgrove.
Dr. Stephen Mainzer presenting background information on the student’s analysis process.
Members of Selinsgrove asking questions at vision plan review.
Design critiques with guest reviewers
Dr. Andy Cole, Director of E+D, providing a critique.
3 Vision Plan
The studio process is adapted by Carl Steinitz’s three-day workshop method “Geodesign with little time and small data”. The method frames complex, often competing datasets into a manageable series of questions that draw upon the participants understanding of the place. Our studio adapted the process to occur over seven weeks to develop the student’s knowledge of the individual socio-ecological systems affecting Selinsgrove.
Our group of nine students began with two agreements:
1)that we would in-class as a team and out-ofclass as individuals, and
2)Selinsgrove faced a problem of disconnected communities affected by flooding and economic threats.
As a group we identified nine key social and ecological systems relevant to the problem statement: economic, land use, demographic, hydrology, history, zoning, housing, transportation, and environmental systems. Each student was responsible for being the team’s expert in one system, a role they initiated by mapping the most relevant information about their system. They shared their work to the team and Dr. Andy Cole, Director of E+D, for feedback on the ecological perspective of their findings.
Each student then evaluated their system through a binary code of red for “stop, everything is working fine” and green for “go address the problems here”. For each green area, the student generated ten different concepts for addressing the problem, resulting in a matrix of 90 ideas that would address the town’s
problems in isolated, but important ways.
We had planned a visit to Selinsgrove to observe the town and listen to the communities’ priorities but were waylaid by winter weather closing the University. We adapted our approach by forming small teams of likely stakeholders (business developers, environmental engineers, local people, residential developers, and Susquehanna University). Each stakeholder group ranked their socio-ecological priorities and selected one concept from each socio-ecological system that best met their values and goals resulting in a rough synthesis plan for each stakeholder group. Each stakeholder group then evaluated each other’s plans in the context of which best matched their own values.
The groups were given an opportunity to present their decisions, discuss changes, and revise their plans to increase approval from the other groups. At the end of the process there was general agreement about how to rank the plans.
Each plan was overlaid upon each other to reveal areas of agreement and conflict. We discussed ways in which we might build on agreements and address conflicts, resulting in eight individual design problems that together address the coupled challenges of ecological and economic resiliency in Selinsgrove.
Socio-Ecological Systems
Economic Land Use Demographic
Hydrology
System Evaluation
Land Use
Neighborhoods
Hydrology
History
Zoning
Housing
Transportation
Environmental
Synthesis Priorities
Business Developer
Environmental Engineers
Residential Developer
Susquehanna University
Local People
Priorities Evaluation
Students roleplaying stakeholder groups
Evaluation Matrix, Round 2
4 Individual Student Projects
The following works represent the design inquiries of individual students completed over second-half of the semester following feedback from community stakeholders and external guest reviewers. Together they compose a Comprehensive Plan of Projects that addresses the disconnected communities affected by flooding and economic threats in Selinsgrove.
MARKET STREET BLOCKSPARKS
Kyle Turner
Market Street parcels have a pedestrian-heavy emphasis along the storefront side, with rear yards for parking edged by alleys. The chosen parcels will act as catalysts for exemplary, contemporary integrative landscape architecture system designs that convey and reuse rain water and gray water to unite the built environment culturally and economically. The guiding principle is that impervious surfaces increase runoff and need vegetation to form the urban fabric. Bioretention systems - enclosed and sunken perennial beds meant to flood - is a keystone design feature.
115 S. Market St.
214 S. Market St.
115 S. Market St.
RESTITCHING SELINSGROVE
Sean Sweeney
Restitching Selinsgrove proposes a two-pronged strategy; enhance the floodplain capacity along Penn’s Creek through a series of fill cuts, then utilize that fill to reinforce the vulnerable stretches of bank along the Susquehanna River side. By doing so, the Penn’s Creek floodplain would be able to retain more water in a storm event, discharging it over a greater period of time, and the fortified banks would be able to attenuate and repel the powerful flood surges of the Susquehanna. The niches within the rail cars would trap sediment as it flows downstream, providing the necessary pockets of silt for vegetation to take hold, slowly enhancing the quality of surrounding aquatic habitat. The strategy relies heavily on reinstating the natural, dynamic essence of landscape, inviting hydrology to inflict its will on the resiliency systems.
Penn’s Creek
Floodplain Forest
Riverbank Stabilization
Downtown Commons
Penn’s Creek Pedestrian Bridge
Boardwalk Overlook
Kayak Launch
Wetland Retention Pond
Enhanced Floodplain
Pedestrian Tunnel
Rails to Trails Connection
SusquehannaRiver
Penn’sCreek
Rail Car Substrate
Littoral Drift: Year 5
Drift: Initial Fill
Littoral Drift: Year 15
Existing Riverbank
Enhanced Riverbank
Earthen Berm
Rail Car Substrate Structure Oriented Fish Open Water Fish
Hydrology Interactions
Submerged
Elevated
Stepdown
Overlook
CONNECTING THE CREEK
Natalie Brown
Connecting the Creek is a two-phase project for the area of land towards the west of Penn’s Creek. Stretching from one end of the town boundary towards the North all the way down to the South, Connecting the Creek master plan enables multiple users to utilize land that once was underutilized and left to flood. A 4-5-feet tall berm that stretches the entire length of the creek, provides the necessary floodwater prevention for the commercialization and surrounding housing. This berm is also the mechanism for the creek walk that connects the northern and southern parts of Selinsgrove as well as a terminus point for the rails to trails network. Within this creek walk one can find, parks, boardwalks, bike shares, and sports fields.
Parking Lot
Park
Board Walk
Parking Lot
Beer Garden Park
Parking Lot
Market/ Ice Skating
Cafe
Performance Stage
Bleachers
Sports Fields
Board Walk Hammock Set
Green Space
Radial Park
Cafe Board Walk Proposed
Walls
Planting
Pathway
PENNS CREEK WATERFRONT
Gathoni Waigwa
The Penns Creek Waterfront aims to reduce flooding, expand recreational opportunities along the creek and allow for connections from neighboring residential areas to the water. The project is divided into three phases and, combined, it proposes to use berms of varying heights along the creek while still allowing visitors to interact with the water throughout the site. It is a site that is intended to be a flood-friendly sustainable site that also pays homage to the history and community of Selinsgrove. It begoins with a wet meadow which plays both a narrative role and as a natural flooding solution. Beyond the wet meadow, visitors enter the lower plaza and are met with a reflecting pool and adjacent sports facility. Lastly, the middle and upper plazas are spaces that celebrate Selinsgrove’s local talent in both the arts and cuisine allowing for great outdoor community spaces.
Bioretention
Concept Diagram
Program Diagram
S STRAWBERRY ALLEY
PENNS CREEK
Circulation Diagram
THE RAIL LINE
Emily Bonanno
The rail line connects the Susquehanna University area with downtown Selinsgrove. This design is an opportunity to connect the town while linking the seven other projects from this studio. The Rail Line addresses disconnected communities and economic threats through a pedestrian- and bike-network along the underutilized corridor. Access is significantly improved for residents and students while encouraging vibrancy and permeability across the town.
University-Residents Water
Access
301 N MARKET
Jeff Wertheim
301 North Market St. and the adjacent 200 Block of North Market St. present an opportunity to create a vibrant community destination for Selinsgrove residents, Susquehanna students, and visitors. The 200 Block contains underused space, along with four existing buildings. The programmatic elements of those four buildings are emphasized, incorporated, and enhanced in the new design. In addition, five new, mixed-use buildings are being proposed on the site. The aim is to increase economic revenue of the town, provide additional shopping and dining opportunities, and enhance N Market Street.
Seating Understory Vegetation
Proposed Buildings
Pedestrian Paths
Trees Lawn + Play Area
5 Years
Years
Years
Years
GATEWAY
Tyler Jachera
Gateway’s goal is to provide a connection to Market Street and revitalize the town’s businesses. Aside from housing, in this area additional commercial businesses come in targeting the needs and desires of students. A rooftop bar and café, Starbucks, a corner grocery store, and a trampoline park are just some of the amenities that could be seen here. A large plaza space and lawn just outside the café allows for students and their families to enjoy a nice afternoon before a football game, or engaging with any campus events held adjacent to the field. Gateway will have an improved street scape atmosphere, making it more pedestrian-friendly, while also being connected to the proposed rails-to-trails feature. Students living elsewhere on campus will want to come here because of these exciting and convenient opportunities.
Plaza
Backyard Typology Type 1
Cool Season Grasses
3 Story Apartments
Campus Venue Rails to Trails Path
Open Lawn and Terracing Cafe Seating and Plaza
3 Story Apartments
Pea Gravel Path Fern Garden Backyard Typology Type 3 Front Yard
3 Story Apartments
Cafe and Plaza Section
Fern Path Section
Cool Meadow Section
Rooftop Cafe overlooking fields and campus
Balcony View of Football field and Rails to Trails
CREEKSIDE DWELLINGS
Ricky Watts
The design concept for Creekside Dwellings is to create a housing development that integrates a branch of Penn’s Creek, making it a feature as opposed to an obstacle. The creek runs through the center of the site and provides the basis for the layout of the New Urbanist inspired development. A corridor is formed as the townhomes and trees frame the linear space throughout the length of the site. Along this corridor is a semi-public bike and pedestrian path that creates a scenic walk from the northern to the southern part of the site. This scenic trail is part of a larger network of trails located within the site that allows pedestrians to circulate through various destination nodes in the development.
Circulation Land Use
Creekside Corridor
Cul De Sac
SAND HILL
Allie Chomyn
Selinsgrove is dealing with some difficult socio-ecological problems, but is starting to utilize new technology around the area. There is a solar panel field located outside the town boundary that powers 30% of Selinsgrove. With increasing population and a decrease in developable land due to climate change, there are changes that are necessary to the survival of Selinsgrove. It provides a balance of live, work, and play, with an overarching theme of research, specifically, looking at different ways to produce food and utilizing green technology. There is a green corridor that connects Susquehanna University to the agriculture fields adjacent to this development creating terraces that all have their own program, but still closely co-located. The residential and commercial center allows for store owners to be very close to their place of employment.
Green Corridor
Fields
Industry
Susquehanna University
Topography Diagram Geometry of Site
Programs Program Diagram
Figure Ground Diagram
Fountain Diagram
Terrace Diagram
Townhome Diagram
Townhome Perspective
Afterword
Dr. Andy Cole
Director, E+D: Ecology Plus Design
In 2016, the Department of Landscape Architecture at Penn State initiated a new center – E+D: Ecology Plus Design. The intent of E+D is to bring ecology into the design process from the very beginning of any project rather than as an add-on at the end. E+D has three major areas of focus: 1) Research into the ecological implications of design decisions so as to better inform subsequent decisions, 2) education of students on the importance of ecological principles in design thinking, and 3) outreach to both the general public as well as professionals in ecology and design professions.
The Selinsgrove Studio project is a wonderful example of points 2 and 3 above. Students working on a realworld problem with an actual client with a wicked problem – and looking at ecological principles from the onset. Selinsgrove has major issues with flooding due to its location along the banks of the Susquehanna River. The students looked at ways the river interacted with the town and developed ideas based on ecological principles as a means of trying to solve issues of flooding. Not every solution must be an ecological solution – sometimes you just need a flood wall. In this case, however, the students looked at the problems using an ecological lens and were able to assess whether an ecological solution might be preferable to a typical engineered solution.
E+D is well poised to begin to help students address difficult problems such as these, especially given obvious and increasingly urgent consequences of climate change. According to a recent report from NASA, Pennsylvania will continue to get wetter and this will pose similar problems for communities across the Commonwealth. I applaud the efforts of the students and faculty involved in the Selinsgrove Studio and I offer the assistance of E+D any time such help is needed in the future.
Hamer Center for Community Design
Ecology + Design
RESILIENT SELINSGROVE: a socio-ecological approach
Recent increases in storm surges have threatened the environmental and economic resiliency of river towns. Located between the Susquehanna River and Penns Creek, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania suffers a flood event on average every two years with major flood events rapidly becoming more frequent. Significant portions of the town’s urban fabric are located within the flood zone and need progressive design solutions.
Studio Objectives:
•Interpret how a broad spectrum of systems impacts land use decisions;
•Identify key themes, problems, and priorities from a public participation process;
•Evaluate socio-ecological systems through their geospatial characteristics;
