STUDENT
Oliver Xu
SUPERVISOR
Alistair Kirkpatrick
H-SCAPE
Landscape Architecture Thesis A Tale on Housing Transformation with Hyper Ecology A Spatio-temporal Journey in Coburg North, Victoria
RESEARCH QUESTION Could the results of the COVID-19 pandemic cause the depopulation of inner-city suburbs, which leads to novel ecological processes and triggers a different land-use regime? Design research uses a narrative to explore this notion.
DESIGN STATEMENT The intrinsic characteristics of ecological processes are not highlighted in the broader project of urbanism. The novel COVID-19 might lead to a series of consequences, which might make us rethink and re-evaluate the established systems. If the inner-city suburbs were depopulated due to the results, would it be an opportunity to reassess the traditional land-use regime that is intensely occupied by houses? Design research uses a narrative to explore this notion. The propositional parameters are set to simulate the extreme scenarios, the purpose of which is to reveal and exhibit the essential characteristics of ecological processes: activeness, messiness, openness, and indeterminacy. The design proposals sustain and catalyze the onsite ecological processes to celebrate the novel ecology. On the other hand, the hotter and drier climate that might happen in the future further highlights the necessity to embrace those characteristics of ecological processes for the landscape design in the suburb context.
COTENTS 6 8 10 12 14
RIPARIAN ANALYSIS - 2020 Soil Depth Soil Moisture Existing Vegetation Composite Mapping
16 19 21 22 26 27
CHAIN EFFECTS - 2021 COVID-19 Recession Climate Change UNDER EXTREME SCENE - 2023 Concept Initiation Form Iteration
28 31 32
ADAPTATION TO CRISIS - 2027 Humans: Adaptations & Chaos Plants: Escapes & Intrusions
34 POST-PANDEMIC - 2035 36 Design Ambition 38 Precedents 40 Vacancy Transformation Prototypes 42 Design Outcome34 44
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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RIPARIAN ANALYSIS - 2020
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RIPARIAN ANALYSIS Soil Depth
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The steep slope with the lack of vegetation cover leads to the shallow soil profile. The deposit and sedimentation of the inner bank of the river bend with gentle slope lead to deep soil profile, while the outer is relatively shallower due to the erosion and steep slope. 9
RIPARIAN ANALYSIS Soil Moisture
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South-east Facing slope has more soil moisture, compared with North-west Facing slope. Stormwater Outfall from the nearby residential and industrial zone adds the soil moisture. Low soil moisture results from the concretion of the river bank, which breaks the micro hydrological interactions. 11
RIPARIAN ANALYSIS Existing Vegetation
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Ve g C o m m u n i t y : G r a s s y S h r u b l a n d . Dominate vegetation is shrubs with grasses. Mainly appear on the South-East Facing Slopes, where the evaporation rate is lower. Ve g C o m m u n i t y : G r a s s y W o o d l a n d . Dominate vegetation is tall trees, shrubs with grasses underneath. Appears mainly at the river bank, especially the inner convex, due to deep soil with enough moisture. Veg Community: Grassland/Lawn. Dry out and dying in summer. 13
RIPARIAN ANALYSIS Composite Mapping
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Generally speaking, the existing vegetation density of the South is higher than North. Most of the creek banks have better conditions for the establishment of the vegetation with deep soil profile and sufficient moisture, except for some cliffs or escarpments. Whereas, these areas are also already heavily, or have the potential to be heavily invaded by the exotic vegetations. Therefore, some areas are revealed with opportunities to be vegetated and developed. 15
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CHAIN EFFECTS - 2021
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CHAIN EFFECTS
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CHAIN EFFECTS COVID-19 Recession
GDP RN
N TU
DOW
ECONOMIC
B
JO
S LO
S
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UNTRY TWON
BACK TO CO
ES
ENVIRONMENTAL
SP AC
FL
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N GR EE
HO
ME
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AC UP
FROM
BYE-BYE
E EVALU
WORK
LA
ND
CULTURAL
HOME ONLIN E
OF VA LU ES
TO
C VA
IS HI NG
BA
CK
RTY D PROPE
CH ER
SOCIAL
EMPTY
DOMINO-LIKE CHAIN EFFECTS 19
6 4 2 0 % -2 -4 -6 -8 Jun-12
Jun-13
Jun-14
Jun-15
Jun-16
Jun-17
Jun-18
Jun-19
Jun-20
GDP DROP
TEMPORAL VISA HOLDERS FLEE AWAY
VACANCY RATES UP 20
In the near future, the great depression would hit Australia due to COVID-19, a series of chain effects set off. The initial patterns of the increasing property values and population intensity in capital cities could be challenged. This scenario reveals a chance to reassess the traditional housing dominate land-use regime.
CHAIN EFFECTS Climate Change
PRECIPITATION PATTERN 2020
Extreme weather might happen more frequently, such as more imbalanced precipitation, and higher evaporation rates. How could we respond to the hotter and drier climate in the future. PRECIPITATION PATTERN 2035 21
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UNDER EXTREME SCENE - 2023
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UNDER EXTREME SCENE
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UNDER EXTREME SCENE Concept Initiation
The initial "green" turned into "brown". However, The activeness and openness of ecological processes promise the way to help the establishment of vegetations with simple design interventions.
Surface Flow Accumulation Point Stormwater Outfall Point
Stormwater Outfall Point
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ZOOM IN PLAN 2023 HOT AND DRY YEAR
UNDER EXTREME SCENE Form Iteration
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ADAPTATION TO CRISIS - 2027
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ADAPTATION TO CRISIS
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ADAPTATION TO CRISIS Humans: Adaptations & Chaos
2019
31 2027
ADAPTATION TO CRISIS Plants: Escapes & Intrusions
GARDEN ESCAPES
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INTRUSIONS
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POST-PANDEMIC - 2035
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POST-PANDEMIC NEW ORDER
Design Ambition Vacancies Transformation
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POST-PANDEMIC Precedents
"Kwinter called for a redefinition of the design project and the broader project of urbanism in ways that exhibit or sustain essential characteristics of messiness, indirectness, openness and indeterminacy: "to approximate these ecological forces and structures, to tap, approximate, borrow, and transform morphogenetic processes from all aspects of wild nature, to invent artificial means of creating living artificial environments."
<Ecology and Design: Parallel Genealogies>
Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord, Germany
POST-PANDEMIC
INITIAL VACANCY
Vacancy Transformation Prototypes
TRANSFORMATION
CRACKS OPEN
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WALL SHADES
100% HARD SURFACE
50% HARD
DEPRESSIONS
WASTE CONCRETE PLACEMENT
STICKS SHADES
SURFACE
30% HARD SURFACE
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POST-PANDEMIC Design Outcome
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Kaseke, K.F., Mills, A.J., Henschel, J., Seely, M. K., Esler, K., Brown, R. (2011). The Effects of Desert Pavements (Gravel Mulch) on Soil Micro-Hydrology. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 107(10), 1-9. doi:10.1007/s00024-011-0367-2 Manzanedo, R.D. (2020). COVID-19: Lessons for the climate change emergency. Science of the Total Environment, 742(1): 1-4. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140563 Moreland City Council. (2013). Edgars Creek Conservation and Development Plan: Edwardes Lake to Merri Creek. Moreland City Council. (2016). Coburg North Profile. Retrieved from https://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-city/demographics-and-data/suburbprofiles/coburg-north/. Moreland City Council. (2013). Flood Emergency Plan: A Sub-Plan of the Municipal Emergency Management Plan. Nassauer, J.I. (1995). Messy Ecosystems, orderly Frames. Landscape Journal, 14(2), 161169. Northey, S. (2007). Knowing our creek: A story of Edgars Creek. Friends of Edgars Creek. Radford, R. (2013). Urban growth to engulf nature in Merri catchment. Merri Growler, 1-8. Reed, C., & Lister, N. (2014). Ecology and Design: Parallel Genealogies. Retrieved from https://placesjournal.org/article/ecology-and-design-parallel-genealogies/?cnreloaded=1. Rinaldi, B. M., (2014). Editorial: Hyper-landscapes. Journal of Landscape Architecture, 9(3), 4-5. doi: 10.1080/18626033.2014.969019 Ross, H. (2020). Post-COVID-19 wave of regional migration predicted as people seek simpler life, get back to basics. ABC News, Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-10/post-covid-19-pandemic-simpler-lifemigration/12229082. Stangl, P. (2008). Evaluating the pedestrian realm: instrumental rationality, communicative rationality and phenomenology. Transportation, 35(3), 759-775. doi: 10.1007/s11116-0089175-7 The Department of Natural Resources and Environment. (1997). Geological Map Series: Melbourne [Data file]. Turner, T. (1996). City as Landscape: A Post-postmodern View of Design and Planning. Milton Park, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. Wei, W., Yu, Y., Chen, L. (2015). Response of Surface Soil Hydrology to the Micro-Pattern of Bio-Crust in a Dry-Land Loess Environment, China. PLOS ONE, 10(7), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0133565 Williams, D.G., Scott, R., (2010). Vegetation-Hydrology Interactions: Dynamics of Riparian Plant Water Use.
Landscape Architecture Thesis Oliver Xu 0412732512 xukedake@gmail.com