BSLA Fieldbook: AMPLIFY

BSLA FIELDBOOK Issue 11

AMPLIFY

2020

FIELDBOOK

ISSUE 11 2020

BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

The Massachusetts and Maine Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects

CON ST RU CT I ON

MA SON RY

M A I NT EN ANC E

LEBLANC JONES LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ANTHONY CRISAFULLI PHOTOGRAPY

www.rpmarzilli. com (508) 533- 8700

ON THE COVER / BSLA “Landscape is not neutral. Rather, it’s the most poignant expression of power in America.”

-- Diana Fernandez Bibeau, ASLA

ON THE COVER The faces of Amplify’s 48 BIPOC contributors. #ThisIsLandscapeArchitecture.

BSLA Fieldbook. Issue 11. Theme: Amplify.

Including the 2020 BSLA Design Awards.

Online at www.bslafieldbook.org Guest Editors, “Amplify” Kira Clingen, StudentASLA Michael Grove, FASLA Wendell Joseph The 2020 BSLA Fieldbook Editorial Advisory Board Tom Benjamin Matthew Cunningham, ASLA Aisha Densmore-Bey Michael Grove, FASLA Nicole Holmes Jessalyn Jarest, ASLA The Boston Society of Landscape Jennifer Lee Keeter, ASLA Architects was the first local chapter Kate Kennen, ASLA of the American Society of Landscape Robert Marzilli Patricia McGirr Architects and today includes 750 Wayne Mezitt landscape architects, students, and Liza Meyer, ASLA emerging professionals from Portland Barbara Nazarewicz, ASLA to Provincetown, the Berkshires to Tim Tensen New Bedford, Bar Harbor to Boston.

BSLA Executive Committee Ricardo Austrich, ASLA, President 2018-2020 Kaki Martin, FASLA, President 2020-2022 Western Mass Section Chairs Cheri Ruane, FASLA, Trustee Rachel Loeffler, ASLA (through 2020) Jef Fasser, ASLA, Treasurer Nate Burgess, ASLA Jeff Dawson, ASLA (starting 2020) Members at Large Diana Fernandez Bibeau, ASLA (through 2020) Michael Radner, ASLA (through 2021) Carolina Carvajal, ASLA (through 2022) Carol Moyles, ASLA (through 2023)

Maine Section Chairs Lisa Cowan, ASLA (through 2020) Michelle Grover, ASLA (through 2020) Dan Danvers, ASLA (starting 2020)

Managing Editor + Executive Director Gretchen Rabinkin, Affiliate ASLA; AIA The Editorial Board aims to reflect the diversity of our chapter in every way. If you’re interested in participating on the Editorial Board, or have comments, questions, critique, or suggestions about Fieldbook, we want to hear from you.

Please be in touch! Email gretchen@bslanow.org.

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Fieldbook is published by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Articles do not necessarily reflect the view or position of the BSLA Executive Committee (ExComm) or BSLA members. Permission to advertise does not constitute endorsement of the company or of the advertiser’s products or services. No part of this publication may be reproduced in print or electronically without the express written permission of BSLA.

CONTACT Boston Society of Landscape Architects PO Box 962047 Boston, MA 02196 www.bslanow.org email chapteroffice@bslanow.org twitter @BSLAOffice instagram @BSLAOffice facebook @BSLAnow

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/ PARTNER SPONSORS

Boston Society of Landscape Architects thanks our partner sponsors. The annual support of these companies helps make possible the member benefits, programs, and initiatives of BSLA. The generosity is truly appreciated.

Thank you.

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSORS

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT / BSLA Dear Members & Friends, As 2020 draws to a welcome close, we bring you this groundbreaking issue of Fieldbook, informed by this epic year. When we look back on 2020, it will be interesting to consider the events that will most shape our future, whether the arrival of a new, more progressive presidential administration; the connection between heat, fires, storms, and climate change; or the long overdue recognition of our society’s systemic racism embodied by the deaths of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and others that reenergized a call to acknowledge, listen, unlearn, and learn anew.

This, our largest issue ever, not only recognizes excellence in practice as exemplified by the annual BSLA Design Awards program, but also celebrates voices, opinions, and contributions made to the practice of landscape architecture by Black & brown students and professionals; people who have historically been – and are currently -- unacceptably underrepresented in our field. The inclusive theme, “Amplify,” was the brainchild of our thoughtful guest editors Kira Clingen, Student ASLA, Wendell Joseph, and Michael Grove, FASLA, who curated the contributions to Fieldbook as our country was reawakened by national protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has presented BSLA with vexing logistical challenges as we work to provide programs and events that serve our members and friends during these challenging times, we are happy to report that creative thinking and technology allowed BSLA to remain a vibrant and growing organization, strengthening the practice of landscape architecture in Massachusetts and Maine.

The BSLA Design Awards program made a successful transition to the virtual environment. While we missed the opportunity to gather in person, the 2020 online awards ceremony was a remarkable showcase of the great diversity, talent, and excellence that makes our chapter a leader in the world of landscape architecture.

Looking ahead, a new Awards leadership team will focus efforts on ways that the program can better embrace a broader array of practices and projects, especially projects that address the myriad social and environmental challenges facing our communities today.

Thanks to the work of our tireless executive director, our elected “ExComm” and Maine and Western Mass Section chairs, and the many, many volunteers -- students to EPs to “seasoned” faculty and firm owners who lead committees, activities, and the work of BSLA, the BSLA remained active on numerous fronts related to our profession’s important role. Partnering with other organizations, we collaborated on environmental and resilience initiatives, youth engagement, COVID-19 outdoor space advocacy, TCLF’s What’s Out There Weekend Boston, Portland’s Rapid Response Outdoor Classrooms, and I-90 Allston interchange advocacy, as well as our own SketchBoston. In October, the BSLA piloted Inside/Out as a socially distant, outdoor “unconference” that focused on transformative landscape projects in the Pioneer Valley, Quincy, and Mattapan, and we look forward to visiting more sites in 2021.

It has been an honor and pleasure to serve as your BSLA President. With this Fieldbook, I pass the baton to our new BSLA President, Kaki Martin, FASLA. I know that under Kaki’s leadership our organization will continue to grow and prosper and serve the important work we do as landscape architects. Thank you for being part of the BSLA community.

Ricardo Austrich, ASLA President December 2020 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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/ LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts.

A call for justice in response to the killing of George Floyd, May 31, 2020.

Image courtesy Gene Bolinger, Weston & Sampson

Dear Reader, 2020 was a year of profound disruption and change, one in which we found ourselves collectively asking tough questions. Some were age-old questions about our nation’s history, while others were bold new questions about our future. Like many individuals and organizations around the world, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BLSA) took a critical look at its own history and that of the Fieldbook, its annual publication, to chart a new path forward for the organization, the landscape architecture profession, and the design professions more broadly.

Since 2012, there have been ten issues of Fieldbook with approximately 149 original contributions: essays, featured photography, and personal profiles. Of those 149 editorial contributions, a mere fourteen were authored by twelve different persons of color, representing less than 10% of all contributors. In acknowledgment of these statistics, the BSLA seeks to start anew, embracing a multitude of ideas and perspectives and striving for a new path forward.

The theme of this year’s Fieldbook is “Amplify.” We chose this theme to acknowledge and elevate the voices and contributions of design professionals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color (BIPOC), that are missing and overlooked in our white-dominated field.

This issue brings together 48 voices ranging from students to emerging professionals to senior practitioners, all with a connection to Massachusetts and Maine. In recognition of the fact that landscape architecture cannot remain an insular profession should we wish to remain relevant, this issue includes a plurality of professional contributors, including designers, racial and food justice non-profit leaders, and urban and open space planners, all working across private practice, public service, and academia. What contributors wrote was entirely up to them. On the following pages, you’ll find a range of pieces as diverse as the authors themselves. Some share personal journeys while others offer perspectives on current work or critique of our moment in history.

Additionally, four virtual conversations were organized around three themes in which panelists generously shared their professional and personal ideas.

“Acknowledge” panelists reflected on the diversity of design practitioners and practices, as well as the structural inequalities in design and the role of landscape in gentrifying and displacing communities. “Justice” panelists reflected on design’s complicity in perpetuating these structural inequalities, and efforts to make

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landscape architecture, design, and related practices more equitable, spanning both ecological and social spectrums. “Unlearn” panelists critically reconsidered the lessons and ideas taught in design school and reinforced by Eurocentric, patriarchal, and heteronormative thinking in practice, including unequal pay for equal work and other exploitative labor practices.

Across all of the panels and the submitted pieces, it became clear that professionals at every stage (student, entry, mid-level, and senior) want to be part of something special - something that has an impact on our communities and on the profession.

There has been a tremendous amount of work, thought, and ideation put forth by these individuals in their thinking as landscape architects and through their reflections on the role of landscape. Now it is time to take collective action to elevate and implement these ideas.

There are some other significant changes to this year’s Fieldbook as well. We asked the Design Awards committee to include the names of every individual contributor to projects, from interns to project managers to principals. We offered stipends to this year’s contributors as well to acknowledge their contributions. It is past time that landscape architecture recognizes and reckons with inequitable labor practices and exploitation.

We believe that there is a ton of momentum that has been and continues to build, and it feels we are approaching the peak, or close to it. The question is: What does it take to push it over the edge such that we may bear witness to an incredible and unprecedented amount of groundbreaking work that truly centers the communities and design professionals that have been overlooked and underappreciated?

How do we take this positive, disruptive energy and unleash it?

BSLA can and should play a role in making that push. This edition of Fieldbook is a starting point to center the voices that have been underrepresented by BSLA in the past. Our hope is that this is not simply a one-off, but a roadmap for creating a more inclusive and equitable profession where all perspectives are celebrated.

With urgency and enthusiasm, Kira Clingen Michael Grove Wendell Joseph Clockwise from top right: Kira Clingen, Student ASLA, Wendell Joseph, and Michael Grove, FASLA. Michael is Principal and Chair of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering at Sasaki.

Kira is a student in the Master of Landscape

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Architecture and in the Master in Design in Risk and Resilience programs at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a member of ASLA Adapt.

Wendell is an urban planner at Sasaki, and a former neighborhood planner with the City of Cambridge.

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/ 2020

AMPLIFY

Perspectives, Journeys, Projects + Conversations 16 Allen Penniman 20 Allentza Michael + Lily Song

Paths of Entry

22 Carlos Guzmàn 24 Diana Fernandez Bibeau, ASLA

1 ON THE COVER 3 Ricardo Austrich ASLA

FROM THE PRESIDENT

26 Dumas Fontant 28 Joydanze Bobb-Semple

32 ACKNOWLEDGE Courtney D. Sharpe and Luis Perez Demorizi in conversation with Joyia Smikle, SASLA Sonny Xi Tina Yun-Ting Tsai, SASLA and Zhaodi Wang, SASLA

36 Kanani D’Angelo 38 Kimberly C. Driggins 40 Lauren Stimson, ASLA

THE EDITORS 4 FROM Kira Clingen SASLA Michael Grove FASLA Wendell Joseph

44 Liz Luc Clowes, Assoc. ASLA 46 Maria Bellalta ASLA 48 Monique Hall, ASLA

52 UNLEARN

Aisha Densmore-Bey in conversation with Danielle Narae Choi Jimmy Pan and Kiki Cooper, Assoc. ASLA

56 Raquel Jiminez Celsi 58 Rayzheen Crawford

+ PLAY 10 WORK A BRIEF SNAPSHOT OF DAYS Cammy KP Kuo, SASLA Steve Woods Bryan Chou, ASLA Carolina Carvajal, ASLA David Hooper, SASLA

60 Savy Kep, Assoc. ASLA 62 Shelly Chipimo, Assoc. AIA, NOMA 64 Shemar Stewart 66 Stephanie Hsia, ASLA

74 Stephen F. Gray 78 Supriya Ambwani, SASLA 80 Tao Zhang, ASLA 82 Tiffany Cogell 84 Yoni Carnice Angelo 86 Yung-Ching Iris Lin, ASLA

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70 JUSTICE I

Jha D Williams in conversation with Mena Wasti Ahmed and Usha Thakrar

88 JUSTICE II

Kotchakorn Voraakhom, Int’l ASLA in conversation with Jaline McPherson and Maggie Tsang

BSLA

The Chaper SPOTLIGHT 94 CHAPTER THE JOURNEY TO LANDSCAPE

Design Awards 108 2020 DESIGN AWARDS 190 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

ARCHITECTURE

Daniela Coray, Assoc. ASLA

THE TRUSTEE 97 FROM Cheri Ruane FASLA PARENT’S NOTEBOOK 104 APANDEMIC HUMOR Joe James, ALSA

110 AWARDS of EXCELLENCE 116 HONOR AWARDS 132 MERIT AWARDS

On this page Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts, May 31, 2020.

A demonstration to demand justice after the killing of George Floyd Photo: Gene Bolinger, Weston & Sampson

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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WORK + PLAY

Lives in landscape architecture

Representing different ages, geographies, and practices, practitioners and students from across the region were asked to respond, in their own words and from their own personal perspectives, to intentionally open-ended inquiries about topics both serious and silly, offering glimpses into the life of a landscape architect.

CAMMY KP KUO, SASLA What do you think are the most pressing issues the field of landscape architecture needs to address? Climate change and environmental justice without a doubt, and so community and education advocacy also play big roles. These are already issues that our field is very aware of, but, while we plan for our future and the health of the landscape, they are impossible to sustain without looking around us and connecting with the people entering the field or the people for whom we design.

And any discussions cannot exclude maintenance–in all senses of the word.

This moment, in which racial, social, and political tensions are heightened, creates a moment for us to decide in what direction we design our future.

What books have you read recently? Naomi Klein’s On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal and Richard Tarnas’s Cosmos and Psyche. Our reading for classes is hyper focused on specific landscape strategies or urban planning histories, so it’s nice to back away and recontextualize everything we’re learning about.

What is your favorite public landscape you’ve visited?

Wow...I would have to really think on the last time I got to visit a nice public landscape. Recently, since our semester has started, I have been thinking about the Arnold Arboretum.

That was the initial, major landscape that introduced me to our field. I have some great memories of field trips with my class through the Aboretum, walking among the metasequoia, and smelling katsura trees as we talked between tree roots.

Otherwise, I have been fortunate to get to spend time in my backyard and garden during this pandemic as well as visit the nearby Huntington Gardens.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t at work?

At this point...anything that gets me away from my computer. I have become a serial hobbyist.

How do you strive for work-life balance? Or work-life-school balance? “Balance” has developed a new dimension. There is now an unfortunate, permanent mixing of work and life, but I try to shift it so I am just more aware of how the field of landscape architecture realizes itself in life. Got to make do with what I can do.

What did you eat for breakfast? Guavas fresh from our garden!

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STEVE WOODS What does a day in your life look like? It’s nothing special. One pant leg at a time, like everyone else. It’s me, my wife Kate and my daughter Amelie. My wife works in healthcare and is out early in the morning, so I do breakfast, do my daughter’s hair, make sure she has her rubber bands and retainer for her orthodontics, and get her prepped for school. I sign in to work, rally with other team members, and then portion out the day: client meetings, design work, design reviews, writing contracts, reviewing proposals, going to site visits, balancing budgets – a typical professional day. Then transition back to home, some days I coach 4th grade soccer, figure out what to eat for dinner, maybe a glass of wine. Rinse and repeat!

I’ve been with CRJA, now IBI Placemaking, for 20 years. The office is in Boston, and I live in the suburbs. For years I used the commuting routine of public transportation and commuter rail to ramp up into design thinking and then decompress at the end of the day. That distance and time has been eroded this year. Navigating that loss of buffer time has been interesting.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t at work?

Spending time with my family. We love being near water, on water.

I grew up in land-locked Indiana, so coming to the East Coast and seeing the ocean and horizon and waves has always been special to me. We try to find time to explore the beaches and funky seafood shacks and little towns.

I also love baking! If I were not doing landscape architecture, I would bake. I like to find what my friends like and bake for them.

What originally drew you to landscape architecture? I did not know what landscape architecture was until college.

I went to Ball State, in Indiana. My older cousin was studying architecture at Notre Dame. In high school, I was very much into art, drawing, painting, and the like; I liked the creativity. I was also good at science, physics, and things like that. I applied to Ball State, to Purdue for engineering, and to Indiana University for art. I chose Ball State for architecture.

I had a great professor my first year who introduced me to landscape architecture.

The concept that the space and “art” that you create has the ability to change over time I thought was really interesting. I decided to shift into landscape architecture. And there was a cute girl, too.

When I was in school there were seven African Americans, in all of the design disciplines in the College of Architecture and Planning. I was the only African American in landscape architecture, in a class of 28.

When I joined Carol Johnson Associates in 2001 we were the largest landscape architecture firm in the country with over 100 LAs. It was exciting and refreshing because there were eight other African Americans working there at the time. It was one of the first times that I interacted with African Americans professionally in landscape architecture, and I loved it!

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Will you talk more about your experiences? It’s a unique and often tricky space to be a Black man in our profession of design. There’s been many times throughout my profession that I’ve been used as a token. One assumption may be that since you’re Black you carry an innate perspective of the Black Urban experience. This assumption and stereotype is shortsighted and wrong. The rich diversity of African American people moves well beyond that of what is often expressed by popular media. My life and upbringing in suburban Indiana is much different than that of someone who grew up in Roxbury in the 1970’s and 80’s. The key is to have sensitivity and respect for everyone.

It’s very important, especially now, that the realities and truths of racial inequalities are coming to bear. It is very sad that many continue to tag someone because of their skin color and claim that they have a position that is inherently greater or lesser than someone else’s. We need to be reminded of the humanity of it all, and our place within it. I continue to look first for the good in everyone.

What is your favorite public landscape? I’ll name two. First, the Getty Museum, in Los Angeles. The precision, the story, the forced perspective, the line that takes you through, the journey of water through the space, the sculpture and the art of the space inside and out – it’s a Disneyland of a landscape architecture creation. There’s lots of aspects there that I find myself drawn to when I do design. And yes, the money dumped into that space is out of control.

We were one of the teams that applied for the Franklin Park project. I used to live nearby, in Jamaica Plain, but never spent much time in Franklin Park. It’s an amazing piece of land here in Boston. It’s so undervalued and underused and underappreciated for a multitude of reasons. I was awestruck by the richness of that space. I find beauty and inspiration in both.

What do you think are the most pressing issues the field of landscape architecture needs to address?

Today there’s a greater appreciation for landscape architecture in this design world that we work in, yet there’s always been a struggle to validate landscape for some projects. In mixed use projects, for example, the main thing is the buildings -- or whatever-- and landscape is in support; it’s often reactionary. There’s a growing awareness that the building is in support of the landscape as much as the landscape is in support of the building, and that the knowledge of landscape architects should be used at the front end.

Designers also need to be rethinking their roles in the process of design, especially as they pertain to community engagement, whether that’s a neighborhood community or a corporate community. I’m working on a project right now with Bartlett Yards, in Roxbury, and the process of local, community engagement is critical tot he success of the public space.

It’s interesting how social distance and our online world of this year has positioned everyone for a greater appreciation of engagement. That loss of proximity to people has had a profound effect on all of us. It’s interesting to see how that’s changed this year and how we strive for that proximity once again. We should refocus on the process of engagement so that what we’re creating is truly responsive to these communities and their needs for connection.

In all, it’s an interesting time we’re in. I feel blessed to do the work that I do.

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BRYAN CHOU, ASLA

CAROLINA CARVAJAL, ASLA

What did you eat for breakfast? With the adoption of a COVID-restrained lifestyle, my breakfasts are now a bagel from the freezer and a pour-over coffee. Leveling up my pour-over skills has been my moment of peace every morning.

What did you eat for breakfast? I’m not really a fan of breakfast, but I know it’s good for you. Lately I’m into acai smoothies.

What books have you read recently? I enjoy books that present ideas that are profoundly different then the way I think.

Especially now when understanding and empathy seem to be in short supply, realizing people have differing viewpoints seems like an apt skill to hone. I am currently making my way through Ray Dalio’s Principles. His ideas on radical truth and radical transparency definitely make me a little anxious and uncomfortable. One Billion Americans by Matthew Yglesias is next on my list.

What originally drew you to landscape architecture? I started out as an urban planner but didn’t have the patience to wait for codified change. With landscape architecture, someone is paying me to think up the biggest, most transformative thing I can think of and then figure out how to build it. What’s more satisfying than that?

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had engaging with a public landscape? I grew up in Washington State and would spend weeks at a time wandering through public access lands and national forests with my friends. The freedom and wonderment evoked by being present in pure, unencumbered wildlands was magical and still occupies my thoughts frequently.

What do you think are the most pressing issues the field of landscape architecture needs to address? Not to state the obvious but it must be climate change. It is the future imperative for all designs that we engage in. We as landscape architects must have a strong and clear vision for how we live in the future and design to that. We must all be futurists.

How do you strive for work-life balance? There’s no such thing.

If landscape architecture is the panacea of civilized life, is there an escape? Even dropped on a deserted island, would we not immediately start drawing up plans for our utopia? After realizing this, I quickly combined work and life by marrying another landscape architect.

What does a day in your life look like?

I go to bed really early. (My husband wakes up at 5.)

Get up. Turn my computer on, check emails. I will then have some sort of breakfast. At mid-morning, I’ll stop for an hour and do a workout.

Sometimes I move it around work meetings. Around 5pm I’ll stop and cook dinner. I do meal prep on Monday and Tuesday for the rest of the week.

We do like to entertain and have friends over. There are two couples that we have spent time with since the beginning of COVID-19, and we’re careful to take care of each other and ourselves.

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. Normally we would travel a lot, but not this year. I miss that.

What books have you read recently? I’ve started to read about traveling and visiting different places that are not tourist traps.

Right now I’m reading about Japan, and I’m reading Bringing Up Bebe by an American author who raised her family in France. I’m also reading a book in Spanish, 100 Years of Solitude. It’s one of those books you don’t get tired of reading.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t at work? It depends on the season. In the summer, we love the beach and the Cape, camping on North Truro. In the fall, we love to go out on walks. Really no one place is our favorite; we love to explore it all!

The beach, mountain biking, walks -- we love it all.

My favorite thing is spending time with my family or my husband’s family. We have a new nephew and love to see him.

What originally drew you to landscape architecture? I had a scholarship to the University of Connecticut. All of the valedictorians in Connecticut get a full scholarship to the state schools. I started out studying biomedical engineering.

After two years, I thought maybe this was not for me. I thought I would get to design pacemakers and artificial veins and things like that, but it wasn’t the case. I wanted something more creative. So I met with my advisor, and she looked through UConn’s majors and saw landscape architecture. We read the description together and she encouraged me to give it a try. I loved it!

I had an introductory studio project to convert an abstract object into a landscape. I dissected the object and converted it into an

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WORK + PLAY / BSLA amphitheater. That was what I was looking for! I loved the classes of design and theory and everything from the very beginning.

What do you think are the most pressing issues the field of landscape architecture needs to address? There needs to be more diversity. Our field is not diverse. There is a dominating group that goes to school for this career, and that needs to change.

We’re in a really important time now. Our career plays a major impact in climate change. It’s important to educate clients and the construction field – and younger kids, too! We need them in landscape architecture.

DAVID HOOPER What did you eat for breakfast? Overnight oats.

What books have you read recently? Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley, Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, and Saving Central Park by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers.

How do you strive for work-life balance? Or work-life-school balance? I believe that doing something you love for work makes this easier. I’ve been blessed with a career that I love, so I tend to obsess over details and get lost in the flow. Timers have been helpful to keep me on track and get me out of the office on time.

Also, my wife and I spent a lot of time apart while serving in the military, so we try to pack all the fun and adventure we can into our time off.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t at work?

Golf, CrossFit, staying active, and spending time outside with my wife and dog.

What is your favorite public landscape or most recent public landscape you’ve visited? The most recent public landscape I’ve visited was Riverfront Park in my hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. The climbing walls and splash park made for a great day with my niece and nephew.

What do you think are the most pressing issues the field of landscape architecture needs to address? Before 2020, my answer would have probably been different. This year has been challenging and left most of us with a healthy dose of uncertainty about what the future holds. But, It’s also a time of tremendous opportunity in landscape architecture. I think quarantine and working from home have increased appreciation for outdoor spaces. It seems that now is the time to push for expansive, inclusive, and equitably distributed open green space for all.

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Cammy KP Kuo, SASLA, is a student in the landscape architecture program at Northeastern University. They most recently completed an internship with DLANDstudio, and, before that, Reed Hilderbrand. Cammy is originally from Taipei, Taiwan, and currently calls Los Angeles home.

Steve Woods is a senior associate at IBI Placemaking. Since joining the firm in 2001, he has helped lead the creative design of a wide variety of projects. In addition to Bartlett Yards and Fidelity, he is currently leading the landscape architecture for Boston Landing | New Balance World Headquarters, where ideas of “work and play” take on all sorts of translations throughout this residential, office, and high performance sport campus.

Bryan Chou, ASLA, is associate principal and senior design leader at Mikyoung Kim Design. He has extensive experience with custom fabrication and material innovation in landscape architecture and public art, and continues to expand and evolve the firm’s research-based design process.

He holds a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA from the University of Washington.

Carolina Carvajal, ASLA, is a business development associate with Landscape Forms. Carolina was born in Colombia, graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut, and has worked as a landscape architect in Boston and in the City of Medellin in Colombia.

David Hooper is the undergraduate 2020 Landscape Architecture Foundation National Olmsted Scholar.

He received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst earlier this year, after a ten-year career as a photojournalist in the United States Navy.

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ALLEN PENNIMAN

IN DETROIT, ANTI-RACIST PLANNING IS NOT NEW

Last summer, Black Americans rose up to protest the violation of our self-evident rights as Americans. In the process, we shook the urbanism professions into consciousness of their complicity in the destruction of Black communities. We called out their central role in perpetuating segregation, in greasing the wheels of gentrification, and in displacing communities of color physically and culturally.

We criticized the dominance of white culture and white overrepresentation in the professions. We explained that remaining silent in the face of injustice is to cosign a system of oppression. After the summer of 2020, the insidious racism of the urbanism professions can no longer be ignored.

While urbanists in New England and around the country are having a reckoning around these issues, anti-racist planning practices are already the modus operandi in Detroit. The Motor City’s Black-led, predominantly Black planning department is walking the walk at a time when nothing short of systemic change will do. Those willing to turn to Detroit will find stories of success in confronting spatial injustice and institutionalized racism.

I observe this reckoning with cautious optimism. I am buoyed by the publicly-stated intentions of many Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) to combat racism with real actions.

But, where were these intentions before the liberal zeitgeist made them popular? As I witness PWIs turn to their Black employees for help with diversity problems that are the institution’s, I begin to doubt that the American institution has moved on from its roots in the plantation’s big house, where masters turned to mammies to be relieved from the burdens of childcare.

I left my native New England for Detroit in 2018, well-before last summer’s reckoning. It had become clear to me that the institutions around me were quite comfortable with the status quo. The turning point came for me at Black in Design 2017, a grassroots conference organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Design African American Student Union (GSD AASU). I filed into Piper Auditorium alongside a couple hundred other Black design professionals to hear featured speaker, Walter Hood, talk about his 7th Street Gateway

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installation in West Oakland. Well into my thirties at the time, it was only my first experience being in a room of colleagues who looked like I did. To experience empathy with professional kinfolk, to feel seen in the conference programming, and to revel in a cultural space that was designed for me was transcendent. Even more, it was not lost on me that Black designers—students nonetheless—created that space because our professional institutions wouldn’t.

Walter poetically described how he repurposed a decommissioned highway sign truss to feature illuminated portraits of revered Black leaders. In the Q&A that followed, a young, Black Oaklander stood up to speak. He explained to the auditorium that, every day, he rides a bus to San Francisco to work a job where he’s the only one in a city where he’s one of the only ones left. He described his resting anger over the gentrification of the Bay Area and the stress of getting by in a lily-white workplace. On his evening commute, he passes under Walter’s installation. To him, it marks the entrance to home and signals he is safe to put his guard down and exist in his own Black skin. The young man didn’t know who the installation was attributed to until Walter stepped on that stage and spoke. He thanked Walter tearfully.

The significance of that moment struck me like lightning. It demonstrated that, when led by the right minds, the urbanism professions can create spaces that serve the marginalized, the displaced, the over-policed, and the Karened. A colleague of mine who wishes to remain anonymous put it in these words:

7th Street Dancing Lights + Gateway, Oakland, CA. Landscape Architects/Artists: Hood Design Studio.

Client: City of Oakland.

Photo: Treve Johnson.

“My being a Black man makes me a better planner because I understand, both personally and professionally, the various ways in which the built environment has been designed not only without my consent, but in direct opposition to my existence.”

We Black urbanists are not challenged to recognize our own talent. Our struggle is attempting to exert it in urbanism professions that see cities through white eyes.

Detroit’s acclaimed new planning director, Maurice Cox, attended Black in Design too. At the time, he had recently assumed the role of rebuilding the planning department in the wake of Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy. He touted its focus on reviving hard-hit Black neighborhoods, not just the downtown. He proclaimed its mission to pursue spatial justice.

And he explained that he was building a team to carry out the work that was representative of Detroit’s composition as a Black city (Detroit is 80% Black). The promise of Detroit visà-vis the complacency of New England’s urbanism scene felt akin to the concept of another country that James Baldwin so aptly captured in his eponymous novel. When Maurice invited me to join his team, I accepted his offer with ease.

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Six months later I was in Detroit. It was evident upon arrival that Maurice was backing up his salesmanship with real reforms. He assigned me to a team that was all-Black, women-led, and 50% native Detroiter. Detroit’s planning department as a whole is Black-led, 60% of color, and 30% native Michigander. Sustaining a Detroit tradition of fostering Black professionals dating back to the Coleman Young era, Maurice recognized that Black talent is out there in the labor force and he built a culture to attract and retain it. Around the office Blackness was the norm, not the other. Black people had a seat at the table and a voice in decision-making. For example, a colleague and I once pitched a proposal to grant reparations to Detroit’s victims of Urban Renewal. We were taken seriously by upper levels of leadership. By comparison, back in New England I once used the term white-supremacy in a meeting and was dismissed for my “divisive” language. The contrast in office cultures was stark.

Representation and workplace culture are important pillars of an anti-racist organization. Institutionalizing equity in an organization’s practices is critical as well. Detroit’s planning department is doing that work.

“Embedded planning” is a prime example. LA planner Jonathan Pacheco Bell coined this term, calling on planners to stop planning from their desks and start getting out into the community to meet people where they are. Detroit planners are assigned to a geographic beat so that they can build and sustain relationships over time. Residents know their neighborhood planner as they would their local school board representative. Planning happens on doorsteps, in backyards, at farmers’ markets, in pop-up exhibition spaces, and other spaces in the neighborhoods.

Collaborative design and meaningful engagement are also frequent topics in the current discourse on equitable practices. In Detroit, particular thought is given to method.

Since as many as 40% of Detroiters lack access to broadband internet, our engagement processes emphasize low- or notech methods such as text messaging, lawn signs, mailers, canvassing, pop-ups, and so on. Detroit’s planning processes draw from the BlackSpace Manifesto. In calling for urbanists

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to “plan with, design with” the manifesto instructs urbanists to “walk with people as they imagine and realize their own futures.” In our work, this manifests as showing up to listen, assisting residents in translating their aspirations into design alternatives, and sharing decision-making power in selecting final directives. For example, it is not uncommon for Mayor Duggan to put major planning decisions to a popular vote by show of hands!

Finally, where planning is happening says as much as how it is happening. There are ten districts in Detroit’s long-range neighborhood planning program. All of them are in what is labeled the “other” Detroit. These are the neighborhoods left out of the Detroit comeback narrative that is written about in national media. In the 2010s, as tycoons like Dan Gilbert and the late Mike Ilitch invested in the Downtown’s core, the neighborhoods struggled. There, banks routinely denied mortgages. Retailers fled to the suburbs. The City failed to provide basic services like street lighting and emergency response.

Foreclosures ballooned during this period, fueled in part by failures of local government. The City overtaxed an estimated 55% of its homeowners by a cumulative $600 million.

That over-taxation directly contributed to at least 28,000 foreclosures. By the end of the crisis, tax foreclosures claimed 73,000 homes and mortgage foreclosures claimed another 65,000. It was an astonishing loss of wealth—particularly Black wealth—in a city that once touted one of the nation’s largest Black middle class communities. Compounding this catastrophe, is the reality that many of those homes have since been bought at auction by white investors.

Detroit’s planning department is the impresario of a $130 million program designed to bring these neighborhoods into the fold of the comeback and catalyze the reconstitution of healthy neighborhoods that once permeated the city. The money flows into four areas according to the collaborative planning processes described above: first, rehabbing vacant homes and demolishing unsalvageable blight; second, partnering with local developers to build commercial and mixed-use projects; third, implementing streetscape

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“If the professions are serious about reckoning with spatial injustice, they must look beyond standard exemplars of excellence.

Portland, Vancouver, and Copenhagen are hardly relevant to the spatial oppression of Black Americans.

Detroit, America’s Blackest and poorest major city, is ground zero. ”

makeovers in commercial corridors with concentrations of locally-owned businesses; and fourth, renovating parks, greenways and other public spaces.

Since the private market is reluctant to venture into these areas, a latitude exists to keep the program purpose-driven—not market-driven—and increase resilience to the displacement that might otherwise follow investment. We partner with small-scale, local, and minority-owned developers. This keeps capital in the community and helps emerging developers break into the market. Non-profit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) play the lead role in lending, not commercial banks. Thus, we are not beholden to private sector underwriting standards nor the anti-Detroit bias that pervades the lending market. Lastly, since public subsidy is necessary for any development project to be economically viable in the neighborhoods, affordable housing and/or commercial space is always a component.

Detroit has something to teach the urbanism professions about anti-racist planning. If the professions are serious about their reckoning with spatial injustice, they must look beyond standard exemplars of excellence. Portland, Vancouver, and Copenhagen are hardly relevant to the spatial oppression of Black Americans. Detroit, America’s Blackest and poorest major city, is ground zero.

Detroit has been a haven for Black upward mobility and political power for a century. It is fitting that it is here where Black urbanists are breaking through the professions’ color barriers and pushing the equity agenda. Maurice, a boomer, belongs to the first generation of Black urbanists that ascended to lead big city planning departments. He accomplished that in Detroit. Black women urbanists have exceled here too.

Kim Dowdell, Kathryn Underwood, Saundra Little, and Sonya Mays are but a few. Behind pioneers like these, a larger generation of Black millennial urbanists like myself is moving up the ranks.

In Detroit and around the country, we are realizing our own power as Black urbanists. Like the GSD AASU, we are creating and holding space for the exploration of Black issues and Black

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creativity. Like Walter Hood, we are establishing our own firms and designing spaces that resonate with Black audiences.

Like Maurice Cox, we are ascending to political power and reforming government to work for Black communities. Like the BlackSpace Collective, we are remaking our methods of practice to be meaningfully collaborative and stakeholdercentered.

The Detroit example demonstrates what Black urbanists are capable of. Even in a community grappling with the deepest of inequities, we are showing the profession how to transform the institutions of urbanism from tools of oppression to tools that are wielded for liberation. We are not new to this and we’re not about to stop.

NOTES: 1 City of Detroit. City Hires New Director to Help Close Detroit’s Digital Divide. Retrieved September, 2020. https://detroitmi.gov/news/city-hires-newdirector-help-close-detroits-digital-divide 2 BlackSpace. BlackSpace Manifesto. Retrieved September, 2020. https://www.blackspace.org/ manifesto 3 MacDonald, Christin. “Detroit homeowners overtaxed $600 million.” Detroit News, 11 January 2020.

4 Betancourt, Mark. “Detroit’s Housing Crisis is the Work of Its Own Government.” Vice News. 29 December 2017.

Allen Penniman is an urban planner for the City of Detroit and an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. He has also taught at the Boston Architectural College and worked in private and public sector design and planning offices in Providence and Boston.

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JUST DON’T

Common Pitfalls of Equity Practice and How to Avoid Them ALLENTZA MICHEL, Powerful Pathways and LILY SONG, Harvard CoDesign*

In June of 2020, the Executive Committee of the American Society of Landscape Architects joined leading design organizations and institutions in calling for members to unlearn practices that perpetuate injustice and become more inclusive of Black and Brown voices, perspectives, experience, and expertise. They follow generations of leadership by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) designers who have long advocated for the design disciplines and professions to interrogate and correct our complicity in perpetuating built environments that threaten, endanger, and dehumanize people who are racialized, low income, undocumented, and otherwise marginalized in the US. As we move forward from stated intentions to action, how might designers cultivate more mindful practices that recognize and reckon with our biases, blindspots, and implication in power and resource structures that uphold dominant spatial claims and interests— either explicitly or through willful neglect?

*CoDesign seeks to embed the design disciplines in antiracist, abolitionist, and reparative practices through action, research, studio pedagogy, and design activism accomplicing working-class, BIPOC movements.

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We are two women BIPOC designers and urban planners from community organizing backgrounds, who noticed increasing attention and resources devoted to issues of “equity” by decision makers and funders with less thought given to critical debate and reflective practice. We created “Just don’t!

Common pitfalls of equity practice and how to avoid them” as a challenge to ourselves and fellow designers to do better– by actively confronting and learning from tensions and conflicts in our work. We invite you to join us in shifting our design methods, pedagogy, and culture as a part of advancing structural changes in places, spaces, and environments.

Allentza Michel is an urban planner, artist, researcher, and equity specialist. She’s founder and creative director of Powerful Pathways, a social practice and consultancy that works in policy, urban planning, and cultural arts using design thinking methods and social justice principles.

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Lily Song is a lecturer in Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she serves as faculty coordinator for CoDesign, a school-wide initiative to strengthen linkages between design pedagogy, research, activism, and practice.

Visit https://research.gsd.harvard.edu/codesign/ Email codesign.harvard@gmail.com Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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“There are dozens of different open source cameras, sensors, micro-computers, gadgets and gizmos capable of producing real-time data... This data has the potential to be used as environmental drivers for design in the context of a warmer planet; to monitor and understand more closely site conditions and irrigation requirements; and as tools for public engagement, safety, and activism. “

PRACTICE MAKES DATA CARLOS GUZMÁN

NOTES 1 Tullis, Paul. “The World Economy Runs on GPS. It Needs a Backup Plan.”

Bloomberg.com. July 25, 2018.

2 Belon, Tina. “’Three little pigs’: Musk’s Neuralink puts computer chips in animal brains”. Reuters.com.

August 28, 2020.

3 Allen, Bill. “The Future of BIM Will Not Be BIM and It’s Coming Faster Than You Think”. Autodesk.

Accessed September 7,2020.

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Perhaps the most significant event in the latter half of the 20th century was the launch of Sputnik I, the world’s first artificial satellite. Measuring about 23 inches in diameter and weighing around 200 pounds, Sputnik 1 was about the size of a beach ball. While the successful launch escalated tensions between the Soviets and the West during the Cold War, it also fueled an entirely new industry that put a man on the moon and produced an abundance of new technologies. One of these inventions was Global Positioning System (GPS). This completely changed communication and the world economy.1 Shortly after Sputnik, computers and electronics permeated through every aspect of our lives. Today, they’re in our pockets, our homes, our cars, and soon, maybe, our bodies.2 What are the spatial implications of a world in which random objects and average people are connected to a network or technologically enhanced? How do Architects and Landscape Architects educate and practice in such a world?

Architects have been far quicker to understand their role in this new design space than landscape architects. Take Building Information Modelling (BIM) for example -- a design technology that enables architects, engineers, and other construction professionals to collaborate in the design of a building by working jointly in a three dimensional digital model. While this allows gains in productivity and increases workflow efficiency, it also indirectly prepares professionals to understand the power of data and to conceptualize a design problem in terms of a computational logic, i.e, a system with parameters and constraints.

If one considers CAD – Computer Aided Design -- as the tool that introduced the designer to a computer, think of BIM as catapulting designers to the world of data, code, algorithms, robotics, simulations and other technologies we engage with on a regular basis.3 Because many architecture practices develop projects using BIM, the practice of architecture produces professionals with more transferable skills that are capable of engaging with our data-driven society and that are better prepared to solve more challenging design problems.

In theory, it is much easier to innovate in the world of practice of architecture than it is in landscape architecture.

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To be fair, the design of buildings is more predictable. They are straightforward things to build constructed of nonliving components that generally require less community engagement and public input than parks and public spaces.

However, having been a student for both disciplines, I can say that architecture pedagogy is invested in broader, albeit experimental tools for drawing, visualizing, and fabricating, while landscape architecture is still focused on the plan, the map, and other forms of two-dimensional representation that do not engage with technology in a profound way.

Moreover, this approach limits the agency of landscape architecture. It makes the profession seem to be mostly concerned with materiality, landscape adaptability, “distanced authorship,”4 and the ideals of a pre-big data society. Part of the challenge is the public’s lack of access and information about how technology and big data operate, since these systems have been designed to operate remotely and in private.

Should landscape architecture as a discipline step aside and let technology run its course?

As designers of the public realm, landscape architects have the potential to act as curators or manipulators5 within a networked urban environment, mediating between the biotic and abiotic elements of a localized ecology and the new technological systems of sensing and public data collection.

There’s an opportunity to treat data as an issue and to engage technology in practice. There are dozens of different open source cameras, sensors, micro-computers, gadgets and gizmos capable of producing real-time data about crime, soil moisture, wind quality, noise, and other environmental factors.

This data has the potential to be used as environmental drivers for design in the context of a warmer planet; to monitor and understand more closely site conditions and irrigation requirements; and as tools for public engagement, safety6, and activism7. Landscape architects have the potential to become advocates and facilitators of the use of these tools for societal benefit. It should be our job as design practitioners to effectively define how we will interface and inhabit in the built environment of the future.

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Carlos Guzmán is a registered architect in the Dominican Republic and a practicing designer based in Cambridge, MA. He holds a Masters of Architecture and Masters of Landscape Architecture degrees from the Boston Architectural College and currently works at Touloukian Touloukian Inc.

4 Waldheim, Charles. “Strategies of Indeterminacy in Recent Landscape Practice”. Public 33 (2006): 80-86.

5 Mostafavi, Mohsen, and Gareth Doherty. “”The Agency of Ecology”.” Edited by Chris Reed. Ecological Urbanism. Rev. Ed, 338-43. Ennetbaden: Lars Müller Verlag, 2015.

6 Pacheco, Priscila. “How Eyes On the Street contribute to Public Safety”. June 11,2015. The CityFix. Accessed September 7, 2020.

7 Wakefield, Jane. “Tomorrow’s Cities: Rio de Janeiro’s bid to become a smart city”. 9 September, 2013. BBC News. Accessed September 2, 2020.

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“It’s our differences that define our resilience as humans. What would our world look like if we embraced and celebrated those differences in the creation of public space?”

Events like the current COVID-19 crisis and Black Lives Matter protests provoke drastic changes to everyday life, both highlighting the many flaws our society has while at the same time creating space for radical change. In such a strange dichotomy, one feels completely overwhelmed by the chaos and yet bewildered by our tenacity to adapt. Over the course of the last year, I’ve dedicated myself to deepening my research and interest in heterogeneous spaces and the infinite complexity and dynamic nature of land that is shaped by culture, nature, society, and language.

DIANA FERNANDEZ BIBEAU, ASLA Above, left to right: Diana Fernandez Bibeau, Aziza Robinson Goodnight, Dumas F. Lafontant, Melissa Isidor, and Breeze Outlaw at Frederick Douglass Square in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

HETEROGENOUS FUTURES

Landscape Heterogeneity for Ecologically and Anthropologically Diverse Landscapes

Heterogeneity and resilience are synonymous with each other.

Our ability to adapt and to withstand outside pressures and disruptions in our environment is exponentially increased when those systems both ecological and human have increasingly diverse characteristics. Heterogeneity is the characteristic that defines our life on earth; it is the biodiversity that allows us to thrive. Without the infinite diversity of our human and natural systems we find ourselves devoid of all that brings life and joy into our world. Landscape Heterogeneity is a concept that is considered a best practice within the profession of landscape architecture. We design heterogeneous plant palettes to increase ecological functionality of animals and amphibian habitats, but we fall short in ensuring that these heterogeneous principles include people.

Design, which by definition means to have purpose and intention, is primarily focused on the purpose of planning, designing, and executing utopian expressions often under the umbrella of “best practices” or “design excellence.” This intention of utopianism, which, by definition is a place of ideal perfection, often projects a vision of sameness and commonality that precludes the identities of the very people and systems on which this intention is projected. Design has long excluded the “other” from its discourses and executions. This has led to an American landscape that is defined by homogeneity.

Homogeneous space making has been operationalized within our society and profession to create landscapes that reflect a singular identity defined by white bodies in physical space.

There is a formula in place that starts with institutionalized or structural power in the form of firm structures, or oversight government agencies that define and enforce how public space is shaped, from the standardization of pavement types, to ADA regulations that determine how one is to move through space, or protocols and requirements that determine who is deemed

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PERSPECTIVES capable of defining space, to the design process and education that prioritizes euro-centric and anglo principles of landscape architecture. Students are often stripped of their lived experiences in order to be re-educated under an anglo lens.

Design and construction, regardless of our intentions for good -- for the safety, welfare and health of communities -- begs the question, “Whom is safety, health and welfare for?” When we build deterrents and armrests to discourage skateboarders and the homeless, we design for exclusion of the “other.” The subconscious nature of these practices has led to spaces that are uncomfortable and unsafe for people not conforming to anglo precepts of space.

Consequently, design myths of inclusivity and universality permeate our understanding of the impact of our work as landscape architects. Landscape is not common space. It is not designed for people of color. These truths can be traced back to Lockean theories of labor and who in the American context could own land -- an essential ingredient for space making, and who themselves were considered a part of the land and incapable of making space for themselves. This is not new in America: from our romanticization of the wild lands ripe for the conquering, lands which were stolen and remain stolen to this day; to public space policies such as loitering laws that define how, and whom should be using open space; to the 400 years of oppression and injustice many black and brown bodies face in public space. No! Landscape is not neutral.

Rather, it’s the most poignant expression of power in America.

So how do we create heterogeneous spaces? There is no formula. Instead, a state of consciousness where designers intentionally restructure design intentions to create space for unlearning and healing needs to occur in order to create new landscape identities. And what better moment than now to see the possibilities for a future that embraces our differences theoretically, physically, and spatially. Office business models and educational institutions need to embrace how lived experiences define space and human society.

Projects like the Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza and the One Pulse competition create case studies for ways in which landscape heterogeneity can define project outcomes.

The Frederick Douglass Memorial plaza in the Roxbury community of Boston exemplifies how a heterogeneous state of consciousness permeated the entire design process. The Sasaki team was selected by the Frederick Douglass Sculpture Committee and the City of Boston to design the site of a statue commemorating famed social justice reformer Fredrick Douglass. Our team created space for acceptance of the “other” and community defined beauty. To create space for healing, we brought a spoken word artist to help establish common ground and spiritual connections to the community. In order to deepen our understanding of people and place, our team collaborated with local research initiatives such as A Voice at Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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the Table, led by Mel Isidior, Breeze Outlaw, Nayeli Rodriguez, and Elaine Limmer. This established an understanding of community defined beauty and intentionally removed the use of eurocentric precedents to focus on community defined design excellence.

Landscape heterogeneity also defined our entry to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum design competition – an international competition organized by the One Pulse Foundation to create a memorial honoring those killed and impacted by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. Our entry was a collaboration with MASS Design group, designers at Sasaki, and national artists. Concepts of landscape heterogeneity permeated every aspect of the design process, from defining what the queering of a space looks and feels like to embracing intersectionality as a design principle. We created a series of spaces that enhance the experience of moving through the world in the embrace and celebration of our differences. We also wanted to ensure that ecological systems not only reflect a rich habitat for animals and insects but also reflect the diversity of the Pulse community. We identified the provinces of the 49 lives lost and created a heterogeneous plant palette that portrays this multiculturalism and reflects back their identities.

Data mapping is a critical part of ensuring that heterogeneity within social systems is defined and documented. Texts such as Design with Nature to The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces begin to unpack the complexity of the human systems that unfold in the landscape and public realm. Our understanding this complexity is barely visible in our design documentation since we often rely on community engagement meetings with predefined agendas to justify our understanding of the social, cultural and linguistic mechanism in public space. As landscape architects and planners, we need to push beyond postcards and sticker exercises and utilize open source mapping tools that illustrate and define the complex human systems in physical space. Designers need to understand how the everyday urbanism of a community creates nuanced design vernaculars that require new modes of visualization.

Landscape heterogeneity defines the majority of the world’s landscapes, often not designed by landscape architects.

Whether you’re a student, an emerging professional, or an established practitioner, we have a lot to learn from these spaces. Our profession needs to represent and create places of belonging for a diverse world. At the end of the day, it’s our differences and our embrace of them that define our resilience as humans. What would our world look like if we embraced and celebrated those differences in the creation of public space?

Diana Fernandez Bibeau, ASLA, is a senior associate landscape architect at Sasaki, and a member of the 2019-2020 cohort of the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. Her practice focuses on the celebration and creation of diverse public landscapes for underrepresented groups.

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“The artist is owner and proprietor of their own knowledge, with the responsibility for their own transformation and wealth.”

Many years ago, Roxbury was considered the poorest neighborhood of Boston. This ranking, given by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now, the Boston Planning and Development Agency), was based on the lowest income, college graduation, and home ownership. Since it is said, there is no social problem without solution, this writer, in collaboration with a cadre of urban thinkers, initiated an art strategy to place local artists at the center of economic development with the expectation that they would not have to relocate, to other poverty-stricken urban areas, due to gentrification1.

DUMAS L. LAFONTANT

DRAWING CONNECTIONS: The Voices of Artists

1 Z Gallery, formerly Gallery Basquiat, was founded to simulate this model 2 The figure above shows the contribution of Z Gallery to the vitality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is an adaption of a Reinforcing Loop (Richardson. 2014). By attracting the local artists as a business, the number of artists business will go up, which in turn will increase the tax base, making the artists businesses profitable.

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Imagine for a moment, you are a local artist, self-taught, without a degree from an art school, competing for space. In Boston, this task, even for the well-connected artists, can be daunting. Indeed, there is overwhelming research showing that lack of access to space is the number one problem that most artists, creators, and designers face. Evidently, getting to space is a complex issue that no individual, couple, organization, or municipality can solve alone.

Leading with art strategy, this writer launched Z Gallery in the spring of 2010 to place local artists at the center of neighborhood development. The timing could not have been better. The late Mayor Menino kickstarted Roxbury’s revitalization with a strategic master plan, complete with an oversight committee made up of elected officials and local residents. At a meeting with David Price, Executive Director at Nuestra Communidad Development Corporation, this writer pitched the following art strategy: “Economic development is not just brick and mortar; it also includes the arts. Therefore, support for local artists, who see themselves as a business, will stimulate the revitalization of Roxbury”. The ensuing strategic partnership with Price led to the signing of a lease at 391 Dudley Street, the current location of Z Gallery.

Z Gallery, as an organization, is conceived to support the highly engaged population of artists who want to stay in the city and thrive. It is uniquely designed to bring together diverse residents and visitors as arts creators and arts consumers by: maximizing the arts and creative opportunities for all residents; facilitating art and culture throughout the city; creating partnerships across sectors; and taking advantage of what the creative industry has to offer. The organization is committed to create and continue an artistically inspired and driven neighborhood, while preserving Roxbury’s rich history and mapping its assets to positively impact its future.

Artists Engagement at Bartlett Station From Frederick Douglass to Melnea A. Cass to Malcolm X to Mel King to Doris Bunte to Che Madyun, Roxbury has a deep and rich history of activism. Indeed, organizing by local youth

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shut down the Bartlett Bus Yard, a source of pollution that helped cause soaring asthma rates in the neighborhood. Today, Bartlett Station, a mixed-income housing complex, is designed to respond to the rising movement addressing gentrification. It will provide economic growth for local residents through jobs and business opportunities, while also giving local artists and vendors a place to showcase and sell their arts and crafts. In 2018, Price invited Z Gallery to a process intended to plan arts events at Bartlett Station, and to begin the visioning of how a permanent public plaza could be a significant venue for artistic and cultural activities in the future, while reclaiming Roxbury’s cultural diversity and its rich heritage of various countries and ethnic groups.

Speaking on this process, Samareign,™ Owner, Proprietor of 33Fusion, Co-Founder and current President of Z Gallery maintains that, “The common, for the community, is a place to share, create, and learn. This was a historic moment that we seized on to hear an overview of the Bartlett Station project and the idea for a public plaza, share some early thoughts on the potential for the public plaza, and discuss an opportunity to raise funds for local artists to undertake a public art installation, and events at Bartlett Station”.

Samareign™ at Oasis@Bartlett

Through Patronicity, crowd granting was possible. A major capital campaign also raised funds to create the plaza based on the planning team’s vision. This was an opportunity to be involved in the design and management of the public plaza, and to challenge over-commercialization, promote the works of local artists, and communicate the positive impact that small- and mid-size companies will bring to Bartlett Station. The intention and action are to engage in meaningful partnerships with development corporations that appreciate the powerful role of the arts in stimulating economic development and to strengthen their connection with the neighborhoods.

The design planning team, with Samareign™ and this writer as co-leaders, proposed that the plaza should be equipped with an amphitheater, seating, and a commercial kitchen for community dinner, and show nights, to display the local flavors of the community, and expand public interest beyond the local area. Most importantly, the team thought, it was paramount for Bartlett Station to have living quarters for artists in residence, Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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workshops, studios, public access, and storefronts for artists since this is a new approach to public art installation in Roxbury.

An installation event for muralists effectively set the stage for subsequent public art installations and events featuring local artists, not limited to painters and studio artisans, but also freelance workers and creatives alike, with voluminous collections ready to share and sell. This was accomplished through the initial call for muralists that reflected this new approach to public art installation by centering artists, their needs, and their economic and social contributions: “We are looking for Muralists that examine Roxbury’s past and look to Roxbury’s future. The murals must show the importance of art, activism, culture, and nature to Roxbury’s past, present and future. But most of all, we are looking to capture what it is like to be local in Roxbury in 2018. The responding artists must have previous mural experience. Preference is for Roxbury residents, although applications from Boston and Boston-area muralists are welcome. Selections will be made to advance art equity, including diversity of race, gender/orientation, nationality, language, culture, artist fee, commissions and supplies, and other expenses.”

Conclusion Roxbury is becoming a vibrant neighborhood, with a rich ecosystem of local artists aiming to gain earned-income from their craft. The tactic of attracting local artists to do graffiti on walls free of charge, which at some point will be destroyed, has now become obsolete. With this shift, the opportunity for the starving artist to become rich is a goal that can be achieved by connecting them to wealth, (e.g., capital, equity, and resources).

Our aim is to value the assets of the people who live and reside in inner cities and our work is based on a collaborative leadership style that convenes and facilitates thinking, learning, and communication among local residents, policymakers, funders, developers, and other stakeholders.

It is generally accepted within the community comprised mainly of artists that, both individually and collectively, local artists have often struggled to make their voices heard, with policies often made on their behalf. Hence, there is an emergent view on the arts that argues for a shift away from the statement of need and assistance to a discourse on the vital economic role that the local artists play, as well as the huge development potential that they offer to cities. This nascent interpretation is not about corporate social responsibility, control over the market, policy, and/or the model coming from large-scale art institutions. Rather it is about strategic partnership, working together to achieve more desired artist outcomes. In concrete terms, as interest in arts and culture grows, and large amounts of capital are mobilized, it is imperative that the artists, who see themselves as a business, are included in economic development.

Dumas F. Lafontant, ML is a playwright whose story intwines with a cadre of artists committed to addressing the issues that affect neighborhoods. For sixteen years he directed the Lower Roxbury Coalition.

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“Design is not just about me; it’s about how others experience the world, what others want to see in the world...My characters can be someone that others relate to. My designs can inspire others to build.”

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH DESIGN JOYDANZE BOBB-SEMPLE

Images and animations from Joydanze’ Instagram feed. See more @scribblescrabbles

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JOURNEYS

Design was originally just a way to express my creative thoughts. When I was younger, I was determined to be a fashion designer because I had watched many episodes of Project Runway and thought it was cool how they could create something within such a short amount of time. Everyone had their own ideas that seemed to be the most beautiful creations in the world, even if the judges had deemed as unoriginal or boring. It fascinated me to the point where I got one of those body template books and would sketch clothes on top. I would use random Crayola colors that did not look appealing together and Staedler fineliners that would result in the wearing out of the pens’ nibs. Looking back now, the ideas I sketched were terrible but I felt amazing because I had created something.

After that, I got a sewing machine and decided I wanted to pursue my passion. I only took one lesson before I decided that fashion design wasn’t for me. Instead my original love, visual arts, reared its head and I came running back with printer paper, Bic mechanical pencils, and YouTube tutorials in hand. When I was younger, I had done loads of paintings and my nanny would call me an artist. My childhood art wasn’t anything to write home about, but it still stuck with me. I just drew whatever came to mind. It was mainly focused on humans. I would try and challenge myself to draw other things, but it always came back to character design. There was a time where I saw the world as values and hues and undertones because I wanted to understand color theory. I was so encapsulated by art that I didn’t mind it taking over my life.

I recently have created my own world with ten characters in it, each different but my favorite all the same. I decided to start sharing my art because a big part of my artistry is validation from others. While I am not the most popular, I made an Instagram page and I enjoy consuming others’ designs as well.

The way other artists draw landscapes or focus on the planes of a human face makes me observe the world differently.

I got into animation recently, too, and have created a few short animations of my own. I have done many studies to improve my anatomy and my character design. I still want to expand my mediums. I have used alcohol markers, watercolor brush pens, oils, acrylics, and gouache. I have yet to really experiment with backgrounds and scenery. I was too intimidated to even comprehend where to begin. The simple exercises done every morning in Sasaki made it feel so simple, made it feel possible.

When I realized that Sasaki would help me improve my design skills, I was overcome with joy. My character design can be accompanied by worldbuilding! Sasaki taught me so

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much and even made me interested in architecture despite my aversion to it previously. There are so many more design fields to go into in addition to architecture. I didn’t know that industrial design was a thing, I was unaware of urban planning, landscape architecture, urban agriculture, and how marketing plays a role in design firms. I had worked at an architecture firm briefly but the section I was working in didn’t feel right for me. I want to be able to create freely and share my ideas with the world, like I have been on Instagram. Becoming a designer will allow me to do that.

After going through the Sasaki program, I realize that design is so much more than that, too. Design is not just about me; it’s about how others experience the world, what others want to see in the world, and design helps people. My characters can be someone that others relate to. My designs can inspire others to build and create structures made to help others succeed.

The fact that I was able to share an idea for a mobile classroom, although my idea is not being built, could even help others.

Nobody is certain of when life can be lived without social distancing and my ideas could possibly be vital. Anyone’s can.

I recently started working as a Social Media Intern at G|Code, helping to advertise their second cohort and recruit women and nonbinary individuals of color to learn how to code for free. Even making a flyer and posting it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram could help just one other person find their passion. It makes me realize that UI/UX design or graphic design is the area I want to study in college. I can still take electives and pursue my other passions as I feel the need to.

I am not limited because the world of design is so vast and marvelous.

Ultimately, I just want to help others. I originally thought that choosing this self-indulgent path of graphic design or whatever else relating to art was going to leave me bankrupt and unsatisfied with life, but I have never felt more happy with myself than when I did the Sasaki SEED program. I was truly myself. And my self-indulgence could possibly help someone.

I learned a huge lesson about how I view my happiness in relation to others. Design is allowing people to be themselves, to express themselves, and helping others prosper through your original work, and it is doing all those things for me.

Joydanze Bobb-Semple is a student at Simmons University, a social media designer at G | Code House, and was a 2020 SEED High School Intern.

The Sasaki Foundation Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program is in partnership with American Student Assistance and Sasaki.

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Landscape Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design Degree programs: MLA I, MLA I AP, MLA II

Our mission is to advance research and innovative design practices in the natural and built environments, as they intersect with processes of urbanization and the present realities of a changing climate.

gsd.harvard.edu/landscape-architecture/ gsd.harvard.edu/admissions/

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ACKNOWLEDGE COURTNEY D. SHARPE and LUIS PEREZ DEMORIZI in conversation with JOYIA SMIKLE, SASLA, JUNGYOON KIM, SONNY XU, TINA YUN-TING TSAI, SASLA and ZHAODI WANG, SASLA Editors’ Note: “ACKNOWLEDGE” is one of four conversations held as part of this Fieldbook issue.

Following are excerpts, intended as provocations and as invitations to listen to the entire session.

Watch online at www.bslafieldbook.org These discussions are rich, lively, thoughtprovoking, and impossible to summarize in a few pages. We hope that the following bits stimulate, challenge, inspire & energize.

Courtney: The first time I ever heard of landscape architecture was in graduate school. How did each of you discover landscape architecture as a potential career path and how do you think its public perception affects who is attracted to the field?

Luis: Growing up, I was exposed to architecture because my dad had been trained in it in the Dominican Republic, though during my formidable years in New York City, as an undocumented immigrant, he could not practice more than building furniture for our small apartment. So I was really exposed to design. It wasn’t until I came to Massachusetts where I was introduced to landscape architecture. Though this may sound cliché, I was looking at schools, trying to figure out a way to study design in way that my dad didn’t do.

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Joyia: I started off wanting to be an engineer and I didn’t get in to the program. So I thought I’d start with architecture and environmental science or something. I was looking through the majors and saw landscape architecture, what is this? It seemed like the integration of all these different things that I was interested in.

Zhaodi: I chose landscape architecture as my profession as a coincidence.

I was in my last year of high school and feeling really stressed out. My therapist shared with me a postcard by a Swedish landscape architect of a tiny garden on a cliff. The garden was so tiny and the ocean was so massive. It was breathtaking. Because of the postcard, I decided to learn more about this discipline.

Tina: I was introduced to the landscape architecture when I was studying

architecture in Taiwan and doing an urban design for a commercial harbor.

In this design, I found landscape was a different chapter than architecture, a different scale. Landscape knowledge in terms of ecology, public rooms, and social equity needs to be systematically integrated to balance environmental conservation and human needs. In Taiwan, it is so necessary currently due to shrinking coastlines and water management. That’s why I decided to expand my major into landscape architecture.

Jungyoon: The definition of landscape architecture is still somewhat vague. In some places, the public doesn’t know that landscape architecture is something that professionals designed and with intention. The natural looking thing is not natural, right? Architecture can be defined very easily as the building. But it’s harder for the public to recognize

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acts of intention. Ambiguity is

are trying to serve.When a group

Sonny: When I describe it to other people, I say that landscape architecture is everything you experience when you exit the door of any building.

And in a way, that empowers people – designers -- to think not only within the boundary lines that are given, but also of the city as a whole.

Sonny: When we do public engagement, I ask a question and then I just listen, because honestly, most times, I don’t know much about what people are experiencing day to day. It’s really, really key to listen.

something that we can see opportunity from because the profession is not very clearly defined yet. I think we have some room to play.

Luis: Start those conversations early!

I think a key aspect of successfully implementing a project that represents a marginalized population is public engagement and public engagement by people who look like the public they

of white landscape architects come to public meetings trying to suggest a way to fix a Black community, how does that even work?

The hope is to design something to make lives a little bit better. But how this actually turns out years later we need to go back and understand, and maybe tweak our design or modify it later on.

Courtney: And as you’re talking about engagement, that relates to my work in urban planning. It would be

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helpful if there were more landscape architects of the background of the neighborhood to help bridge some of those cultural gaps. While these might not be the exact numbers, in the United States, approximately 2% of landscape architects are Black and maybe 9% LatinXand maybe 20% Asian.

That could be challenging in a lot of communities. I’m wondering how that has shown up in your own experience generally?

Luis: I find myself in an office where I am the only brown skin person. That was the case in my previous job, and in my job before that, and in my education in landscape architecture. I think in general landscape architecture has a one-sided narrative: “let’s introduce nature wherever we can. Let’s bring this idealistic world, let’s bring the white world into our parks.” I think that the numbers of landscape architects that are

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BIPOC is really troublesome given that we have cities like Chicago, New York, and LA – Boston --where Black and Brown people are the majority.

Joyia: I just had a precedent study for my studio class. I tried to look for people that reminded me more of myself, so I went to look up Black landscape architects, and, as you know, there’s not much selection. I ended up choosing Glenn LaRue Smith, who’s the leader of the Black Landscape Architecture Network and also part of ASLA. Looking through his work, I saw that he was able to integrate people’s cultures for which he was designing for.

Zhaodi: Right now a key problem is minority or marginalized groups who don’t feel ownership of public spaces. In current industry practice, besides the public meeting, how do we reach those people and help them to establish a sense of ownership?

Luis: As a person working in the public sector, I think the solution could be pretty straightforward. You could approach the design of a new park or an open space similar to campaigning, right? In the midst of our busy lives, a few letters in mailboxes to come and have input on a park that’s down the street is not enough. We’re not going to add that to our calendar unless we really feel a sense of ownership, and minorities in this country have seldom felt like they own anything. Thus, not getting much turnout of people of color at public meetings. So the conversation is guided in one direction. As Jungyoon said, if we start early and the field is more diverse, than we could start tackling those issues.

Courtney: I’d like to underscore something Luis said about the feeling of a lack of ownership. Sometimes it’s more than a feeling. It’s historical fact that many groups of people of color, particularly Black people, have been purposely excluded from ownership of property in America. That has had negative impacts on ownership because you literally don’t.

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In Luis’ example, if the city is sending letters, who has time to show up?

What are you in your own personal life doing otherwise? Are you working in the evening? Do you have childcare?

The community engagement factor is one of the biggest questions, because it seems that it’s broken and very few people have figured out how to revolutionize it in a way that’s truly equitable, which also has this question of what is equitable representation, or what is representative representation. Like if you’re working at a neighborhood and some people show up, but it’s the same people, is that adequate? The metrics -- how do you account for people who are not in the room? And there’s also this idea of a silent majority. What if the people who aren’t there who are the majority have difference of opinions? There’s no current way to really evaluate that.

Luis: I think that perhaps now, the profession is moving toward environmental justice populations. But I think from a planning perspective, perhaps those populations should get targeted first for improvements in those neighborhoods which are traditionally immigrant, Brown, or Black. These populations are often next to railroads, next to post-industrial sites, next to highways, and they also suffer from language barriers, fears, and economic disparities. So how do we get to those people and target projects that really focus on them and their day-to-day experiences? That’s a big question that I don’t think any of us can answer at this point.

Joyia: Especially after this summer and Black Lives Matter, UMass has tried to integrate these types of questions into our curriculum more so that we can try to accommodate for more people.

Just getting perspectives from different professors of backgrounds would help a lot.

We don’t learn our actual history, especially in terms of Native Americans and Black people and slaves. We learn something that’s whitewashed. I think for landscape architecture, as many were saying earlier, if open public spaces relate more to the people around us, I

think that definitely is a better reflection than something made by someone who doesn’t know anything about the community. As landscape architects we should be more informed.

Jungyoon: It’s true that GSD is a Eurocentric school. I think that landscape history starting from Olmsted and Charles Elliot and Sylvester Baxter is still valid; the profession of landscape architecture relies heavily on the history of how American public space has developed. We should still teach that.

And it’s ALSO time for educators teach the other side of the history. For example, when the American National Park System was developed, Native Americans were kicked out of their territory. And a huge amount of labor

by Chinese immigrants and Native Americans and Black people made those huge constructions of the National Park System and the railways and everything.

Now is time for educators to embrace this other side of history of landscape architecture and public space. It’s also an opportunity to expand the realm of landscape architecture. It’s time to rethink and rewrite history, not by abandoning the core history that we’ve been teaching, but by embracing other aspects of the history, Luis: If we start earlier, before professional degrees, even in elementary school and middle school and high school, if various populations are represented in those history books, then folks will slowly start to feel like they have more of a voice for, or a place in that history. We’re no longer stepping into someone else’s world and trying to switch codes from home to the office. Showing these other stories is an important aspect of rewriting our history.

Courtney: I like that point about what it means to show up as yourself and know that where you are is a place that you are welcomed. It’s not that your

history isn’t a part of it. It’s that your history already was there and how to recognize it.

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Zhaodi Wang, SASLA, is a current student in the Master in Landscape Architecture program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she also received a Master of Design Studies in Technology. For two years she cochaired HarvardxDesign, a Harvard tech group with students from the GSD, HBS, and Harvard College, and for the past six years she’s been a graphic designer with Sofar Sounds, a global music community-based from London.

She earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Beijing Forestry University, and is originally from Qingdao, China and considers Cambridge home.

Jungyoon Kim is Assistant Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Founding principal of PARKKIM, a Seoul-based landscape architectural firm practicing beyond the conventional boundaries of the profession. She founded the firm with Yoon-jin Park in Rotterdam, upon their winning of the Taiwan Chichi Earthquake Memorial Design Competition (2004), and completed projects with diverse scale and nature, ranging from corporate landscapes to civic venues. Kim was selected as the ‘Design Leader of Next Generation’ (2007) awarded by the Korean Ministry of Commerce; appointed to ‘Seoul Public Architect’ (2011) by the Metropolitan Government Seoul; and, with Park, coauthored the book Alternative Nature (2016).

Sonny Xu is a Chinese Canadian architecture and landscape designer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He is working as a senior designer at Stoss Landscape Urbanism. Sonny received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 2013.

Among other awards, Sonny was the recipient of two Cornell Council for the Arts grants, one exploring paper texture at the nanoscale, one honoring physicist Hans Bethe’s work in nuclear astrophysics. Sonny received the Master of Architecture II and Master of Landscape Architecture in 2018 from Harvard GSD, where he has worked as a teaching and research assistant, and as a studio instructor for the Design Discovery summer program. Sonny is passionate about design teaching and discourse and most recently served as a teaching fellow at University of Calgary.

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Listen to the full conversation online at www.bslafieldbook.org.

Tina Yun-Ting Tsai, SASLA, is a landscape designer at STIMSON. She received her Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard GSD in 2020, and a Bachelors of Architecture from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, she is the recipient of the 2020 Penny White Award for her research on the shifting culture of hydrological systems in Taiwanese Hakka settlements.

Her student work garnered Awards of Excellence from the 2020 BSLA and 2020 ASLA Design Awards programs. During her time at the GSD, Tina honed in on issues surrounding littoral environments under dynamic circumstances such as sea level rise and insufficient public realms. She is also an amateur comic illustrator.

Luis Perez Demorizi is the Open Space Coordinator for the City of Newton, Massachusetts. A 2016 graduate of the Boston Architectural College with a Bachelor of Landscape (middle) Architecture degree, he received the Courtney D. Sharpe is an urban planner Sara E. Bourque and David F Jaquith who focuses on advancing equitable Landscape Architecture Award, the access to resources in communities.

Presently an MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Courtney is the former Director of Planning Degree Project Award, and the Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes Foundation for the Office of Arts and Culture of the Scholarship. Luis is originally from the City of Boston, where she also served at the BPDA as Senior Planner for Back Bay, Dominican Republic and grew up in Roxbury, and Mattapan. In her early career, the Bronx, New York. He enjoys design, construction, gardening, spending time she was a Peace Corps Volunteer and with his family and getting to know as worked for immigrant rights in Chicago. many trails and parks as he possibly She received her bachelor’s degree from can. He’s particularly interested in issues Northwestern University and Masters in of inequality, diversity and inclusion.

Urban Planning from the Harvard GSD, where she co-chaired the inaugural Black in Design Conference in 2015. (bottom center) Joyia Smikle is an undergraduate student in bachelors of landscape architecture program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the 2020 Award winner of the Paul W. Ryan Scholarship Fund. Joyia has worked with professor Carolina Aragon, ASLA, on RisingEMOTIONS (East Boston, 2019) and FutureSHORELINE (Fort Point Channel, 2020-2021). Both installations engage citizens around issues of sea level rise, flooding, and landscape. Joyia is particularly interested in green planning initiatives for low-income communities and how best to combat food deserts, and is from Atlanta, Georgia.

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KANANI D’ANGELO

INDIGENOUS HISTORIES IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN

As a Native Hawaiian who had the privilege of growing up in Hawai’i, much of my life has been spent helping to revive the Hawaiian culture through practice: learning our language and traditional crafts, restoring native ecosystems, and observing traditional values. When I entered the design field, I continued to search for ways that I could continue these practices and use my position as a designer to help other indigenous peoples do the same.

Though I have encountered many projects and efforts that aim to celebrate the culture and history of a place, I have noticed that the vast majority of them don’t tell the whole story. Too often we stop too early, only acknowledging the old railroad that ran through the site, or the rundown factory that our project will give new purpose to. We often fail to go back to the time that indigenous people stewarded that space.

We overlook the generations that lived in harmony with the area; the ones who didn’t leave such physical marks to be remembered by.

And yet, we so eagerly discuss the natural ecology of this time. We study these natural systems and how we can bring them back into a site; we often design to restore the wetlands or woodlands, even through simple things like natural stormwater management or choosing to plant native trees.

Why, then, do we fail to acknowledge the indigenous peoples that lived amongst these ecosystems we look to restore? Why do we not celebrate the people who fished in these waters, and hunted in these woods? The ones whose canoe rode through the marshes and rivers, and homes stood on the lands? The ones who are still here to this day.

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“Though many projects and efforts aim to celebrate the culture and history of a place, too often we stop too early. We overlook the generations that lived in harmony with the area; the ones who didn’t leave physical marks to be remembered by. “

Below are the four strategies — a sort of handbook — that I’ve begun to identify as ways one can celebrate and incorporate the indigenous peoples of our landscacpe architecture projects.

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First and absolute foremost is to have reverence for the site, and to understand what was there before.

Though many cities have gone through changes that make the natural landscape unrecognizable today, some spaces still have spiritual or cultural importance, and should be celebrated as such.

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Two, make space for indigenous people and their cultural practices.

Take the time to find the indigenous peoples of an area, and engage with them to better understand how your space can accommodate them.

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Three, celebrate indigenous histories through design and storytelling.

Tell the traditional stories of your project, whether they be site or regionally specific histoires.

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Finally, go through the design process practicing the values of the indigenous peoples of your area.

Many indigenous cultures held a great reverence for nature, and practiced balance, so your design and its function can help to restore our balance with nature. Choose a planting palette that is of that place, and incorporate culturally significant plantings in a meaningful way.

Kanani D’Angelo is a landscape designer with Stoss, and has worked in both their Boston and Los Angeles offices. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2019, where she studied architectural studies.

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PLACEMAKING AS PROTOCOL: An Innovative Strategy in the Fight for Affordable Housing KIMBERLY C. DRIGGINS

“Equitable access to parks and open space is critical to creating mixedincome communities, and this takes on even greater significance during a pandemic. Access to quality open space is essential for one’s physical and emotional well-being. “

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Affordable homes in the United States, especially in major metropolitan areas like Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. have become an increasingly rare commodity. When planners, politicians and advocacy groups talk about the challenge, their conversations tend to focus on the numbers: inventory, demographics, and economics. While these are important elements, what often is ignored is the importance of placemaking.

The Washington Housing Conservancy (WHC) has a different approach. The innovative model of this relatively new nonprofit organization builds rent stability and prevents residential displacement while creating vibrant communities that remain affordable. WHC is harnessing the power of real estate capital and expertise to purchase thousands of units in neighborhoods at risk for redevelopment and gentrification.

We offer residents the kind of peace of mind from escalating rents that opens the door to opportunity for themselves and their families. By disrupting the market forces that continue to erode affordability, we are preventing the disruption of lives.

There is, however, an element that further distinguishes our approach. Instead of focusing solely on giving residents an affordable roof over their heads, we are creating places where residents want to be.

The Economic and Social Landscape Low-income and middle-income residents increasingly are being priced out of homes where they have often lived for years. In “hot” real estate markets where development gravitates to profit from higher-end housing, affordable housing has become a scarce resource.

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PERSPECTIVES The housing sector also has not been exempt from systemic racism and inequality. As many as four in ten neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. experienced gentrification between 2000 and 2013, pushing 20,000 Black residents from their homes.

Yet, residential zip codes continue to define the likelihood of economic success over a lifetime.

The home of the Washington Housing Conservancy is a majority-renter city, with 60% of all households in 2018 renting their homes, according to American Community Survey data. Nearly one in four renter households spent more than 50% of their income on rent. Rent consumed between 31% and 50% of another 20% of the households—well above the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s recommended 30% threshold. The challenges to closing the “affordability gap” are staggering.

The COVID-19 crisis has further exacerbated the inequalities.

Since the coronavirus crisis took hold, nonpayment of rents in D.C. has climbed to 20%. As many as two out of every ten households are in danger of eviction. Additionally, the historical inequities that force lower-income residents to live in crowded housing and in neighborhoods lacking in grocery stores, health care, and other vital services and amenities have left them even more vulnerable to the pandemic.

A Fusion: Commercial Real Estate and Social Impact Expertise In D.C. alone, where an average two-bedroom apartment rents for $2,921, more than 72,000 households fall into the affordability gap. Ongoing threats to future affordability—and stability—frequently tie up so much of a resident’s financial and mental energy, little is left over for such life enhancements as education, training, and savings. In 2018, a group of socially minded developers engaged community leaders in a new solution to meet the challenge.

They envisioned an organization that would fuse private sector capital and know-how with social impact expertise to disrupt market forces that otherwise make it almost impossible to create and preserve homes that are affordable. The leadership of this new intiative sought to focus on earners who often form a “missing middle”–that is, individuals and families whose income makes them ineligible for public subsidy but isn’t enough to carve out a space for a home in an increasingly expensive housing marketplace.

The result is the Washington Housing Initiative. The Initiative encompasses a social impact pool that provides flexible private capital that can be deployed with speed in strong markets where this lack of capital often impedes the purchase of apartments and the preservation of homes with affordable rents. What is anticipated to become a $150 million investment vehicle, managed by JBG SMITH, provides loans to preserve affordable workforce housing, with investor returns capped at 7%.

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The Washington Housing Initiative also includes the Washington Housing Conservancy as a self-sustaining nonprofit that owns and operates housing that is affordable for a diverse workforce.

The Conservancy is purchasing 3,000 units in high-impact neighborhoods, locations defined as places that are relatively affordable today, but in the path of redevelopment.

The Indisputable Value of Placemaking Housing alone does not make for a sense of community, however. WHC employs expertise in intentional placemaking and community building strategies to foster inclusion, cultural affirmation, and a deeper connection to, collective stewardship of, and responsibility for place. This includes maximizing resident choice and voice. Often residents feel left out of decisions about place and WHC aims to ensure residents have consequential decision-making authority within their communities.

Equitable access to parks and open space is critical to creating mixed-income communities, and this takes on even greater significance during a pandemic. Access to quality open space is essential for one’s physical and emotional well-being. Public spaces that are revived, connected, and open to all residents also counter isolation and mistrust and promote stronger civic engagement. When residents from different backgrounds come together, they can also share experiences and knowledge that reduce isolation and foster trust. The mere fact that they are present in the same place can help promote diversity and inclusion.

Making welcoming, vibrant and culturally enriched spaces is essential to WHC’s work to open new doors to stability and opportunity for residents. For the surrounding community, access to nature and the positive effects of environmental sensitivity and sustainability promote resilience and public health. Investments in vibrant public and shared places also improve housing value, retail activity, and community safety.

Creating places where residents and neighbors want to be must be an indisputable pillar in the effort to create housing that is affordable to people at all income levels. Central to the WHC mission to disrupt a downward economic and housing spiral, our placemaking strategies give residents the chance to embrace a fuller sense of belonging—a sense of “home.”

Kimberly C. Driggins is the Executive Director of the Washington Housing Conservancy. A national expert in creative placemaking, she has over 20 years of experience in urban planning and development. She was a 2015-2016 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

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Dear STIMSON Team Lauren Stimson holds masters degrees in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from UMass Amherst, and studied theater and geology at Bates College. She has a deep love for New England, where she was raised, and an interest in the overlap between the built environment and the rural landscape.

LAUREN STIMSON, ASLA

Lauren Stimson, ASLA and Stephen Stimson, FASLA became 50/50 partners of STIMSON on January 1, 2020.

This is Lauren’s fourth feature essay for Fieldbook.

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STIMSON August 22, 2020

Dear STIMSON team:

I have been wanting to write this to you all for a long time.

But it is not easy to pen something when you are trying to figure it out at the same time. Bear with me while I share these thoughts with you real time.

The last several months have been a mixed bag. COVID-19 was, and continues to be, both in your face and the elephant in the room. We all seem to know someone who has lost someone. Or has had it and beat it. It is still outthere. So, we brace ourselves and protect one another as best we can. And respect that everyone has their own way of coping with the threat of this virus and the manifestation of the related stress it brings. We are all adjusting to working remotely. In many ways, we’ve figured it out—running the studio right now feels like a solid B—not an A and not a C. Nothing is perfect, but we are doing better than status quo. We are grateful for that, and to have the security of our clients who keep us all employed. At this point, we have no plans to officially re-open either studio until there is a vaccine for the virus and everyone has received it.

Just when we thought COVID was bad, two more innocent Black people, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, were killed by police in March and May, this immediately after the February killing in Georgia of Ahmaud Abrey. By the time the George Floyd murder happened, something snapped in our country, and even beyond our borders. Anger—and lots of it—came pouring out in every direction. Police brutality and racial tensions are not a new thing, but this time it just feels different.

The Black Lives Matter movement is more powerful and causing so much more response and action than I have seen before in my lifetime. Or maybe it’s just that I’m at an age and in a position to actually do something, instead of just read about it. So for me, as a leader, even in this small company, there was and still is an enormous feeling of I have to do something.

And this is where I will start to go off, but if you stick with me, I hope this will all eventually make sense.

When the Black Lives Matter protests started to heat up, I immediately began to write and write and think and

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overthink, and I was driving myself and Steve, crazy. The BLM movement of 2020 has undoubtedly awakened something inside of me that has probably always been there, but in recent years, been largely ignored, because I simply haven’t felt the need to address it. The first thing I realized, in my anger and frustration with the incidents of police brutality, is that I identify with people of color as much as I identify with people who are white. There is something inside of me that awakens a chip on my shoulder, that actually allows me to turn off my white side, and discard it in embarrassment. It may sound odd, but this is how I feel.

I am half Filipina and half white. My mother is an immigrant, born and raised in the Philippines and my father is American.

They met when my father was in the Peace Corps during the Vietnam War. He stayed an extra year after he married my mother there, and my sister was born in Manila. They came back to the States in 1969. At the time, they lived in Worcester.

Ethnically diverse, but definitely segregated neighborhoods.

By the time I was born in ’77, they moved to a smaller town neighboring Worcester. Not so diverse. There was only one other minority family and they were Vietnamese. Oanh Thi Nguyen was my first friend in kindergarten. I sat next to her on the bus on the first day of school simply because she looked like me. She became my closest friend. She stuck with me when Melissa Perry said to me in fourth grade in the lunch line ‘no cuts, chink!’. In sixth grade my mom came home from work -- she was the business manager in our local public school system, good with numbers, but not allowed to speak at School Committee meetings -- crying, upset because someone in the office had teased her for pronouncing something wrong. I was confused and mad. Why did people make fun of my mother? I couldn’t and still to this day cannot hear her accent. I was born with it, so I cannot hear it. These things and moments get burned into your brain and your identity.

I went to Iskwelang Pilipino (Filipino School) every Sunday in Newton in the basement of Eliot Church with about thirty other kids. We learned music, language, dance, craft and cooking. My mother taught music and my father taught arts and crafts. My sister was in the older kids group and I was in the younger. I had a lot of friends from the greater Boston

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“So, this concept of third space as a place that exists because a person cannot fit into a majority first or minority second space, became an emotional breakthrough for me. It was the first time I felt understood, and accepted that it was ok for me to simply have the freedom to define myself in a different way than my parents do. ”

area who were mestiza (half and half) like us. I thought it was pretty normal to have this routine of weekly school with my mostly white friends and weekend time with my pinoy friends.

I liked Iskwelang Pilipino because most of the kids looked like me. My high school experience was similar, with more white friends at school and pinoy culture was left to home through food and family. Freshman year in college, my uncle and his wife and their four kids immigrated from the Philippines.

My parents helped to sponsor them. They lived with us for several years before they could afford to buy their own house a couple miles away. It was amazing having my four little cousins around. They would grow up to outshine academically and now professionally. Many of you know my cousin, Jun (Ariel), who was an Associate here before leaving for PWP. At the same time this was happening at home, the diversity at Bates College was pretty eye opening for me. When I found out Freshman year that I was awarded a four-year minority scholarship, it was a reminder of my mixed heritage. I became active with the group on campus, Sangai Asia, had classmates from all walks of life and professors like I had never known, one who was Black and another a lesbian. They were my mentors during those years.

Fast forward to my third year in graduate school at UMass Amherst. I was taking a seminar The Social Construction of Space with Professor Patricia McGirr. We had just read Foucault. Now we were on to Soja. And then a discussion of ‘third space’ and what it meant for those of us in the class who were of mixed race (there were two of us). We were to come up with our own definitions from our own perspective.

It was the most illuminating discussion I had experienced in an academic setting. I had never thought of my mixed race as something that made me different from my parents. And yet, it became so clear to me. I am not the same as my mother or my father. I am half of each of them. I have never felt 100% part of my Filipino family. Even as a child visiting relatives in the Philippines, running around barefoot playing in the street, eating food with my hands—there came a point when they would slip into Tagalog and I realized I don’t understand what

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they are saying. I felt like an outsider. And on my dad’s side, I had a cousin who was just eighteen months younger than me.

We were close, like sisters. She looked so much like my father with her blonde hair and green eyes that when we were all out in public, people often thought she belonged to my father and I was my mother’s child—like my father was not actually my father.

When I graduated from UMass, I remember it like yesterday.

Coming down to the Cape to interview at STIMSON. It wasn’t my first choice of where to work. Several years earlier, I had actually skipped the Zube Lecture by Stephen Stimson, thinking it was more important to crank in studio since there was no way I was going to work for a small firm that did ‘residential garden design on Cape Cod.’ Yes, I was one of those easily angered social justice types that thought for sure I would end up in the Peace Corps or with a non-profit that worked with underrepresented populations. I stayed a fourth year to do a planning degree. My thesis focused on tearing apart the way the National Park Service writes formulaic cultural landscape reports. I had a bone to pick and I certainly wasn’t going to be swayed by second homes on Nantucket and infinity swimming pools.

Looking back, I was so naïve coming out of graduate school. I had my own implicit bias before I even walked in the door at 15 Depot Ave in Falmouth, the old STIMSON studio. What ended up happening was a complete surprise to me. I was totally impressed. The layout, the work, the craft, the incredible studies—the prolific hand sketches and digital renderings on the walls, the models, the pure love of design and excitement for any scale and any context. And the people—everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Did I mention the four other Asians that I totally connected with after my interview, and went on to work alongside for the next four years? Not to mention a group of amazing people from all walks of life, from all over the country, all ages, like an immediate extended family, assembled together with a common goal: work hard with pride, build beautiful and meaningful landscapes, and

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love what you do. Gone was that feeling of competition that grad school breeds so well. I loved the total collaboration in those early days of STIMSON, staying late on deadlines, cranking on design options and learning from everyone around me. Who knew you could have that much diversity in an eighteen-person studio in Falmouth, Massachusetts. In the years to come, even more diversity would flow through our doors, enriching our culture and practice, forming life-long friendships with designers across the country and the world.

And here we are today. This is really how we like it—a melting pot of ethnicity, race, gender, lifestyles and design thinking.

So, this concept of third space as a place that exists because a person cannot fit into a majority first or minority second space, became an emotional breakthrough for me. It was the first time I felt understood, and accepted that it was ok for me to simply have the freedom to define myself in a different way than my parents actually do. A safe space to feel confident in my own half and half skin and identity. Since then, I have spoken to a lot of other people of mixed race who say the same thing—that they feel they aren’t quite part of any group except the one that is like them, half this or half that.

But never really part of the whole. This self-identity stuff is complicated and I’m learning that the bottom line is, when I see someone who is an ethnic minority getting the shit end of the stick, I get really pissed off and fast. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder and I feel I have something personally at stake. Because there’s a part of me that identifies with them.

After all of this, I have eventually come full circle. Which is back to the I have to do something.

After speaking with many of you individually as well as the leadership at STIMSON, designers and principals in other studios, and other professionals in leadership positions (all both white and BIPOC), I started to write a statement that spoke about STIMSON’s BLM actions and our commitment.

What happened is I got wrapped up into a very personal emotional journey about my own identity which I am sharing

with you right now. I shared my first sloppy and candid draft with several people outside of the studio, and with a group within the studio, and received a lot of really critical feedback that has definitely shaped our action plan. My big revelation was that I could not simply issue a statement about our actions in response to BLM without discussing my own history and experiences. I have never discussed my ethnicity and race publicly like this before at STIMSON. I feel compelled to do so now, especially after speaking to other people of color, in our studio and beyond, for one simple reason: It makes a difference when someone who identifies as a minority is leading the charge with initiatives and action items related to these sensitive topics. It is important to recognize that we are not simply another landscape architecture practice owned and led by a white male. We have diversity in our leadership, as well as our collective, in both ethnicity, race and gender. And this is something to celebrate and expand upon in our journey as a design practice.

The BLM movement this time around has resonated with me because of where I am personally and professionally in my own life. I know others in the studio are having their own revelations and thoughts, and many have written to me already. I have taken a transparent step to introduce my feelings and identity to you all, within the broader context of this movement. I encourage you all to share your own experiences, stories and insight with all of us, if you are comfortable doing so. Use whatever forum or method makes you feel heard and empowered. Each one of you has a story and a stake in BLM. You have experiences, ideas and passions that we want to hear about. This is a time to grow together as a studio, and this movement has initiated unprecedented action and uncomfortable but necessary conversations.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Please find on our website (www.stimsonstudio.com) the status of STIMSON’s action in support of BLM that we have undertaken to date, as well as action that we will continue to pursue.

xx Lauren Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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/ Our species has interfered with the earth’s natural healing processes. The earth comes with the tools for fixing the problems we’ve caused if we use our ingenuity to make it happen.

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken, suggests dozens of carbon reducing solutions that are both natural and man-made.

When I first read this book, I was shocked at how many solutions could be done by landscape designers, architects, and planners, from food and agriculture to land use to transportation to coastal and ocean sinks and wetlands conservation. Though what struck me most of all was how important trees and other vegetation are to the design of global solutions. Forests are essential and need to be more abundant. Intuitively I knew this, but the data quantified it. I could use my experience and training in systems thinking, landscape architecture, and ecology to make a difference.

I believe that I am a powerful conduit that can harness a forest as one of the earth’s most powerful tools for healing. We all are. I am also a member of a species, nation, gender, and race that needs healing.

FORESTS:

Our Tool for Healing Climate and People LIZ LUC CLOWES, ASSOC. ASLA

“Go to the forest, feel present, and be present.

Then design. “

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The spectacular unravelling of systems happening before our eyes in 2020 is a manifestation of the intensifying disconnect to nature.

Certainly, many can feel that our predicament is a convergence of environmental, social, economic, political, and public health problems. The data shows us that this litany of trouble has been brewing for centuries, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and since the founding of our country. Given what confronts us now, we need broader thinking. Our projects must directly address multiple factors at once. That is not to say that a new park will solve poverty in the neighborhood. It is to design a park with space for a farmers’ market, or places with bike lanes that make it easier to get to work. It is about always designing with added value.

Forests are healing tools effective in many applications. Not only do they sequester carbon, but they also provide a welcome break in our day-to-day lives. They provide moments of respite and bring incredible health benefits. Forests are places where a visitor can feel joy and the freedom to just ”be.”

The notion that we can’t fix social injustice until we fix the existential environmental threat is a false narrative. By asking good questions, through a systems approach, we can discover, for example, the interconnectedness of social change, resource depletion, poor public health and housing pressures. We don’t need to solve them all, but awareness helps us design climate mitigation strategies that may ameliorate these human needs.

Questions might be: Why can’t we replenish a depleted site while nurturing a community? How might multiple variables such as the economy, levels of equality, consumption, energy usage, human intuition and potential benefit from this landscape project? What process can I use to unlock public creativity while designing with this community?

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PERSPECTIVES We don’t have to be systems experts to see that the system is unraveled and out of balance. Signs are everywhere. Our air and water are polluted. The planet is throwing hurricanes, fires, and drought at our habitat. Corporate interests dominate civil society. And people are experiencing continued brutality, poor health, and incompetent governance. While the larger system grinds towards a different equilibrium, we don’t know if this shift will result in a new awakening or if we will reach the Limits to Growth, as first written by Dr. Donella Meadows in 1972.

While today is a time of uncertainty, is it also an opportunity for brave individuals, organizations, and communities to reach for fresh perspectives and paradigm shifts. If working with change agents in visible places and with the vast middle ground of folks towards a common goal, it is possible to shift societal beliefs.

Pursuing a Masters in Landscape Architecture degree was a chance for me to engage in this work. I took every sustainability or resiliency class I could fit into my schedule. For my thesis, I determined that municipalities could reduce CO2 emissions by planting urban forests and engaging in strategic land use. First, I showed how Worcester, MA could initiate a mass planting of urban “forests,” utilize abandoned spaces, adjust zoning, and implement other similar strategies. The term “forest” takes shape here as a combination of traditional, dense-canopy forest patches, street tree clusters, arboreta, and vegetated parking lots, medians, and corridors adjacent to all paved roadways. In aggregate, with proper tree selection, these strategies became the urban forest. After extrapolating ambient C02 measurements, I moved to calculating how much CO2 residents were producing -- their carbon footprint. I cautiously approached the idea that we might be able to plant trees to offset that number, but it because quickly clear that there was no way we could plant that many trees. The third piece of my thesis was to supplement sequestration with trees that had sculptural carbon capture devices.

This exercise left me with a deep reverence for the history and power of forests. I learned, to my delight, that many cities are increasing their tree canopy as tactic for cooling and providing beauty. Many of us who did not grow up with a lot of trees in urban neighborhoods can learn and do this vital work. Our voices can be that “small shift or one thing [that] can produce big changes in everything,” as suggested by Dr. Meadows in 1992. Dr. Meadows might also say that the field of landscape architecture should therefore “have immense interest [in our perspective] if it seeks to affect change in the interconnected ecological, social and economic systems. (I was lucky to be a Fellow at the Academy for Systems Change, where Meadows’ systems dynamics work continues to inform strategies for complex problem solving.)

I say start by spending time in the woods.

To begin, we have to ask the RIGHT questions and amplify the work. Questions might be: How can we prevent industrial polluters from dumping in neighborhoods? Is profit the only Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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motive of corporations? How do we support policies that clean the air and water? How can land use planning improve agriculture or urban design? Can I work with developers to reduce emissions?

Can we continue engagement in open space planning through preservation, education, recreation, agriculture, and regenerative forests? And as we answer each question, we follow up with an on the ground translated design.

Recently, marine biologist and conservation strategist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson combined forces with Drawdown editor in chief Katharine Wilson to release an anthology of 60 women climate leaders, All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis. I had started reading Dr. Johnson’s work because having grown up in Boston, I had a strong desire to do coastal mitigation for my great city. I met her last summer in Woods Hole after her lecture at the Marine Biology Lab. She had presented her research on “The Future of Ocean Conservation.” Her research methods in the Caribbean, her attentive questioning of fishermen, and the coalition building across national waters, led to effective zoning and preservation of the Caribbean Sea. Her presentation that Friday night kept everyone in the packed audience at the edge of their seat. The content was rich with well-chosen data. But her presentation style, her ability to connect across race, education levels, and generations was astounding. (I was so impressed by the message AND the messenger. Her Black girl magic was brilliant that night. I felt so proud in the sisterhood!) Dr. Johnson is that perfect example of how a messenger analyzing the complexity of a system’s parts, asking the right questions (systems thinking), and designing work in partnership with those affected (design thinking), can be great levers of change.

We can add new perspectives to a core of well tested, successful strategies. We can work with allies. With new bodies AT the proverbial table we can begin asking” why do we even need a table anyway?“ or maybe we redesign the table or the process of gathering.

I ask, instead of a garden or park, why not a forest? The physical places that need the most healing, those battered by climate disasters, those left behind by economic downturn need forests.

Schoolyards, and similar places need forests too.

In closing, I offer a thought from author Joanna Macy: “The biggest gift you can give to a community is to be absolutely present.” Be present in your design thinking. Be hopeful enough but remain clear as to see who you serving. Don’t let the enormity of the challenge close access to the depths of your creativity. Go to the forest, feel present, and be present. Then design.

Liz Luc Clowes is owner of Luc Clowes Landscape Design. She graduated with a MLA from the Boston Architectural College in 2019, strengthened by a Design Certificate from the Landscape Institute. She also holds an MBA from Babson College, and had an earlier career in business and nonprofit management. Current projects range from residential design to campus planning to conservation planning.

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SOCIAL URBANISM An INTRODUCTION The geographical splendor and enigmatic nature of Latin America’s terrain has offered us an endless fountain of wealth and glory. Overlooked as the source of frivolous whims, triggering its own subordination, the traditional narrative of Latin America has oft omitted a much deeper understanding of the ecological and spatial relationships forged in these territories. Behind the powerful, rugged mountains, along the abundant watersheds, and from the rich flora and fauna, natural resources produced by the arduous labor of indigenous people and enslaved cultures have provid- ed Europe and the United States with commodities and a high standard of living, of which the locals are not permitted to delight. In response to such a divisive ploy, this work provides an alternate view, where the magical allure of the landscape is not the culprit, rather, one where the landscape is a “cultural space,” formed and influenced by the regional geography, providing lasting meaning to its community and allowing a productive exchange between habitable space and the social values of humankind to coexist.

Social Urbanism provides insight into 21st-century frameworks for a more equitable view of development for politicians, urbanists, landscape architects, architects, faculty, and students, as well as for communities who believe that the future of living spaces must be reconsidered in order for us to provide for, and partake in, a more humane, global arena. Social urban- ism, defined as a socio-political and practical approach to urban global- ization, derives from a planning strategy and a portfolio of built projects initiated as a response to the social crisis in Medellín, Colombia during the last decades of the 20th-century.

Through the work presented here, social urbanism is expanded as a worldview that considers the cultural values of a given place as interconnected to the geographical landscape of the region, and therefore, as the driving forces behind future models of globalization and urban growth.

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A journey through Latin America’s robust landscape reveals how the interruption between geography and culture has led to the belittlement of indigenous and Latin American cultures and communities, and to the negligence of resulting planning frameworks for well over five centuries. The imposition of Spanish Colonization and European Imperialism are unearthed,

to comprehend how over time the magnitude of corruption stemming from international development strategies have steadily superseded distinct and inclusive agendas that should be geared toward re- gional progress. Driven by greed, through foreign extraction of the land’s purest resources, and of its people, a clearer understanding of why local development in Latin America has failed comes into view. The United States’s political and economic interests, as the sequel plot, is explored through capitalist ventures that have dominated Latin American territories for over a century, and which continue to burden this region’s resources, oppressing its communities to this day.

In order to dig deeper, Medellín, located in central Colombia in the Valle de Aburrá, is explored in detail in order to analyze how its geographical location, as well as its mountainous tributary character, relates to this prom- inent city’s historical, political, and economic evolution. The migration patterns of the agrarian Aburrae people down from the mountains to the valley, along the Medellín River, and their return to the mountainside are traced, indicating a natural course and settlement pattern that has been interrupted as a result of invasive development schemes. The outcomes have led to erratic frameworks and to a place where the community has been left physically and culturally disconnected, having to instead surren- der their livelihood to violence and terror.

The revitalization outcomes of Medellín have been renowned worldwide. Initially recognized as the pit of the earth, and most recently, as a designer’s dream hub, this is a trending city where projects and tactics in urbanism abound and are referenced as being on the cusp of solving the Latin American development dilemma. It is through a bilateral participatory process among city leaders and the Medellín community, together with an array of strategic planning projects, transit systems, buildings and cultural programs, that social urbanism offers valuable lessons for transforming a politically, economically, and socially broken city into a veritable renaissance.

While the marvels of Medellín’s epoch over the past 10 years provide significant insight into future plans for urban development, these are then scrutinized against longer-term planning parameters to understand the full value and replicability for neighboring and/or comparable urbanizing areas. In Medellín,

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MARIA BELLALTA, ASLA Maria Bellalta is dean and faculty of the School of Landscape Architecture at the Boston Architectural College.

This text is the Introduction to her book, Social Urbanism: Reframing Spatial Design — Discourses from Latin America, published by Applied Research & Design, December 2020. Reprinted by permission.

the inclusive focus and the planning and architectur- al projects implemented through this social urbanism approach, have signaled the way toward a socio-cultural shift, yet these maneuvers have not managed to resolve the discord of the city, nor of the country, for prolonged periods of time. The truth of the matter is that the investment interests remain in the hands of the Global North, over a local focus, recreating past scenarios where the community and the region’s resources continue to be violated, therefore repeating similarly disjointed socioeconomic practices, and only perpetuating a misaligned spatial paradox.

Through a broader view of social urbanism, implemented not only through political processes and a targeted list of urban projects geared toward the community, yet also by an emphasis on the unique character of the regional and local geography as inherent elements of urban development, the necessary re-contextualization of space is unfolded. This gives way to a plausible direction forward, where the intimacy between landscape and culture are restored. The realization that we are today all connected through our “collective culture,” through global ecologies, economies, and overlapping socio-political spheres, the possibility for an integrated framework derives, providing a renewed vision for eradicating the divide that has delineated the Global North from the Global South for so long.

An ideal moment of grounded perspectives affecting urban development is identified, reframed through our mutual agency, where global equity can be reconsidered.

A pedagogical process for guiding spatial designers and emerging profes- sionals in cross-contextual experiences, moreover, considers these social urbanism practices and projects further. Academic studies situated in Medellín, Colombia, conducted between local design students from Co- lombia and the United States, examine the expanding spatial patterns in the urban, peri-urban, and rural contexts of the city. These studies fixate on the underlying principle that future models for urban development must be informed through a deeper analysis and understanding of the region- al, geographical landscape, as well as through direct interactions with the local community that reveals the delicate nuances and roots of their customs.

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Six years of international academic collaborations have invited students of spatial design to consider the distinct socio-political, economic, and en- vironmental parameters of Medellín and its environs. The unique qualities of the regional landscape and of its communities are considered through the mutual assessment of local, as well as international in-situ experiences, and, as a result, offer valuable insights into urgent ideologies geared toward a global design paradigm.

The points of view of multiple colleagues and experts across differing fields provide introspection on the value and implementation of social urbanism. Stemming from a range of disciplines, including spatial the- orists, urbanists, politicians, scientists, anthropologists, and community leaders with whom I have collaborated and admire, the greater impacts and applications of social urbanism are evaluated. These shared opinions strengthen the significance of this work and affirm our joint values and visions for the global urbanization challenges we are confronting in the 21st-century, and which continue into the future.

In the end, these perceptions reflect on firsthand experiences that further support the premises of social urbanism. Born in London to a family of Chilean and British descent, and having lived in Santiago during my childhood and adolescent years, to have later been exiled to the United States during the NixonPinochet era, I offer my own ideas over how the landscape shapes us. As a foreigner and as an urbanist in search of responses to the challenges confronting spatial planning in our time, the principles behind social urbanism provide an alternative vision, as well as the impetus for a global, social movement, for practicing and teaching the intricate connections between geography and social equity, and therefore for redirecting us toward a transformative new world.

By the time I had finished writing this book, the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic became a global syndrome affecting communities worldwide. The publishing deadline and restrictions at the time prevented me from ably expounding on these issues, although it seems clear that the advocacy for social and spatial reform through this work has been heightened by the detriment of our social distancing and isolation. We are understanding through this ultimate environmental crisis that we can only move forward through our mutual best practices, where “we are all in this together,” as we explore the possibilities for the future.

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QUINCY CENTER Quincy, Massachusetts MONIQUE HALL, ASLA We, the landscape architects, engineers, and planners of BSC Group, been proud partners to the City of Quincy, Massachusetts for over a decade, contributing to public and private development. This work has encompassed a variety of vibrant and engaging spaces, laying the groundwork for the City’s ongoing revival into a thriving downtown neighborhood.

BSC’s role in Quincy Center began approximately six years ago, when an effort to evaluate public spaces for development resulted in transforming the Hancock Parking Lot into a mixed-use space featuring public amenities, commercial spaces, new housing, and a much-needed parking garage. As part of a series of investments in Quincy, the new plaza offers easy access to each of these amenities in a modern and attractive space designed for all to enjoy.

Developing Urban Design for the Public Our work on the new plaza at the former Hancock Parking Lot embodies the fusion of tradition and function fueling the City’s growth. Surrounded by commercial space on all sides, this new public plaza serves as a major pedestrian circulation space, connecting new and existing commercial spaces as well as a new 700-car parking garage. The plaza paving palette is extended to adjacent alleys and sidewalk areas to engage and invite pedestrians into this public space. City signature lighting and the brick banding at sidewalk edges further reinforce an inviting public realm.

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An essential pedestrian connection to the plaza is the 2-story glass Atrium that fronts Hancock Street and anchors the south end of the plaza. The east anchor of the plaza is the historic Fours Restaurant. The previous outdoor dining area abutted the Hancock Parking Lot. The new plaza design more than doubles the outdoor seating capacity and provides much more appealing views for diners. While BSC could not have imagined the challenges faced in 2020 when developing initial designs for the space, expanded outdoor dining areas such as this have proved vital to local businesses. Throughout the plaza, additional seating areas provide a place to stop and enjoy a coffee, meet with friends, or simply people-watch. Surrounded by restaurants and businesses, the space offers a contemporary downtown feel.

Development of this critical piece of the public realm required coordination between the City and adjacent businesses to create a design that seamlessly merged the public plaza space with the adjacent building façade and entrances. The plaza’s heart is a flexible use hardscape area designed to accommodate programmed activities such as performances, food trucks, farmers markets, and various fairs. The focus on hardscape paving in the plaza design acts as a complement to other public spaces within the City, furthering the goal of providing an array of areas and uses for the community and demonstrating Quincy’s commitment to redevelopment that serves a wide demographic.

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The paving materials were selected to complement the variety of rich textures found in Quincy’s architectural works, such as the Thomas Crane Library and Adams Academy. The array of paving textures pays homage to these national treasures. The paving palette includes large granite planks, granite cobbles, brick pavers, exposed aggregate concrete paving, and permeable concrete pavers. The granite plank herringbone pattern is a nod to the new garage’s contemporary aesthetic, which serves as the west anchor to the plaza. Spaulding Tougias Architects, the garage designers, diligently crafted the façade to closely resemble building architecture rather than a municipal garage. As a result, the plaza space is more inviting, and the City’s vision for enhancing and expanding the public realm is further realized.

forecasts and automatically shuts off when a leak in the system is detected.

Considering Environmental Impacts in Development Design

With sustainability at its core, contemporary Quincy Center honors the city’s rich history while it embraces the future.

We developed a contemporary design that honors the City’s rich history and has sustainability at its core. The multi-use plaza includes 16,000 square feet of permeable paving, which provides pretreatment of stormwater runoff. This approach is especially meaningful considering the recently completed restoration and daylighting of Town Brook, which hopes to support more than one million herring during their annual migration. The plaza design also includes sand-based structural soils below the permeable paving; providing larger soil volumes for sustaining healthy tree canopies while maximizing the available plaza space. BSC also partnered with Aqueous Consultants to provide a smart irrigation system that accounts for local weather

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Public Spaces that Foster Economic Development and a Promising Future The development of the plaza at Quincy Center was designed to not only offerss a public space to be enjoyed but also with the goal of spurring economic growth within the neighborhood.

The durable, sustainable materials selected for the project reflect a space poised to attract further private investment while supporting existing businesses, a positive harbinger of Quincy’s renaissance.

Monique Hall is an associate and senior landscape architect in the Boston office of BSC Group, a multidisciplinary firm specializing in planning, engineering, ecology, and landscape architectural design.

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ACE MENTOR PROGRAM of Greater Boston ACE

Mentor Program (ACE) is a non-profit organization run by professionals in the design and construction fields working together to attract young people to the industry. In addition to exposing students to real-world opportunities, the program financially supports students through scholarships and grants. Become a mentor today!

Email the exec. director: Jennifer Fries: jfries@ acegreaterboston.com

OUR MISSION IS TO ENGAGE, EXCITE, AND ENLIGHTEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN

ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, & ENGINEERING THROUGH MENTORING, AND TO SUPPORT THEIR CONTINUED

ADVANCEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY.

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NAMLA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MINORITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

The National Association of Minority Landscape Architects (NAMLA) is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in Los Angeles, California in 2020.

The premise for starting the organization is based on increasing minority representation at all levels of landscape architecture practice and academia. www.nationalamla.org Follow us on:

Saket Patel MLA ‘18

A DESIGN EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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UNLEARN AISHA DENSMORE BEY in conversation with KIKI COOPER, ASSOC. ASLA, DANIELLE CHOI, and JIMMY PAN

Editors’ Note: Aisha is off-camera.

“UNLEARN” is one of four conversations held as part of this Fieldbook issue.

Following are excerpts, intended as provocations and as invitations to listen to the entire session.

Watch online at www.bslafieldbook.org These discussions are rich, lively, thoughtprovoking, and impossible to summarize in a few pages. We hope that the following bits stimulate, challenge, inspire & energize.

Aisha: We’re definitely in a time of serious disruption. For me, it’s important to start out any conversation or endeavor with a spirit of love.

And so, thinking about that, how do you guys incorporate, love, hope, compassion into your design process or into your research approach? What are some tools that you use to foster understanding and to make sure that you’re not harming a community, that you’re not superimposing your ideas on what should happen versus what really needs to, that you’re letting the process grow organically? And that you’re not extracting something from a community, but that you’re really working in concert?

Kiki: The first thing is to make sure you’re both on the same page and your understandings of certain things are the same. Second, I do my research. I’m doing this now with the Indigenous

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activist work that I’m doing. I read articles and journals and studies. I watch videos where people talk about the harm, and you’ll find that a lot of these people have been talking about a century or more of this pain. All of that information is there for you to consume and digest.

As a designer, I greatly feel the need to start over. I have a blueprint, and that blueprint is solid. But what I’m finding is a lot of things that were taught

to me or the things that I naturally gravitate towards are still things that are harmful. So it’s being intentional in actively unlearning those things and moving in the right direction on how to design in the right way.

Danielle: There’s an idea of research and understanding history. Of course, history is also fraught -- who wrote the history? Where did it come from? -- but

there’s no point in not at least trying.

I sometimes like being a designer , who’s a bad historian because I can say, “okay, I’m taking evidence from articles that were published by scholars who are knowledgeable on certain cultural histories, AND I’m also taking oral histories and ethnographies and pop culture and trying to get an idea of empathy for worlds that might not be my lived experience. To be open to all forms of evidence is super important. I think designers should be better at being bad historians while using history to be better, more empathetic designers.

Jimmy: I totally understand the idea of being a bad historian. I always

am questioning whether or not my work has any relation to a precedent. Sometimes that anxiety is not bad, because it BSLA

forces me to then look beyond one single thing from a textbook or from a certain line of thinking.

This conversation reminds me of a piece

by Sherry Arnstein, called a “ladder of citizen participation.” It talks about citizen power. One specific point she makes is about the redistribution of power between the roles of a hierarchy or society. If there’s a systemic problem, then the roles themselves and the relationship between those roles have to be changed.

Aisha: One of the things that I had to unlearn was understanding the power of language. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, which is s good about adding more people to the conversation because you just don’t know in a lot of ways. It’s not that you’re even trying to be harmful, but there’s just certain things you just didn’t know.

Kiki: One huge part that I feel needs to become more common practice is dismantling the idea of hierarchy based on timeframe of experience. Everything should be level, not top down. I always enter situations with a mutual respect and a mutual aid mindset in the sense that I can learn something from them just as much as they can learn something from me. For me, those are the instances in which I’ve experienced the most optimal growth as a person.

Danielle: Maybe we need to create a “designer’s tyranny of structurelessness” because there are things that happen in design interactions, between communities and designers. Maybe we should come up with that for Fieldbook next year.

Jimmy: Coming to grad school, the thing that I feel like I had to unlearn the most was how being wrong is

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not necessarily an attack on a deeply rooted thing about me. Going into a discussion and accepting that I might say something that is wrong and then learning from it; going in with the idea that I should be open to unlearn at almost any time. We can learn new things.

We’re always evolving. I think the mindset we use when we go into listening and collaboration is important; putting forth things without being afraid of being wrong, but at the same time accepting when we’re wrong.

Kiki: I’ve started a group where people can start to unpack certain things if they’re ready. A lot of

people are afraid to even start the conversation. There is this worry that people are going to say the wrong thing, so they 53

don’t say anything at all. For me, I practice getting around that.If

I’m going to say something that I know is problematic and I haven’t found an alternative yet, I’ll say, “I know I’m not supposed to say this. I just haven’t found a work around yet. So please bear with me as I go into this next statement, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, or if you feel that I should phrase it another way.”

And then I proceed with what I was going to say. And people are receptive.

Aisha: Slightly pivoting, there’s a hierarchal structure in how we typically teach design in this country. “I’m the

I preface what I’m saying in that way so that people know that I’m not intentionally trying to cause harm.

I think that is super important.

This practice definitely should be implemented more in regular conversations every day.

Danielle: It takes a lot of time to go through precedents to tell a fuller history. I do think that having the built artifact is invaluable as a teaching resource. In the past it was maybe presented as, “Here’s everything, here’s why this is important.” But now I think now we have to understand, “okay, here’s why there’s design significance, and here’s also how these projects cause harm. And so all these things become part of the precedent.

Jimmy: Post-occupancy, there’s too few points in time where we can reflect on our design decisions and how it affects future inhabitation. I think that there are bigger questions that we have to ask.

Being in practice, I never felt that there was enough time. Therefore, coming to school, I thought that is allowing me the time to be critical about the process.

Maybe there needs to be a new type of process, in which architects designed to a specific point then they gave that to the community, and then the community inhabited before continuing to design the rest of the space. I know that’s very theoretical and I don’t know how to put that into practice, but I find it a very exciting concept, that we don’t need to only wait for post occupancy, but we can build to a much shorter timeframe and allow the community who will eventually inhabit it to try it and say, “this is what we feel like, this makes sense here.” And then we add that piece.

Danielle: In teaching, there are concrete things that just have to happen. Students need to learn how to do a grading plan.

But then, as faculty, how do we build in enough time so that the concerns of a community of students can be a dialogue? It’s not so loose that it’s a total free-for-all or undue labor is being asked of the students. It’s a weird mix of being organized enough to build time and space so that those exchanges can happen, and everyone can participate

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and make mistakes. It’s a question of time and openness.

professor….” We also draw from

very few, very limited sources and say “this is the canon, this is what we work with.” How do we extract

valuable elements from what is basically, colonialism and imperialism?

Kiki: The idea of perfectionism is inherently colonial. And perfect doesn’t exist. So how are we dismantling those ideologies? It’s ultimately like decolonizing ourselves to rewire how we think and how we talk about and learn this new information.

Aisha: What kind of landscapes can we learn from and what can we take cues from? And how can landscape architecture be used to be subversive?

Danielle: I think landscape

architects – people – have the ability to be subversive. It’s a

weird dichotomy in that you can’t be a landscape architect without going through landscape architecture school, so for me, this question about can landscape architecture as a profession be used to be subversive, I’m not sure, but if we’re talking about individuals and collectives then I think for sure.

The idea of PARK(ing) Day is an interesting example of subversiveness to me. A lot depends on scale. If I had a student who said, “I want to go design collective farming or community gardens all over the city,” it would seem as if they were airdropping in to a community. But the idea of PARK(ing)

Day is interesting. The concept is simple – you put in a quarter and you make a park – but making it requires coordinating with other designers, coordinating with the municipality, and connecting all these people who wouldn’t otherwise talk to each other. For me, that’s my great optimism for the profession. You may be working outside the place where you live, but you can take that knowledge and connect these other people and entities and forces who wouldn’t otherwise talk to each other. In this action, the individual can be subversive.

Kiki: It’s not just the profession that’s not ready for collective action and change, it’s clearly the country. As designers, we definitely have the power to keep applying pressure. This profession is a collective.

We are not individuals; we are designers together, and the moment we dismantle that individualist idea, we become more powerful than we assume ourselves to be.

We have more power than we think.

Aisha: what is one beautiful aspect about being a person of color in this field?

Jimmy: I was born in Brooklyn but my family’s from China. Some people see me see me as American and others see me as Chinese. Existing in that

intersection is hard because you’re forced to confront these different ways that other people see you, and you’re forced to think about how you actually see yourself. But by being in that intersection, it’s not that we see things differently, but it’s that we notice different things.

Danielle: We understand that everything’s a multiplicity.

Kiki: And as a BIPOC designer, even though there are not a lot of us, we are not alone in oppression we have experienced.

There is power in working with other people who look like us. Even if it comes late for some people, I think it’s important. And it’s definitely something that we need to keep building and working towards. Because it matters.

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CONVERSATIONS

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Listen to the full conversation online at www.bslafieldbook.org.

Danielle Narae Choi, is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She teaches in the MLA core studio sequence and leads design research seminars. Choi’s research concerns infrastructure, technology, and the synthetic role of landscape design as a cultural practice. Current research projects include: a critical environmental history of 20th century interior landscapes; water infrastructure and the invention of public nature; and the politics of preservation, conservation, and restoration.

Jimmy Pan received a Master in Design Studies from Harvard GSD in 2020 in the concentration of Risk and Resilience.

Jimmy’s MDes research explores the implications of habitation in areas of intersection, where vulnerability to water-influenced disasters generate questions of whether one should remain or relocate. At the GSD, he co-chaired the Design Research Forum and led the 2020 symposium on the theme of Quarantined: The role of Design Research in measuring urgency and reimaging agency, as well as the student organization’s inaugural symposium in 2019, Latitude.

He is a registered architect in the State of New York and received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Cooper Union.

Kiki Cooper, Assoc. ASLA, earned a B.A. in Landscape Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University and currently works in Brookline, Massachusetts at Verdant Landscape Architecture. Kiki is an active member of the ASLA Emerging Professionals Committee and is a Design as Protest Core Organizer. During their undergrad and after entering the profession, they developed a myriad of passions that shaped their core design principles rooted in food security, equitable design, community building, and design justice.

Trained as an architect, Aisha Densmore-Bey is a designer, filmmaker and artist based in the Boston area. Aisha is also a Doctor of Design candidate at the Harvard GSD focusing on issues around how artists of color can combat gentrification and build up communities. She is a 2012 recipient of the American Institute of Architects Associates Award, author and illustrator of the children’s book Who Made My Stuff?

Miles Learns About Design, and writer, producer, and director of the award-winning film short ROOM. Her professional practice specializes in architecture, interiors, lighting design, graphic design, film, and art. Aisha serves on the BSLA Fieldbook Editorial Advisory Board.

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A SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE ON URBAN GREEN SPACE, HEALTH, AND INEQUALITIES IN BOSTON RAQUEL JIMENEZ CELSI

“Recent studies suggest contact with green space during early stages of life brings significant health benefits later.”

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Current trends in urbanization and population growth coupled with environmental deterioration and climate change are challenging cities’ capacities to provide safe environments for people to live healthy lives throughout the world. Urban vegetation plays a critical role in maintaining quality of life through the provision of ecosystem services that regulate the environment, facilitate social cohesion, and promote the health of its residents. Trees improve outdoor air quality by removing particles from the air that are harmful for health and reduce noise exposure by acting both as a physical barrier and a psychological buffer for ambient noise. Vegetation regulates the urban micro climate by providing shade and increased evapotranspiration, mitigating the urban heat island effect and providing thermal comfort for the population. Finally, urban green space provides opportunities for contact with nature, offers aesthetic appreciation, and fosters social cohesion, which also promote health and general well-being in the population.

The connections between urban greenspace and health have been widely studied in the field of environmental health, with growing evidence of beneficial associations between vegetation exposure and a wide array of health outcomes. Contact with green spaces has been associated with improvements in general health, mental health, and birth outcomes; reductions in allcause mortality, obesity, and stress; and several other benefits.

Green landscapes can be specially beneficial for children’s health, as evidence indicates salutatory effects on children’s mental health, overall sense of well-being, psychomotor development, cognitive development, and learning. Moreover, recent studies suggest contact with green space during early stages of life might bring significant health benefits later in life, such as reduced incidence of depressive symptoms and lower risk of psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. While the question of what dose of nature brings these benefits remains unanswered, there is no doubt that more vegetation leads to better health.

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However, vegetation in cities is not equitably distributed, and not everyone gets to enjoy the benefits in the same way. The socioeconomic and demographic inequalities in the distribution of urban green space in different regions of the world are well documented. In general, areas with higher shares of racial and ethnic minorities and lower socioeconomic status present less neighborhood vegetation, street trees, and tree canopy, lower access to parks, or access to parks of inferior quality in terms of size, infrastructure, and safety. These patterns further increase the environmental burden of groups of the population who are already at disadvantage in relation to access to amenities and exposure to risks in the urban environment.

correlations between vegetation cover, air pollution, summer temperatures, and sociodemographic characteristics of the population at multiple spatial scales. Furthermore, we linked these data to high resolution land cover to estimate the parcellevel space availability to plant new trees, in order to identify specific locations for tree planting initiatives that simultaneously maximize environmental benefits and reduce urban greenspace inequalities. This platform was designed and developed as a tool for the public to explore the relationship between vegetation, the urban environment, and people within the city of Boston, but also with the aim of providing guidance for greening interventions.

Greenspace inequalities arise from complex interactions between spatial patterns of social segregation and the distribution of vegetation within urban areas, both shaped by cities’ historical, political, and ecological contexts. In Boston, for example, the legacy of urban inequalities from the implementation of redlining policies in the 1930s that divided cities by socioeconomic class – strongly tied to racial and ethnic profiles – has shaped differences in greenspace between and within neighborhoods that endure until today. While East Boston, a neighborhood with high proportion of racial and ethnic minorities, has less than 10% tree canopy coverage, the coverage in wealthier neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury nears 50%.

As evidence of the multiple benefits from vegetation accumulates, there is rising interest in the potential of urban green space to boost public health and increase cities’ resiliency to climate change. Future investments aimed at improving urban green infrastructure also bring unique opportunities to reduce the socioeconomic, environmental, and health disparities observed in cities everywhere. However, in order to harness such opportunities, stakeholders’ decisions of what, how, and where to plant need to be informed by the green space reality of each city. Maps in general, and mapping platforms that are available for the public, in particular, can be especially useful in this regard, as they provide a wider look of the urban green landscape beyond our immediate perspective, which helps understanding the interconnectedness of the multiple spatial scales of the urban experience: from backyards to blocks, blocks to neighborhoods, and neighborhoods to cities.

In collaboration with the organization Speak for the Trees, Boston, we developed a web-based platform that shows the distribution of vegetation in relation to environmental quality and the characteristics of the population to better understand the dynamics of greenspace inequality in the city of Boston. By integrating publicly available data from multiple sources (i.e. satellite observations, land cover databases, and census data), we created a series of interactive maps that showcase the spatial Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Raquel Jimenez Celsi is a Ph. D. candidate in environmental health at Boston University.

To interact with the Tree Equity Maps and learn more about tree equity in Boston, visit sfttbos.org.

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A GLOBAL CURE “I knew that if I had initially found solace in nature then I could again.”

RAYZHEEN CRAWFORD

Rayzheen Crawford is a student in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the Boston Architectural College.

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I look around to see nothing but a milky turquoise, viridescent palette enveloping me with the summer air grazing my skin as I try to think, but can’t. I check my phone and for the past hour, since my lunch break, I have not been able to bring myself to do anything other than sit here, and the sudden realization of this gives me goosebumps. It has been a while since I felt any void of dread, from school, home, or life in general. I forgot how good it felt to be present, to count the repetitions of beating from my chest, and to simply breathe.

Knowing this experience is only temporary, I begin to wonder when it will leave, if it will ever come back again, and I start to feel my cheeks getting wet, so I quickly close my eyes sprawling backward onto the grass, arms folded over my face, drying it as I let out a sigh. “Tired already?” my crew leader jokingly asks.

“No,” I smile, “Just enjoying the breeze.” …

After my first summer of working with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy ended, that feeling of dread came back as expected. However, I knew that if I had initially found solace in nature then I could again. So, in addition to revisiting the places in which I worked that summer with my crew members, I sought to be as connected to the environment as I could while away from nature. Through maintaining a vegan lifestyle, plant-based diet, and meditating with healing gems, my methods of connecting with the earth were immensely beginning to benefit me as my clinical depression and chronic anxiety had greatly reduced. It became easier to communicate, socialize, and express myself to my peers, and most importantly, my loved ones again.

With the new knowledge I obtained from my mental health wellness exploration, I wanted to spread the benefits of my lifestyle so that others who are undergoing the same issues I faced may have a solution. I took the opportunity to submit an entry to the Mayor Walsh Fair Housing Arts Contest. As the Boston Housing Authority reported, “The art contest called for young Bostonians grades 1-12, to submit artwork depicting the theme, ‘Boston Opening Doors for All.’” My entry compelled executive director Dion Irish so much, he insisted I elaborate on the concept of my art piece to the entire room.

My piece was one of the winning pieces that year.

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Aside from advocating for the preservation of our planet and the rights of other animals, another step I would like to take is to provide everyone with easily accessible naturalistic sanctuaries which they can use as a refuge from their everyday stresses. For that reason, I would like to become a Landscape Architect. I believe that the same source of energy we have been born with can also be our source for medication, whether that be through foods grown from it, or through the transfer of energy seeping out our bodies in exchange with the energy of Mother Earth.

In my earlier years, I almost thought it normal for someone like me to be complacent in anticipation of a fate similar to those who’d succumbed to the darkness that I was once enveloped in. Although the conditions that I am challenged with predispose me to a lifelong war between only myself, they also further assure me to keep fighting for what I believe in.

Destruction is a form of creation. In the simultaneous midst of either, I no longer resent the source of it, but rather appreciate the evolution that is to come from each ruin; similarly, as our planet does within every season it undergoes.

My greatest source of academic drive and career ambition is the yearning to create and sustain for those like my past self whom I wish I had discovered earlier, and desperately seek more of to this day.

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AN UNLIKELY EXISTENCE SAVY KEP, Assoc. ASLA

“Every individual has an identity.

Sometimes it is as easy as a description, while other times it’s challenging a space that was never created for you.”

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Every Sunday my parents, my brother, and now my partner and I sit down for the one dinner of the week that we have together. Most of my parents’ time is occupied at the store – a common fact since I was young – so we do not talk much as a family. However, after a few months of silent dinners, they have started to share bits and pieces of their time in the regime.

The Communist Party of Kampuchea led by Pol Pot rose to power during the Vietnam War after benefitting from the physical destruction left by US bombs and political unrest.

From 1975 to 1979, the party known as the Khmer (kuh-my) Rouge, destroyed roughly three million khmer citizens. The population at the time was only ten million. They killed all of the educated, and stripped people of everything to force an “equal,” new agrarian life in the country. Those that showed the slightest resistance were brutally killed with an audience to instill fear and submission. It was one of the worst genocides in the world, but I rarely find people who know about it.

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I was born in Cambodia in 1996 and in that year, the regime was very close to rising to power again. This unstable, cruel event in time is the background of my cultural identity and here I am, lucky and unlucky enough to be a citizen of this white-centered country. As a child in Cambodia, I was rambunctious, lively, and free spirited. When my environment changed to the United States, I was shy, timid and always confused. I was experiencing too many opposing cultural upbringings at once and I was never sure of how to be.

However, the common thread was this presence of pressure and uncertainty. There was pressure from and within the familial structure, on top of the expectations of success from peers that manifested in stereotypical microaggressions.

Asian people are not a monolith. Do not look to us as an example of a “model minority.” This myth is not only toxic, but it gives white people an excuse to not take responsibility in accepting the existence of systemic racism. Although I’m not white, I’m still a product of a system that perpetuates the white narrative. The only difference now is that I’m aware of this manipulation and can choose my path forward.

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From Cambodia, to America, to now, my mind went through a lot of conflicting restructuring and there’s always more work to be done. These mental battles can envelope us and are sometimes so powerful they blur reality. What’s even more difficult than defining your own identity is that after you’ve found it – you have to defend it.

Every individual has an identity. Sometimes it is as easy as a description, while other times it’s challenging a space that was never created for you.

Savy Kep is from Revere, Massachusetts and is a landscape designer in Weston & Sampson’s Boston office. She graduated with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2019.

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SHARING MY LIVED EXPERIENCES “My ability to facilitate and impart necessary changes that will live on beyond my time at the company is why I, a Black and female professional, need to have a seat at the table.”

A Rising Voice in the Design Professions

SHELLY CHIPIMO, Assoc. AIA, NOMA

Shelly Chipimo is a graduate student in the project management program at Northeastern University, and a contributor to Afriquette, an independent online journal celebrating Africa and her diaspora.

She received her Master of Architecture from Northeastern in 2019, and has worked in the offices of Utile and William Rawn Associates in Boston.

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JOURNEYS Architecture is a recently evolving profession in my home country, Zambia -- a landlocked nation in southern Africa with a population of 17 million and a land area slightly larger than the state of Texas. Like many African countries, Zambia has a long history of colonialism. This significantly influenced the evolution of architecture across Sub-Saharan Africa and resulted in the devolution of traditional African architecture. As a result, the few architecture schools that were established in Zambia in the postcolonial era are still growing entities.

My interest in architecture and design came from a rather curious source: the SimCity video game software which I received as a gift at age 10. My interest was further stimulated by travel to different countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America, all of which gave me much exposure to different cultures, lifestyles, cities, and countries.

As I began my journey through university, I noted that the slow evolution of architecture as a field of study was not a problem exclusive to Zambia, but rather a common phenomenon across the continent of Africa. As such, there are not as many Africans qualified in this field of work compared to more developed countries. During my first few weeks of architecture school at Northeastern University, I realized that this problem was even more evident in the US. I was one of only two Black women – of three Black students -- in a class of about 80 people. This points to a larger issue that women, and particularly those of color, are an underrepresented group within the design professions. The expenses associated with an architecture and landscape architecture degrees are high.

Even if one can afford the degrees, the subsequent process to licensure is often long and difficult, regardless of color or background.

As a recent graduate, I was highly motivated not to lose momentum after receiving my masters degree. Northeastern University’s co-op program allowed me to intersperse numerous internships throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies. As a result, I was able to acquire one full year of work experience by the time I finished undergrad and also secure part time work while in graduate school. This was undoubtedly a huge benefit of attending an expensive university, because it allowed me to get my foot in the door in a way I cannot imagine I would have if I was not part of a larger network of students and professionals. While I am grateful for how my university experience turned out, one must realize that the invaluable opportunities I had all throughout are hard to come by for underrepresented groups such as Black women.

Since graduating, I have had exposure to a wide variety of project types. This has allowed me to gear my career towards project management which is ultimately where my interests lie. However, it was not an easy road to find that clarity. Some of the common challenges I faced in the workplace ranged Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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from the lack of mentorship and resources available for Black designers who are navigating their newfound career paths, to being limited to support roles on projects by virtue of being a minority. For instance, I was placed on several community projects because I am Black and female -- which looks good on a company proposal, though my role on the project was limited.

However, limiting minority groups to support roles also limits the opportunities we need to progress in the profession. Not once have I seen a Black architect in a leadership position in the few organizations I have been privileged to work at in the United States. Employers must be more intentional about supporting Black designers in the workplace if we are to expect a change in the race disparity.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to advocate for inclusion and equity in the architectural profession by facilitating an open discussion on race and justice with a former employer. The event itself was triggered by the tragic killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests. The discussion was mandatory for the whole office. I volunteered to be the thought leader for this discussion. My anxiety was heightened by the fact that I needed to say something at all, as one of three Black employees at the office. However, I took this as an opportunity to finally give an honest perspective of my experience of the issues I have had within the United States. I appreciated that senior staff were willing to take a back seat and let this process be a ground-up endeavor. We were able to discuss how employers can take an active role in helping to dismantle systems related to architecture that contribute to systemic racism.

My ability to facilitate and impart some necessary changes that will live on beyond my time at the company is why I, a Black and female professional, need to have a seat at the table.

Spearheading these major organizational changes helped me learn how to advocate for myself as a minority and a woman, as well as for my colleagues. I had to effectively communicate with diverse groups of people and navigate difficult topics in a constructive way that would help implement concrete solutions to a complex problem. Four key areas we touched on during the discussion included recruiting from more diverse colleges and universities, such as HBCUs. Formalizing opportunities for mentorship both within the office and externally. Being more aware about company culture, values, and expectations. And lastly, intentionally partnering with more Minority-Owned Businesses. This was just the first of many discussions that happened and they were highly productive.

In my journey as a rising voice in the architecture profession, I have found myself occupying various roles from support to positions of leadership. My preference is certainly for the latter, but as my most recent leadership endeavor showed, when and how you emerge into those roles sometimes means seizing the moment. I hope others who read my story are encouraged to believe in themselves and their abilities. There is no time like now to rise to the occasion.

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BSLA JOURNEYS

To the question of where it all started, for some it was a favorite artist or idol, for others it was in an art class, event, or even in their own childhood backyard. For me it was video games. Two in particular. One was a sci-fi driven story using myths and legends as its primary inspiration and creativity. The other was a fantastical baroque styled story that, one day, I wanted to create myself. I started off with little characters that I would pin against each other, like little children roughhousing. As I went about my every day, I always devoted some time to it, whether simply in my head or written down.

MY EXPERIENCE IN DESIGN SHEMAR STEWART

“Architecture helped my creative side be more productive and serve a purpose outside of the things I played around with in my head.”

Shemar Stewart is a graduate of the Boston Latin School. He was a summer intern at the Sasaki Foundation in 2018, and in 2019 and 2020 returned to serve as a teaching assistant. He is currently an undergraduate student studying architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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I soon came to realize that my interests became fixated on absorbing material that would have some influence on the imaginary world I was devising, material that would point me in a new direction. Over time it grew with every passing piece of literature, music, or event. I saw that taking from other people’s work was something that was widely used, and sometimes acceptable, just with consideration about the way you did it. The more I reflected on it, the more I saw myself smashing my ideas with something I was watching or listening to. One, I was enjoying what had my attention and two, I saw that all of my work was just a bunch of jagged chunks of other peoples’ ideas duct taped together with originality or misinterpretations. That has been a pillar in my life for some time now and certainly for the future.

After coming to this epiphany, something akin to imposter syndrome ensued. I felt the need to deviate as much as possible for the sake of being as “original” as possible. However, the more I tried the more it I fell into some other idea and then another until I soon came to accept that borrowing from others is something that I can never get away from. A quote from American playwright Wilson Mizner that has stuck with me is, “When you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism, if you steal from many, it’s research.” The irony is not lost on me about taking a quote from one man to justify the many taken from others.

During my junior year of high school, I really began making strides with my creative ideas as I began taking more electives that I was curious about and that gave me more inspiration to work. The main elective was my very first art class and here I utilized many of the ideas that I had made.

I spent much of my time in the art wing of my school, Boston Latin. During my junior and senior year, any time I was able to leave a class or event I’d head straight there. It got to the point that many of the pages of my sketch books were filled with signed passes to go to the art wing, Room 515 after I ran out of the passes the school supplied for the year. Coupled with a

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mythology class and an accelerated course for people learning computer science, I felt very fulfilled by the time I graduated and on my way to college.

Right before leaving high school, I wanted to see about getting a summer job. It was one of those things that everyone needed to have before going off to college. Just before I entered the room -- mere feet away -- I saw a friend of mine who was probably doing the same. We started chatting and quickly into it, she noticed I was going to see about internships. She asked if I had heard about the one our art teacher was mentioning, It was here that I learned about Sasaki.

My first year with the Sasaki Foundation was as a paid intern, learning from the professionals at the firm about various disciplines associated with architecture like landscape architecture and urban planning, along with other fields linked to the firm’s production and business practice such as marketing and strategies. It was here that I found my interest in architecture, as a means of building upon an idea and backing it up with a reasonable argument based on collected information to make a nice and snug design that not only I but others could enjoy. This -- and the opportunities I saw that Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

could come from going down this route -- was why I decided to switch my major from computer science to architecture.

Architecture helped make my creative side be more productive and serve a purpose outside of the things I played around with in my head. In architecture, I could, with practice, produce something that would literally “stand on its own.”

Over the next two summers at the firm, I came to more of an understanding that design is composed of numerous disciplines as long as there’s a problem to be solved by creative thinking. Now in college, as classes grow more robust as the semesters go on, I’m challenged by the amount of rationality that must come with creativity, such as the purpose of an element, the significance of the program and its surroundings.

Ultimately, telling my story is the most time consuming of it all. Picking and choosing what to say and how to say is something that I always have been and will always be challenged by.

As I move forward in my career in design, these are the things I look back on and take into account, as I think about how it began.

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/ JOURNEYS

Muscari - Daffodils – Tulips – Hyacinths. In early spring we marked the daily passage of time on our morning walks around the neighborhood by the individual flowers that bloomed that very day, and the colorful petals that fell, revealing stamens and stigmas. My two-and-a-half-year-old son quickly learned to identify these spring bulbs, and was excited to point them out to me. When everything was gray and brown, and the world seemed to match, the bright spot of color was this time with my son. We spent many moments intimately observing our immediate surroundings. When spring came in full force, we admired the spectacle of cherries, rhododendrons and viburnums in my neighbors’ yards. What was normally missed or briefly seen, we observed deeply. Later in the season, my son learned hydrangeas, echinaceas, and black-eyed susans. What a skewed but wonderful education he is getting.

In my view of the world, all living things have intrinsic value and they are worth protecting. Diversity of all kinds gives us strength. Within a species, it is genetic diversity that allows for adaptation, specialization and continuity. Within an ecosystem, it is species diversity that provides robustness and makes the world I observe with my son more interesting and beautiful. Although much of the public messaging championing biodiversity points to its economic value, biodiversity for beauty and strength strikes a deep chord within me.

DIVERSITY FOR STRENGTH AND BEAUTY STEPHANIE HSIA, ASLA

“We can choose to make the built world a richer place by learning, discovering, and prioritizing new narratives and histories. “

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I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey. Our single-family housing development was the first development in a large area of farmland. I remember running through soy bean fields that were all gradually converted to single-family homes. In the midst of suburban expansion, my dad made a gardener’s paradise in our backyard. On our one acre, he planted apple, Japanese pear, cherry, and pluot trees buffered by pine trees. In beds around our deck were Jersey sweet tomatoes, and other planting beds with greens, cucumbers, chives, and bell peppers stood next to a large compost bin and a fake owl to scare away the rabbits. My dad jarred the sour cherries with sugar and made cherry wine to savor in the winter.

In fifth grade, I decided I was going to be an environmentalist.

I loved nature and wanted to do something on its behalf, and so I would spend many years figuring out what that actually entailed. I loved learning about science, but I preferred application over research and couldn’t imagine specializing.

I loved working with my hands and making art, but this felt more like an expression of the appreciation of nature rather than doing something for it. Like many of us in the field, I found landscape architecture quite late, circling around environment, nature and art connecting them all only later.

In college, I took every class with the word “environment” in it, but graduated without a clear direction. I worked at a plant nursery after college for a few months and got my hands dirty, but it was a temporary job until I joined a masters program in environmental science in California. I thought I wanted to work on applied science, making management decisions on

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nature reserves. But learning about the unpredictability of climatic effects and events, and the uncertainty in how species will migrate, I shifted my focus to how we develop to minimize our impact. I was working in the Bay Area on renewable energy project permitting when I attended a few lectures given by the UC Berkeley landscape extension program, and it all clicked in my mind for me.

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In my time at Reed Hilderbrand, I’ve been part of waterfront development projects, a district master plan, a shared street project at a university, and research projects that dove into urban soils and urban trees. My background in research and analysis has given me the capacity to dive into scientific application to landscape projects. A literature search is the natural starting point for me. In our work on urban forests for City of Cambridge, we have found that the effects of a gradually warming climate and increased severity in climate events will certainty exacerbate an existing downward trend in canopy. In this era of climate change, we most need the strength of diversity. We must broaden our planting palettes, find alternatives, and motivate our community to take mutual care and collective action.

Diversity needs to be embraced by the human world similarly. With recent events infusing energy and interest around equity and inclusivity, it has become clear that our field needs to draws from a broader range of backgrounds.

Landscape architecture can be hard to discover (as it was for me), and there can be significant barriers to entry. We need to diversifying representation within the field so we can broaden our perspectives of how people perceive and use space. We can choose to make the built world a richer place by learning, discovering, and prioritizing new narratives and histories.

It has been a privilege to have an outdoor space to cultivate and to have felt consistently safe to walk around in my neighborhood every day during the pandemic. It is therapeutic to use my hands to nurture living things, to grow food, and to have my child witness and participate. We both find joy searching for ripe tomatoes, turning rocks and logs after rainy days to spot roly-poly bugs and centipedes, and feeding vegetable scraps and coffee grinds to the worm compost bin. I am so thankful that in part because of this small piece of earth we have to cultivate, my son will grow up with a deeper personal awareness and connection of the natural world, one which the next generation cannot afford to put aside.

Stephanie Hsia is an associate at Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She studied biology and fine art as an undergradute at Rice University, received a Masters of Environmental Science and Management from the University of California Santa Barbara, and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

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Above, top to bottom: Echinacea, Hydrangea, and Tomatoes.

Photos by the author, from her garden.

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Georgetown Day School Washington, DC In collaboration with Lemon Brooke Photo Credit: Georgetown Day School

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Bachelors Masters Certificate Dual Degree PhD

GA R D E N x G RA PHITE A landscape architecture scholarship for BIPOC students at UMass Amherst

STIMSON is excited to announce the establishment of the first scholarship for BIPOC students studying Landscape Architecture at UMass Amherst. Founded in 1903, UMass Amherst is the second oldest Landscape Architecture Department in the country. The goal of this scholarship is to fund one in-state BIPOC student annually.

The student must be a domestic BIPOC student who shows a proficiency in horticulture and/or drawing. Plant knowledge and hand sketching are two fundamental cornerstones of our profession that are becoming less and less visible in academic training. We believe these are critical elements of landscape architecture education and practice that must continue to be taught and nurtured.

Our profession NEEDS diversity.

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To date, the scholarship has donation commitments from: STIMSON Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Michael Van Valkenburg Associates, Inc. Michael S. Coffin Landscape Construction R.P. Marzilli & Company Dan Gordon Landscape Architects Richardson & Associates Landscape Architects

DONATE HERE

www.stimsonstudio.com/gardenxgraphite HELP REACH OUR GOAL OF 200K 69

JUSTICE I JHA D WILLIAMS in conversation with MEENA WASTI AHMED, SASLA, and USHA THAKRAR Editors’ Note: “JUSTICE I” is one of four conversations held as part of this Fieldbook issue.

Following are excerpts, intended as provocations and as invitations to listen to the entire session.

Watch online at www.bslafieldbook.org These discussions are rich, lively, thoughtprovoking, and impossible to summarize in a few pages. We hope that the following bits stimulate, challenge, inspire & energize.

Jha D: What does “equity” or “justice” mean for you in the work that you’re doing?

Usha: It’s both ends of the spectrum.

On the one hand we would love for there to be equity in land access. As you know, farming in this country -- in this region -- is fraught with long struggles of land ownership, and most farmers in the region do not represent Black, Indigenous, or other communities of color. On the other end of the food supply chain is equitable distribution of food. When the pandemic hit, for the people who could afford it there were high end CSAs, food kits, home delivery.

You could get pretty much anything you wanted delivered to your doorstep, as long as you could pay the price tag.

But for families who were struggling to make ends meet to begin with, access to food suddenly became extraordinarily difficult.

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COVID-19 has highlighted many of the inequities in our society in general, and specifically in inequities related to food and food access. The communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 have also been hardest hit by access issues to food.

Mena:As a student leader, we’ve been hearing the word “equity” being thrown around a lot, and it’s a major factor in deciding the resources that are given to students at this time. As a student leader, I think we need to constantly enforce the definition of equity, which is helping specific people gain access to resources and provide additional support according to their needs. The core of all the work that we’re doing as Student Forum at the GSD is being more specific about what we’re advocating for, for whom, and to what end.

Usha: “Justice” is also not a word that

means the same thing to the same people.

And it is a word that can be used to justify a lot of things.

Jha D: What do you need the most to support this work?

Mena: For me, the short answer is equitable hiring practices and paid labor.

And that means questioning specifically the student to employee pipeline and how students get hired. There is a very problematic pipeline for how students get hired. A lot of them are cherry-picked for certain firms. Everything has to come down to hiring practices and paying people fairly for their labor.

Usha: I have two different answers to that question. One’s very concrete and one is not. The concrete answer is funding. The need is not going away. And as much as we recognize that the work of groups like Boston Urban Gleaners is a band-aid on the system, the need for the band-aid just gets bigger.

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I also worry about complacency and fatigue. The urgent needs that come up because of COVID-19 aren’t going anywhere for a while, and the systemic issues that this has helped bring them to the surface will need to be addressed over time.

Jha D: Can spaces that are not democratically designed to be spaces of inclusivity -- be they physical spaces or spaces of food systems -- be places of inclusive, democratic protest?

Mena: We need to define further what democratically designed means. Is it about fair labor practices for hiring practices? ADA? Accessibility fresh food?

Is it about climate justice or other factors like organizing, capacity management, ownership? All of these factor in to whether spaces can be inclusive and democratic.

Spaces that are not democratically

designed can be places of inclusive, democratic protest. But that lies in the power to assemble and not the power of design. And that right to assemble is under fire.

Usha: I would agree. I’m not sure it has to do with design. I think it has to do with access and process.

Jha D: How can our food systems be redesigned to value social, economic, and environmental justice? That question is rooted in the fact that we, as a society, are currently so far removed from our food production system in a similar way that our society is far removed from the way that buildings and public spaces get made, right? Like it’s happening over here, and then I am a consumer of that product or space.

Have you thought about ways in which we can bring the general public closer

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to these production systems that will result in more cohesive, comprehensive, and tangible social, economic, and racial justice? Ways in which we can crack the institutions of them a little bit and deprivatize some of these spaces so that the broader society feels like they have more access to the work that we are so privileged to be trained in?

Usha: For us it’s about local. So much food still is not local. It’s grown in Brazil, or it’s grown in California, or it’s packaged in China. Obviously there are some regional limitations to what’s accessible. Some of it is as simple as working with retailers to label this came from California and this came from down the street and helping the consumer have a choice. Some of it is drawing attention to the rate at which farmland is disappearing in this country and in this state. COVID-19 has raised a level of understanding about global supply chains and about the ways that’s a problem.

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Yet we’ve become a society in which we want watermelons in January, and we are never going to grow watermelons in January. Not in New England.

Jha D: It’s an important conversation because too often we forget or ignore how interconnected these challenges are. Like we talk about the incarceration system in one instance, and we talk about the education system, and we talk about the design industry, and we talk about food.

They’re interconnected. In too many instances, the underlining connector is capitalism. The ways in which these systems are failing us is very often related to the greed and the mismanagement that results from capitalism.

As a Black woman who was born and raised in the city of Boston, and as a queer woman, I feel like the way that I approach my work, my design work is very personal. It comes from a place of acknowledging lack of access.

I constantly come to the table understanding that I’m probably going to be the only person of color, or the only Black woman, or the only X, Y, or Z -- pick one of my identities. I often come to the

table demanding more as a result of that, but I’m also coming to the table from the perspective of “how do I create more space for other folks who historically have been denied access to these conversations?”

How does your identity relate to your work?

Mena: I often have to separate my

work from my identity. I am a first-

generation American Muslim woman.

I am a Pakistani child of working-class immigrants. My experience in design academia has been one in which I constantly have to teach people what that means. I feel that that space doesn’t exist in architecture or landscape as it’s currently taught. Those spaces can be made.

In my work as an advocate, it’s something that I can speak a lot more openly about and feel like I have the space and a seat at the table to discuss these issues. When it comes to academia, to syllabus building,

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to the classroom, there are excuses and little earnest engagement. For my own personal wellbeing, I have learned and decided where I’m going to be heard and where I’m not going to be heard.

In a classroom setting that is based on critique. These issues become very emotional because they are.

Usha: My father grew up in India, very poor, orphaned at the age of four, raised by family, worked his way through the system. India’s educational system is based entirely on merit and not money which is helpful. He worked his way up, became a doctor, moved to the West. Met my mother along the way. I was raised in East Africa and rural Georgia, but in both places in a very comfortable mostly upper middle-class upbringing, very cognizant of the ways in which my life could have been very different.

I’m very driven by recognizing but for the grace of the universe, that could be me in that line struggling to find food, to feed my family.

Given my family’s roots. I could easily have been a person who had a different upbringing in India with different economic circumstances, with different struggles. That resonates very deeply with me and has everything to do with understanding, the ways in which I’m very, very, very lucky. I try to live that in my work every day.

Jha D: Thank you for that. Our identities and backgrounds and upbringings are important to the ultimate work that we’re looking to succeed at. What are the flaws in the systems that we’re currently working in that need to be addressed?

Mena: Can a contemporary practice justify a for-profit business model?

It is evident that social values will be readily compromised when there is money to be made. If design practice is not addressing solutions that are for low-income communities of color, then it doesn’t matter what the projects are accomplishing because it continues to exist in the context of segregation and environmental racism.

Jha D: For our team at MASS, it’s important to come inon early, as the project partner is envisioning what the

project needs to do and ultimately what purpose it needs to serve. It’s about being able to unpack the mission of the project to develop what the possible methods could be to start to evaluate.

How are we going to measure the impact of this project? How are we going to figure out what the metrics of success are? And then ultimately, what are the goals for the systemic change that we hope to see through this project?

Mena: What do just firms look like? Firms need to get serious about hiring more Black and Brown designers. They need to bring in more people of color into the process early on and at earlier stages. And the composition of firms needs to be more inclusive. They need to scale gender, class, identity. It’s impossible to separate the design from the designer. And I think that really is the first step in creating a more just practice.

This pipeline excuse has been part of the rhetoric for a long time. I question blaming the pipeline. This is a question that firms and schools need to ask themselves.

We must not blame communities of color for not engaging in what is otherwise a very elitist and exclusionary practice. People

seek environments where they will be supported. So if the school isn’t supporting students, if they’re not hiring them as TAs and RS, then then the problem starts there.

Usha: Increments are relevant. You start early and you start small. It’s important to say that at least in Boston, there are some good nonprofits that are thinking about how kids learn about food and where food comes from. And at a young age, understanding that it doesn’t just magically appear on the grocery store shelf.

One of the things that’s been a very interesting movement in recent years is the push to bring farmer’s markets to parking lots of community health centers or to schools, deeply into the community. That’s a step in the right direction of recognizing this person who is standing in front of you grew this lettuce. More and more

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grassroots efforts to connect people back into the food system is what’s going to eventually attract more culturally and racially diverse folks to the table. But it’s work.

Jha D: In what ways do you feel like the Black Lives Matter movement will have an impact on how we design landscapes or how we should be designing landscapes?

Mena: The question should be inverted. I think it’s about this movement telling me about society. People as an industry need to reflect, and then we can ask, what are we building and who is designing it? The Black Lives Matter is movement is not about landscapes, it’s about lives. And the question then is who is designing these landscapes, for whom and to what end?

Jha D: I’ve come to design from my life

mattering as a Black woman perspective for quite some time. And I’ve always thought about the ways in which a public space is both harmful and, and helpful to me as, as a person of color, as a woman.

How safe I feel, how heard I feel, how seen I feel, whether or not I feel like I belong in that particular space, if there’s something about the space that’s signaling to me that I should not be there. These are things that have constantly been on my mind.

The more direct impact that Black LIves Matter has had on the work that I’ve been doing is revolving around how Confederate monuments or monuments in general are telling one very isolated aspect of history. To examine, how are these public spaces harmful and what damage are they doing to our current and future society?

Usha Thakrar is executive director of Boston Area Gleaners. She has a background working with nonprofit healthcare organizations and comes by her interest in food security through many years of volunteering at the Lexington Food Pantry. She is passionate about building resilient, sustainable food systems that can provide access to healthy food for everyone.

CONVERSATIONS

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Listen to the full conversation online at www.bslafieldbook.org.

In the past few months, I’ve had more conversations about the importance of Black bodies in space than I’ve had in my entire 10 plus years of a career in design and architecture. I appreciate the urgency and I certainly hope that it is permanent, not temporary, as Usha said earlier.

Mena: It’s time for landscape

architecture and architecture to free itself from the farce of being a benevolent or apolitical actor.

Mena Wasti Ahmed, SASLA, is a current student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she is earning dual degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and serves as the president of the GSD Student Forum.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in architecture and visual arts from Bennington College, and has worked in New York, New Orleans, and Karachi, Pakistan.

Usha holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and has a wide range of experience including fundraising, financial management, organizational development and as a small business owner. (She was a florist!)

Jha D Williams, is a senior associate and co-director of the Public Memory and Memorials Lab at MASS Design Group. As a Project Manager, she has contributed to the Gun Violence Memorial Project, Franklin Park Action Plan and Kendall School Division II Memorial.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Northeastern University and her Master of Architecture I from the University of Pennsylvania, and has taught design studios at the Boston Architectural College. Outside of architecture, Jha D is a spoken word artist, event producer and overall SpaceMaker for the LGBTQ+ communities of color.

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COVID-19 is a dangerous new reality, spreading indiscriminately and without regard for skin color or cultural background. Yet many Black and brown Americans are dying at disproportionately high rates. Will this be the time that we stop talking about structural racism and finally do something about it?

By all accounts of science and chance – and with equal levels of exposure and risk – the rates of infection and death across all communities should be the same. But as we have learned from responsible news reporting, the rates of infection and death are not the same, particularly along racial lines. As our country surpasses 1.3 million infections and more than 80,000 deaths, Black people so far represent nearly 30 percent of all infections yet only 13 percent of the national population. In some cities, the number is even higher. However, we should not be surprised.

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COVID-19 PUTS STRUCTURAL RACISM ON FULL DISPLAY

Will We Finally Do Something to Correct It?

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For communities of color in the United States, COVID-19 has transformed an otherwise protracted assortment of chronic health issues associated with poverty, overcrowding, and uneven access to public space or quality housing – among them cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and asthma – turning them into abrupt and immediate death sentences. We have a name for the uneven distribution of exposure and risk along racial lines, and it’s not COVID-19. It’s structural racism.

Where this coronavirus is lacking in racial bias, the United States has made up for with a resilient and highly adaptive white supremacist capitalist racial ideology. It is an ideology that is etched into our national DNA, rooted in the exploitation of human beings for economic gain – the perverse logic of slavery – and which has laid a long and injurious legacy for Black and brown communities. It has justified spatial and economic exclusion (segregation and red lining), racial terrorism (Jim Crow laws and community massacres), community theft (block-busting and predatory lending), targeted community removal (urban renewal and

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Editors’ Note: This essay was originally published in The Next City on May 11, 2020. Reprinted by permission.

COVID-19 statistics relate generally to mid-May, 2020. As Fieldbook goes to press, the numbers of people sickened and killed by the disease have increased substantially and continue to grow.

federal highway programs), criminalization of Blackness and loss of voting rights and citizenship (mass incarceration and deportation), or simply blanket ethnic exclusion (antiimmigration orders against what our President has named “shithole” countries).

As if all of that was not enough, communities who experience higher levels of exposure and risk to the coronavirus have now become our “essential workers”, positioned at the front lines of this pandemic. They are the transit workers, doormen, janitors, health care workers, food producers, grocery store staffers, and warehouse and delivery workers – those on which every one of us is relying to get us through this crisis. They are underpaid, underinsured, and they are very often Black or brown.

“In most cases, instead of radical transformation, our system delivers us a watered-down version of what we already are; in other words, when the gavel drops or the bill is passed, we are simply left with white-supremacist capitalist racial ideology-light. So, it should come as no surprise that racial equity transformation is slow, and that it never comes without a fight.”

Our nation’s willingness to accept collateral damage in exchange for capital gain is proven; especially during national disasters like the one we are experiencing now. As was the case for Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and the poisoned water crisis in Flint when Black and brown people were disproportionately affected, a national discussion about race is once again underway. But promising as these race-facing (and racism-naming) national discussions can seem while they are taking place, they always turn out to be fleeting. If action is taken at all, it relies on a ‘rising tides lift all boats’ framing rather than an explicit commitment to racial justice.

Though the COVID crisis has put the lethal legacy of slavery on full display, the CDC only recently started collecting and disaggregating data by race. Their slowness to act decisively is either from political embarrassment, willful ignorance, or ambivalence to the immediate and life-saving significance of this information, and so when the US President and many in his political party push to reopen the economy prematurely, we shouldn’t be surprised. Once again, economic concerns in this country are taking priority over public health concerns and human life, as they often do when Black and brown people are involved. A more strategic rollout of this information

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could have allowed Americans to get on board with a strategy, supported by race-disaggregated data, to ensure that resources were directed to the right communities.

Structural racism is insidious. It doesn’t rely on decisionmakers to themselves be racists. Instead, it is a generationsold system of norms and parameters which provide the framework for almost every decision we make. As history confirms, the roots of American society lie in a slave economy, and our racially-structured political and economic system is reinforced by a legal system that relies on history (which is precedent) for administering justice. In most cases, instead of radical transformation, our system delivers us a watered-down version of what we already are; in other words, when the gavel drops or the bill is passed, we are simply left with whitesupremacist capitalist racial ideology-light. So, it should come as no surprise that racial equity transformation is slow, and that it never comes without a fight.

When you water something down, it becomes a diluted version of itself. What we need right now is something altogether different. Instead of passing up yet another opportunity to right a four-century-old wrong, it’s time to finally ensure that a post-COVID-19 recovery benefits both sides of the color-line and that we as a nation truly begin to address the structural roots of racial inequality.

So, what is the organizing work, political work, and accountability work that needs to happen in order to ensure that the public good serves all of us equally? In many cases, tools for advancing racial equity already exist. Some can be hacked while others will need to be completely reimagined.

But here’s where we can start: Economic Development Race-equity criteria for federal disaster grants targeting Black and brown communities who are experiencing higher rates of infection and death from COVID-19 to support post-

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pandemic minority-owned business development, affordable housing subsidy, and home-owner stabilization programs.

Targeted investment in “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects in Black and brown communities and as a way to reverse the legacies of infrastructural harm (ie.mid-century urban renewal and federal highway expansion programs).

Experiential learning and on-the-job training with apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and workforce incubation programs that connect Black and brown communities to large-scale, long-term infrastructure projects.

Connecting minority-owned businesses to unions to address labor shortages, changing industry, entry-level jobs through targeted training programs, and green jobs pipelines, and ensure that reliable employment pipelines typically accessible to unions also include people of color.

Public-private partnerships with local Community Development Corporations (CDCs) so that locally-based minority developers have primary access to develop on public land in all neighborhoods, especially in majorityminority neighborhoods. Including cooperative-ownership models with cooperative community governance can further balance economic development interests with communitybuilding objectives and creates a cycle of local reinvestment in communities.

Housing Public sector purchase of rental housing in all new developments to support the lowest income families in every neighborhood and increase the stock of publicly-administered affordable housing for Black and brown families.

Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district overlays for affordable housing in low-income neighborhoods that can be triggered to avoid displacement during early gentrification by capturing rising property tax revenue internally for affordable housing.

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“Today’s planners, designers, and policy-makers have an ethical obligation to realign our priorities and adopt intentional antiracist agendas that address the legacy pockets of inequity in Black and brown communities. The time to act is now! Because if we choose to wait – and it will be a choice – we will once again miss an opportunity to ensure that the very same people who are keeping our recovery afloat can finally be treated equally.”

Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (ADU) subsidies in Black and brown communities to create income opportunities for homeowners while increasing their property values, and growing the availability of affordable rental housing for very low-income families.

The Public Domain Race-equity criteria for federal disaster grants targeting Black and brown communities with limited access to quality public space during COVID-19 to advance parks and open space improvements that support long-term public health and wellbeing.

planning and policy-making, today’s planners, designers, and policy-makers have an ethical obligation to realign our priorities and adopt intentional antiracist agendas that address the legacy pockets of inequity in Black and brown communities. The time to act is now! Because if we choose to wait – and it will be a choice – we will once again miss an opportunity to ensure that the very same people who are keeping our recovery afloat can finally be treated equally.

Multimodal transit and bicycle hubs to increase mobility options in areas with limited access to vehicles to increase healthy and affordable transportation options such as shaded sidewalks and protected bikeways.

Streetscape improvement requirements for all new developments in communities of color to improve walking experiences for residents as well as making local job and retail centers more attractive.

Mapping the digital divide by tracing current fiber optic infrastructure investments across cities and then adjustment plans to prioritize communities of color so that they have improved access to a post-COVID digital world.

Community mapping projects with communities of color so that they become the leaders in local decision-making about new developments and neighborhood improvements.

For communities of color, a cure for the harm caused by COVID-19 needs to go far beyond developing a vaccine.

We also need social and economic policies that take on the underlying, longstanding, and persistent problems of structural racism.

Reflecting on this country’s long history of intentional racist

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Stephen F. Gray is an Associate Professor of Urban Design at Harvard Graduate School of Design and founder of Boston-based design firm Grayscale Collaborative. His work acknowledges the intersectionality of race, class, and the production of space.

He is currently co-leading an Equitable Impacts Framework pilot with the High Line Network and Urban Institute aimed at advancing racial equity agendas for industrial reuse projects across North America.

He is part of the design team for the renovation of Franklin Park as well as guiding a racially equitable strategy for Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial effort in 2022.

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DESIGNING FOR DISSENT SUPRIYA AMBWANI, SASLA

“Parks and plazas are not museums to be preserved and admired from a distance. They demand interaction and spontaneous uses at various times of the day and night...they need to be part of the urban fabric, not separate from it. “

Supriya Ambwani is a student in the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

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On a smoggy winter afternoon in New Delhi, I followed a single file of my fellow protesters into a space cordoned off by layers of barricades and guarded by police officers menacingly fingering their polycarbonate lathis. We were outside Jantar Mantar, in Delhi’s (in)famous protest ground, raising our voices against, amongst other pressing issues, police brutality.1 The irony of being caged in by the very group from which we were demanding accountability did not escape me. Why were we, peaceful protesters who were merely trying to register our dissent in a democracy, forced into crowd pens by busloads of armed officers? Elsewhere, hundreds of people who voiced their opinions were brutally attacked. Months later, those who stood up for human rights continue to be arrested, detained, and tortured during a global pandemic while those who instigated and actively participated in the attacks roam free and, in some cases, are celebrated.

The modern nation of India was born out of sustained and diverse protest movements that successfully overthrew its colonial overlords, which is why the police state’s actions are especially ironic. Simultaneous, full-blown assaults on public space curb our freedoms and hobble democracy. Surveillance, exclusionary design, and the privatisation of public space— not only in Delhi but all over the world—are forcing citizens to seek permission to voice their opinions in increasingly restricted areas.

Michael Sorkin, a tireless crusader for just cities, emphasised the interconnectedness of authoritarian repression and the loss of public space in his introduction to All Over the Map:

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PERSPECTIVES Make no mistake: there is a crisis in the public realm and its grossest manifestations range from car bombs in Kabul to CCTV cameras in London, from defensive “street furniture” in Manhattan to the rampant privatisation of everything. No matter how you slice it, a shopping mall will never be a public square, nor men with guns the mark of the open city.

The freedom, democracy, and tolerance of an open city thrive in vibrant, accessible, and comfortable public spaces. Our cities stop belonging to us when law enforcement officers attack those who question them, terrorists massacre those who do not follow their bigotry, corporations use hostile architecture to co-opt public spaces, or the surveillance state captures our images and steals our data.

As an urbanist and a landscape architect-in-training, I am troubled by my professions’ complicity in helping governments and corporations destroy urban public spaces.

An especially grating and over-analysed example is the fauxpublic Central Park in New York City, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Although it was ostensibly known as the “People’s Park” (built on the destruction of Seneca Village), it has virtually been privatised by the Central Park Conservancy today and stripped of all spontaneity. 2 Boston’s Franklin Park, also designed by Olmsted, was recently the site of a Black Lives Matter rally. It saw some masterful public relations manoeuvres by the Boston Police Department (BPD), which claimed to support the protests while contributing to actively racist policies against the low-income, historically neglected communities of colour around Franklin Park.3 To make matters worse, the BPD was supported by the Harvard University Police Department, a private, legallysanctioned, armed mercenary force run by the wealthiest university in the world.4 In Franklin Park, I found that some people live in the park while some others use it as an extension of their living spaces.

The park is desolate but also a place of freedom, especially for residents who lack privacy and space in their houses—if they have houses. Based on anecdotal evidence, I learned that police officers often harass groups of mostly young men who gather in parts of the park to drink alcohol or play loud music.5 The neoliberal state apparatus, selectively targeting those it deems ‘undesirable’, has clearly not been able to support the communities around the park even as they face disproportionate levels of violence.6 I believe the ability to use Franklin Park as a truly public space, notwithstanding the recent token rallies, is under threat. Even the parts that have not been carved up by the city and sold to private developers suffer from high levels of state surveillance.

The existing conditions may be the responsibility of the city’s regressive policies more than the designer’s intentions;

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however, it remains to be seen whether a proposed redesign of Franklin Park considers urban freedom and the community’s needs. Will the designers be able to push back against an abusive, racist, overly empowered surveillance state? Will they be able to fight for a park that truly belongs to the people?

Olmsted created spaces for people to relax in and seek respite from capitalist exploitation. His parks are, today, symbols of the same predatory system that necessitated their creation. Site contexts change with time; we thus need to draw a line between historic landscape preservation and public use. We can no longer use respect for Olmsted’s—or any other designer’s— work as an excuse to destroy urban democracy. Parks and plazas are not museums to be admired from a distance: they demand interaction and spontaneous uses at various times of the day and night. Effective public preservation necessitates evolution. To accommodate diverse interests, the public spaces we design need to be part of the urban fabric, not separate from it. It is our responsibility to design inclusive spaces for everybody.

Those in power often aim to control and deter their critics.

While some rely on armed law enforcement officials to brutalise people into toeing the line, others weaponise design to curb dissent and effectively ban public expression. That is why, as designers, our responsibility lies in fighting calls for policing public spaces, even as we grapple with how to design ourselves out of the mess our profession has created. When we build beautiful, ecologically sensitive spaces designed for freedom, we will achieve extraordinary results.

NOTES: 1 Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory built in the early 18th century. A space outside the fenced-off, heavily regulated monument is used for protests.

2 See: Keller, The Triumph of Order.

3 “Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Datasets (DataCommon)”; “In Massive Show Of Solidarity, Vigil Attendees Gather At Franklin Park To Protest Police Brutality.”

4 “Presence of Harvard Police at Police Brutality Protest Reignites Student Calls for Abolition of HUPD | News | The Harvard Crimson.”

5 Parsing through the BPD’s crime data, I noticed that those who live around Franklin Park face heavy policing. The City of Boston does not publicly share data on where it places its CCTV cameras. Boston Police Department (BPD), “Crime Incident Reports (August 2015 - To Date) (Source: New System).”

6 Atkinson, “Police Investigating Shooting near Franklin Park Zoo”; “Police Seek Person Of Interest After Woman Found Dead In Franklin Park”; Ertischek, “Found in Franklin Park”; Ottolini, “Pandemic Gun Violence.”

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BSLA JOURNEYS

“Respecting facts and data do not contradict beauty, imagination, or creativity. Landscape architecture is both an expression of high design and downto-earth fundamentals. The earth is our media after all. “ TAO ZHANG, ASLA

MUSIC, SCIENCE, LANDSCAPE & LEADERSHIP It’s a long story of how I stumbled into the field of landscape architecture at age 30. I was pursuing a Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor when I finally discovered landscape architecture, a profession that I did not know existed. I was drawn to the field because it calls for as much deep understanding of the natural environment as artistic exploration—and is grounded in social responsibility.

Growing up in an artistic family, I had always gravitated towards creative pursuits even as I pursued training in science.

In my early 20s, I even considered pursuing something completely different, such as a music career. In fact, there were many activities that did not contribute directly to my career path today — I was a music host and DJ at the public radio station in Shanghai, performed music for a theater group in the 1990s, and contributed to art and music columns in a fashion magazine and an art journal in the early 2000s.

Landscape architecture presented an ideal means of combining my unsatiated thirst for artistic expression with my years of science and research education. This birthmark of my previous life in the sciences is easily evident today in my design work as I frequently seek inspiration from science.

Because of my unconventional background and training, I am more active in the arena of ecological design and research than most designers who pursued design through more conventional pathways.

During my twelve years at Sasaki, I’ve served in many roles and carried many identities, from junior ecologist to planner and designer to project manager and now, firm leader. Along the way, I struggled with my professional identity, but I have always been cognizant of my aspirational path and believed

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in my value. If you ever question your niche in the profession, you are not alone. Four years into my principalship, I am still excited and humbled by how much I learn from my fellow Sasakians every day.

Collaborative Practice and Growth I thrive when I learn from the people who surround me. Over the years, my understanding of design, applied ecology, and social stewardship has evolved tremendously. I attribute this to the people I’ve worked with — from my earliest mentors to my current mentees — and projects I have worked on — from the projects I’m most proud of to the ones I struggled with. On a theoretical level, if my ecological training is the bedrock of my practice, then my teams are the topsoil that enriches my design. My growth was dependent on both.

Collaboration continues to be a very critical part of my creative process and daily professional life. I used to play in bands so I know how crucial it is to focus on the collective whole rather than the individual ego, and how to work seamlessly with your bandmates. One of the most satisfying experiences in playing music is when creative ideas emerge and bounce between collaborators in real-time. It requires unreserved trust and embrace of healthy conflict. The experience is equally applicable to landscape architecture.

Timely and transparent communication is essential to resolve conflicts. Convincing reasoning and clear logic in front of the entire team normally wins at Sasaki.

I often suspect that when a design goes too easily it might not be the best solution. Differences or conflicting opinions give opportunities for critical thinking and careful scrutinization of the proposed ideas. The iterative process of proposing and disposing is an inherent exercise in any creative endeavor, even if the final output ends up being the same as the initial idea.

This is no different than the laborious process of doing rounds of experiments to prove a hypothesis.

Leadership Looking Forward During this challenging year of 2020, I was honored to join the Sasaki Board of Directors as the Chair of Design Culture.

A deep believer in collaboration and equity, I will continue to foster an engaging, inclusive, and somewhat quirky design culture across the firm.

Building the next ranks of leadership are key to fueling a healthy design culture. When we look for talent to join Sasaki, I often seek a few general qualities the most: First, diversity, because design needs diverse perspectives to flourish, and if not actively sought, modern culture and globalization are so pervasive that homogeneity dominates. My definition of diversity is multifaceted, interpreted from a cultural, racial, experience, or personality perspective. Secondly, curiosity, for unlimited possibility drives creativity. Complacency, by contrast, is a recipe for stale design and obsolete practice.

Then finally, genuineness and sincerity are what I respect and seek most in design. There are many ways of arriving at

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successful design solutions, but the intention must be genuine and the design honestly articulated. If ecology or sustainability is abused as a greenwash term to disguise superficial design, or egocentric aesthetics becomes an excuse to discount environmental integrity, then it puts my patience to a test. Of course, the best landscape design should be holistic in both aesthetics and functionality.

Leading on the key issues defining our profession and our potential for impact is a primary preoccupation for me. The environmental movement in recent history has strongly shifted the field of landscape architecture. Increasing social and environmental awareness will propel the profession of landscape designer toward a more empowering trajectory.

We are at long last gaining broader understanding from society at large, leaving behind a frustratingly long history of being trivialized as landscape decorators for the elites. Today, to continue to build awareness and impact we need to be well-versed in science and be well versed on the environment, wildlife, climate, and the needs of diverse populations, especially the communities under-represented in spheres of decision-making. These are all responsibilities that we have

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to undertake as landscape architects to lead our profession and ensure we lead as a profession well-positioned to find the systems-based solutions our global health and climate crises demand.

More than ever, today’s complex environmental and societal challenges that are impacting us on unprecedented scales require interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary collaboration and an evidence-based approach. While we as designers ultimately serve the public as our client when defining the public realm, we have an overriding responsibility to advocate for environmental integrity in every project independent of cultural trends toward or against sustainable, resilient design. Respecting facts and data do not contradict beauty, imagination, or creativity. Landscape architecture is both an expression of high design and down-toearth fundamentals. The earth is our media after all.

Trained as an ecologist and landscape architect, Tao Zhang is principal and chair of design culture at Sasaki. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems from University of Michigan, and degrees in Landscape Ecology and Natural Resources from Fudan University in Shanghai.

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TIFFANY COGELL

OPEN SPACES:

An Opportunity to Take a Stand for Racial Justice and Promote Community Healing through Black Art

“Those of us who work in design, with the authority to make decisions, it is our responsibility to step outside of past norms and step into intentional design.

52 years from now, what will be said about us? Will there still be a need to protest? “

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Prior to 2020, the Civil Rights Movement referred to a time in the United States between 1954 and 1968 when Black people and allies organized a concentrated effort to challenge, reform and end segregation and systemic racism in the form of discrimination and fought to gain the right to vote for all African Americans.

Martin Luther King was a minister and civil rights activist who led a movement of non-violent, peaceful protests to fight racial injustice in the United States. He was assassinated at the age of 30, 52 years ago. That was a year before I was born.

Today we are witnessing the same kinds of racial injustice that led King and others to fight for the civil rights of Black humans. We have witnessed the public, disturbing, and unnecessary murders of Black people because of the color of their skin. There are so many. Far too many. The Black community is mourning the loss of innocent life. We are angry.

We are tired. We demand change.

A trail of unjust murders from Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbury, and Breonna Taylor, to the eight minute, 46 second torture of George Floyd -- a public lynching at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer -sparked the resurgence of a global civil rights movement.

Today, in 2020, in an election year, when our humanity has been politicized and our demand for justice has been radicalized, while we navigate the ravaging and disproportionate effects of COVID-19, we again take to the streets to protest racial injustice – specifically the injustice of police brutality and race-related violence and murder.

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PERSPECTIVES 52 years after Martin Luther King’s murder, we must still protest for the right to our humanity.

It is a heavy load to carry. We are all looking within ourselves and our community to find peace and healing as we struggle to survive and work toward change. Now, more than ever, we are searching for healing, community, unity and outlets to express our fear, anger and resolve.

Art has forever been a comforting tool for human expression.

Historically, art, for the Black community, has been a means to unpack the dehumanization and ever-present tragedy that have become the normalized Black experience. We have developed a culture around artistic expression. We create space to address our oppression and joy despite our plight, with imagination, resilience, bravery, and divinely inspired talent.

We create this intangible space as a community because of lack of access to lots of physical space.

As a way of dealing with hardship, Black artists create as a way to internalize the pain and release their vision of the struggle, giving way to healing and teaching. Black creatives are always creating, as they digest and bring to life materializations of their vision of a better life.

You can hear our joy and pain in our music. You can feel it when we dance. You can taste it in our food.

It is the formula to share our stories, to cultivate empathy with intention, and to harvest the change we deserve to see. Art gives a voice to the hard conversations that need to be had about racial injustice and systemic inequity.

Now, more than ever, we need an open platform to tell the truth and enable understanding. Art is the platform that holds the power of expression, understanding and empathy. As we’ve been relegated mostly to our homes in an effort to remain virus free and stop the spread of COVID-19, so many of us have sought out intentional understanding of police brutality, social justice, civic engagement, racial equity and economic rights.

Yes, this is a good thing. However, with all of the blacked-out social media posts and declarations of solidarity, collectively American society minimizes traumas that took place on this land, like slavery of Black people and the genocide of Native Americans. Museums and murals touch at commemoration but mostly remain in the ‘politically correct’ sphere of making sure not to offend, thus neglecting to amplify the whole horrid truth of our lived experiences and the consequences of the choices of this nation. It gives our consciences a pass.

There are more instances of murals and public art that represent Blackness. But in order to truly begin changing

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collective perception, there is so much more work to do.

Inclusion and diversity and equity should be an understood call-to-action. A call that we all prioritize answering.

What can we do as artists, designers, urban planners, makers, builders, and creators to shift our collective norm of past inaction? Amplify Black art, Black stories, and Black humanity openly and unapologetically. Utilize public platforms and open spaces to challenge injustice. Create spaces that challenge the public to face their bias. Hold space for Black expression – hire Black artists and support their art, understanding that it power to heal, not just Black people, but everyone.

Now that we’re experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases and we’re faced with another shut down, we are yet further away from safely gathering in museums or venturing out for a gallery show. We do still have open spaces. Open spaces can be used to amplify the Black experience with the intention to curate opportunities to reflect, for civic engagement, encourage community building and hold space for healing. Murals, temporary installations, place-making, interactive projects – these can act as teaching tools, on the ready when visitors are ready or in need.

Open spaces should accommodate all of their visitors. Let’s think about how open spaces can become an extension of the remote classroom, particularly for the students who do not have immediate access to beautiful, open spaces. Let think about how designing for our most vulnerable and marginalized will increase benefit for everyone.

Those of us who work in design, with the authority to make decisions, it is our responsibility to step outside of past norms and step into intentional design. 52 years from now, what will be said about us? Will there still be a need to protest? As design professionals let’s do our part. Hopefully the mark we leave will prove us to be kind humans and forward-thinking allies of justice.

Tiffany Cogell joined Aamodt/Plumb in 2018 as a Construction Associate Project Manager with a background in community organizing around active transit advocacy, food sovereignty, urban planning, and racial justice activism. She’s one of the founders of Cross Cultural Collective, an arts collaborative that amplifies diasporic art and its creators, a co-organizer for Ride for Black Lives Boston, and Principal Consultant at Design4Equity, where she collaborates leadership teams to design programs to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into their organizational structure and culture. Tiffany is a mother of four and passionate about reflecting inclusion, economic equity and collective empowerment through design, art, housing and public spaces.

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Yoni Angelo Carnice received a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2020. His thesis explored how the design of a mountain trail and gardens weave together stories and ecology of San Bruno Mountain and the Filipino diaspora in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Under the Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design sponsored by the Garden Club of America and the Landscape Architecture Foundation, Yoni is currently conducting research around the work of artist and gardener Demetrio Braceros at Cayuga Playground in San Francisco. The following is an outline of the ongoing work to preserve the cultural legacy of the park.

YONI ANGELO CARNICE

SUNLIGHT ENTERED HIS HANDS

“Contrary to the agency we often never give to the maintainers and laborers of a space, Demi embodies an authority… From the animal shaped topiaries, to the vegetated arbor structures, the overgrowth of his trails, he designed with intention and detail and with a flair for the tropics.”

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In 1973, Demetrio “Demi” Braceros, a practical arts teacher, immigrated to California with his wife. He came as part of a wave of Filipino migration to San Francisco in the 1970s through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which ended racial discrimination in immigration policies. Demi had grown up in the small town of Cabugao in the province of Ilocos Sur, a rugged coastline in northern Philippines where he had learned how to farm. In college, he studied wood carving and then mastered his craft over a decade, while working as a teacher. Like many migrants to the United States, Demi took up a variety of jobs in his first few years, from portering to a position at a law firm, but then opted for a shovel and shears tending to the trees at the Golden Gate Park Arboretum. In 1986, he accepted a gardening position at Cayuga Playground with San Francisco Recreation and Parks and remained there for twenty-three years.

The eleven-acre park is found in the Excelsior district in the hinterlands of San Francisco, tucked in between Interstate 280 on its northern border, a busy highway along its southern edge, and the looming BART commuter trains pummeling by on the tracks above. What Demi inherited was a park meant to bookend low-income neighborhoods and a vision of mid20th century public utilitarian park design: a cut and paste template of concrete, metal structures, sand boxes, boxwood hedges, and an open field.

“The first thing he did was move earth, literally… the absolute basics of landscaping. Second thing he did was plant,” says Josie Porter, a volunteer and community member. Demi had begun with the naked and eroding, sandy hillsides around the park. There, he created “vegetated terraces” as slope retention

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PROJECTS mechanisms. Demi’s distinctive landscape methods may have been a memento of the Ifugao rice terracing traditions where he grew up in the Philippines. Perhaps most distinctly evocative of traditional Filipino practice are the wooden sculptures carved from felled cypress trees on site.

Cayuga Playground is locally known as one of San Francisco’s most unusual parks, thanks to its hundreds of colorful wooden totems of animals, local celebrities, deities, and other whimsical curiosities that grace the park’s myriad of trails and gardens. Armed with a chainsaw and a machete, Demi singlehandedly carved nearly 400 sculptures of various shapes and sizes from Monterey cypress trees. Historically, the indigenous Ifugao people carved wooden anthropomorphic sculptures embedded with the spirits of ancestors meant to protect rice granaries. Contemporary art traditions in the Philippines have evolved out of a culture of piecing together remnants of folk knowledge, religious indoctrination of Spanish rule, and the detritus of post-war American imperialism. From local and pop cultural icons like baseball player Barry Bonds and Princess Diana to imagery deeply embedded in Catholic tradition such as the Virgin Mary and Jesus, Demi’s work places itself within the unique history of the Filipino diaspora assembling pieces of religious colonial and imperial history as a way to maintain a distinctive cultural identity, a way of mending an individual’s connection between the homeland and a new home.

The collaging of the Philippines and America is seen in the mystical sculptures and in the unique overgrowth of plantings amidst which they are hidden. Demi created a myriad of pathways and “rooms” through dense swathes of brugmansia sprouting across the forest floor while fiery red blooms of Turks cap’s and vibrant purples of passionflower clung to homemade wooden arbors and trellises creating tunnels that further intensified the feelings of wetness, color, and shade inherent to the tropics. Contrary to the agency we often never give to the maintainers and laborers of a space, Demi

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embodies an authority over design grounded in gardening practice. From the animal shaped topiaries, to the vegetated arbor structures, the overgrowth of his trails, he designed with intention and detail and with a flair for the tropics, where he first learned how to garden. His personhood is not only embedded in the landscape but is deeply reflective of the community itself.

Like his sculptures, his garden is an assemblage of material and aesthetics from the surrounding neighborhood of Cayuga Terrace. As opposed to a typical “mow and blow” approach to public parks, Demi cultivated plants from his own home garden and shared them with the park. He had a fondness for hydrangeas, something the community closely cherished. In the process, his colorful plant palette began to emerge as a collective neighborhood garden with an assortment of hedges and sculptures. From Jade plants and geraniums planted with bottlebrush topiary, his conception of beauty was driven by the community, blurring the lines between the public realm and the neighborhood.

It is not surprising that Demi has been attributed and venerated as the source of remarkable transformation in Cayuga Terrace. One woman in the community described how he carved a sculpture of her dog that passed away.

Another recalled him carving a memorial for a neighborhood friend barely three hours after hearing the news of her friend’s death. He even sculpted topiaries in the form of Easter Island statues staring up at the BART tracks so passengers on the train could enjoy the garden, a mutual acknowledgment of joy, mystery, and the work of one man.

Demi’s surname -- Braceros, meaning “laborer” -- captures the essence of his work at Cayuga Playground. He is a gardener who is attentive and attuned to the life around him and is deeply connected to the hands that make his craft. What was once considered a blight, became a paradise in the outskirts of San Francisco, a place often forgotten by the rest of the city.

Left: author & landscape architecture researcher Yoni Angelo Carnice in Cayauga Playground, San Francisco, with the hand-carved scupltures of Demi Braceros.

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Opposite: A collage of Demi’s sculptures.

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YUNG-CHING IRIS LIN, ASLA

THE IMPACT OF DESIGN

A Waterfront Park That Restored a Community and Enriched My Career Sixteen years ago, I changed the trajectory of my career from electronics engineering in Taiwan to study landscape architecture in the United States. I was excited about the opportunities ahead to improve our public spaces, protect the environment, and conserve natural resources. At the same time, I wasn’t sure where my career change would take me.

It has been a fascinating and rewarding journey practicing landscape architecture in the United States. Over the years, I learned how to more successfully navigate cultural and language differences and have been able to solve some unique design problems by applying my training in engineering and landscape architecture.

Before moving to Boston and joining Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio in 2012, I developed site designs for many domestic and international mixeduse developments and worked on several LEED-certified institutional projects in Maryland. I found it extremely fulfilling to work on local projects, see people enjoying the spaces I created, and know my work contributed to a more sustainable environment.

My first brownfield site and an opportunity to make a waterfront gem In my time at Halvorson, I have focused primarily on park, cemetery, and institutional projects in New England. There is much I love about the work I do, but the most memorable and deeply rewarding project thus far in my career has been

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the Senator Joseph Finnegan Park at Port Norfolk, which transformed a contaminated industrial waterfront site in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood into a community open space that acts as a critical link between the Neponset Greenway and the Boston Harborwalk.

The site, located along the Neponset Estuary, had originally been marsh land before it was filled in for industrial uses in the mid-1800s. Decades of industrial use—including a lumber yard, a metal fabricating company, and the most recent occupant, the Shaffer Paper Company--had left the land contaminated.

According to historical records, before the site was claimed by the state in the mid-1980s, neighbors would chain themselves to chairs to block trucks from dumping hazardous waste at the former marsh area next to their homes. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts purchased the land after the factory closed in 1985. Despite the efforts of the Port Norfolk community, who tried hard for many years to clean up the site, the 14-acre riverfront property sat fenced off, overgrown, and neglected.

When I first visited the site on a cold winter day in 2013, our team entered along the low-tide shoreline, which was filled with debris and surrounded by tall, invasive Phragmites. I was six months pregnant at the time and walked carefully on the uneven surface and around a variety of tripping hazards. Wintertime is usually not cheerful, but the scene was especially depressing. I saw a deteriorated timber bulkhead, pavement falling apart, and piles of unknown waste materials. A third of the site was fenced

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Images, starting opposit left: The site, before. Context Map, Updated Shaffer Paper Park Site Plan, 2018. Note the site in bright green, a connecting link between the Neponset River and Boston Harbor. Restored salt marsh during its second growing season (left) and new paths in active use (above).

Graphics by Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio. Photos by the author.

off and couldn’t be accessed, but it looked like a jungle. In that moment, I could not imagine a solution and did not know what could be done to help this site and its neighbors.

coalesced to transform a formerly polluted eyesore into a jewel of the neighborhood that people can enjoy for generations to come.

Through discussions with the design team and community, an idea started to emerge—a resilient, sustainable solution for cleaning up and restoring this ecologically sensitive area and creating a new passive recreation space that would allow the public to connect with nature and the river.

I regularly take my family to the park, which has become like another child to me. It brings me great joy seeing people biking and walking along the trails, the healthy trees growing, the new salt marsh now blended in with the existing shoreline, and the wildlife returning.

We re-graded the shoreline into a natural slope and revegetated it with saltmarsh plants to restore the native saltwater habitat. A half-mile loop path meanders through the park and connects to adjacent trails and streets, providing multiple access points for the neighborhood as well as an opportunity to get close to the waterfront. Contrasting the open field at the eastern portion of the park, we preserved existing trees and landforms in the western section. This area is more heavily planted, creating an intimate experience that brings visitors through the woods and offers a glimpse of water behind.

Every time I visit the park that I helped create, it reconfirms my commitment to improve our public spaces and protect the environment and natural resources. I have no doubt that landscape architecture is the right path for me.

The significance This park, 30 years in the making, was imagined and achieved through the hard work of neighborhood advocates, who recognized the value of natural settings to the health and vitality of urban families and worked diligently to ensure that this site would become a new community asset. Their commitment to environmental protection and the design team’s expertise

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Yung-Ching Iris Lin is a senior landscape architect at Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio in Boston, and a volunteer member of the design review board in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

She received her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Science in electronic engineering from Chia-Tung University in Taiwan.

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JUSTICE II KOTCHAKORN VORAAKHOM. INTERNATIONAL ASLA in conversation with JALINE MCPHERSON and MAGGIE TSANG Editors’ Note: “JUSTICE II” is one of four conversations held as part of this Fieldbook issue.

Following are excerpts, intended as provocations and as invitations to listen to the entire session.

Watch online at www.bslafieldbook.org These discussions are rich, lively, thoughtprovoking, and impossible to summarize in a few pages. We hope that the following bits stimulate, challenge, inspire & energize.

Kotchakorn: I’m from Thailand. I feel that the landscapes that we grow up in are so important to how we read landscapes. How would you define your landscape upbringing and how does it tie to how you perceive landscape now?

Jaline: When I was two, my family moved to Southwest Virginia, in a valley surrounded by mountains and greenery.

I’ve been spoiled to live in a place that is so luscious and vegetative, with rolling hills and the Blue Ridge mountains. In a sense, it’s playful and I can definitely see it now overlapping with my own interests. Currently, in studio, I’m working on a project three hours east of my hometown that’s bringing everything full circle. There’s also a historical relationship of African Americans with the land that is coming into my work, which is really exciting.

Maggie: I grew up in a pretty classic American suburb outside of DC. My

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parents moved to the US for graduate school. My experience was about the suburban experience of a backyard and tending to a garden and playing in the dirt. I didn’t know that landscape architecture was a profession. My interest in landscape came through my study of architecture. Being interested in issues of urbanism brought me to architecture. The process of how the built environment evolves over time has drawn me into landscape.

Jaline: I also studied architecture first. And I didn’t pay attention to the landscape growing up. It’s only now that I’m really thinking about it all and synthesizing those experiences. I find myself interested in smaller communitycentered designs. I’m working on a project right now called Pocahontas Island in Petersburg, Virginia. It’s one of the earliest Freed Black communities in the United States.

My studio professor connected me to the community there, and it’s been amazing to learn about the history of people and how they have lived on the land. I have a passion for these cultural landscapes that are rooted in a larger history.

Kotchakorn: Outside the US, we’ve heard so much news about Black Lives Matter. How do you feel, being in that environment? You mentioned that in your work on this site, one thing that made you happy was that you feel you belong and that you’re tracing your story of your ancestors.

Jaline: That’s a beautiful way of framing it. In the United States, we’re in a heated moment of heightened awareness.

This year, I’m also the president of the African-American student union at the GSD. Having that community, with urban designers and planners and architects, has been like a family space,

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and that cross-pollination of learning has been really rich. Especially in times like these, which can be so exhausting and confusing and frustrating. It’s nice to center being Black in a predominantly white field.

inherited this from the predominantly male discipline that I exist in? What are other ways of communicating? How you get information to begin with can be so fundamentally different when the power structure is organized differently.

Maggie: When we’re in institutions

It is such a radical difference when you amplify the voices of people who are not typically in positions of power, who break down these habits of knowing and practicing. That, to me, is the beautiful part of being with other women, especially with women of color who do that work and take that on as a responsibility to combat these hegemonic systems of thinking and practicing.

like the GSD and other predominantly white institutions, there are certain standards, expectations, and histories that we inherit. Unlearning those things and then really looking for new places for inspiration and new forms of knowledge that have not yet been lifted up by these institutions is a process. I’ve always been really excited about finding people who are interested in doing that.

What inherited ways of practicing do we take for granted? Is this really the right way to be doing things? Or have I just

Jaline: My GSD studio is mostly women. Even when there are a lot of women in the room, still there are a lot of differences in the ways that people communicate or feel comfortable giving

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

and receiving criticism, especially in school where norms have been adopted from more toxic methods of communicating and passed down for generations.

I think that’s great to examine that and look for ways that people are doing it differently. We’re seeing social movements about designing with communities instead of by an

individual. In architecture, it’s the

architect at the top who creates a form or space. Black Lives Matter has gone from a protest, a moment in time, to a more democratic system that’s pushing for changes for multiple people.

It’s incredible, pushing against the individualistic identity of America and the white male identity 89

of being the sole designer. It’s amazing to see that.

Maggie: This thinking can really change the process of practice and change landscape through that process. If you are listening to communities in different ways, or if you come to the table without preconceived notions of what the outcomes are going to be, and you really are there to collaborate , you’re designing a process that inherently will change the landscape. It’s not about authorship,

but it’s about collaboration. It

takes work and it’s not easy, right?

Commitment to that type of work and to that type of collaboration is really important.

Kotchakorn: Yes. It’s not about you in a role as designer, but it’s actually you as a listener to design issues. It’s a different approach than other disciplines. But then, when the work is finished, what does it look like? What does a “just” landscape look like?

Jaline: That’s a great question. Maggie touched on it a bit when she was talking about ownership and authorship. A lot of designers have assumptions about how people will use spaces. Who’s using it? Are people using them differently than you intended?That’s where you can get a deeper and more nuanced answer about “just” thinking and how it’s able to serve a variety of people.

It comes down to a community engagement strategy that’s embedded from the beginning. The idea that the community decides about their own spaces is powerful. It may also open many, many different opportunities to different groups of people to come in, even from funding perspectives. Can you collaborate with grants? Can you collaborate with artists’ residencies and bring in new groups of users to this space? Both human and ecological users and systems.

Maggie: What a “just” landscape feels and looks like is about what do we really

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value as landscape? Yes, there’s maybe one image of the park, as a precious park, but at the same time, people value space in different ways, given their different backgrounds. It’s our role to “amplify” what those spaces are and really understand those values. Not only the economic value that open space adds to a city or municipality, but really thinking about other types of value and making a democratic space where everybody can be.

I think that there’s this preciousness around certain ideas of landscape that it has to be beautiful in a particular way.

Sometimes your engagement with public space is not precious. It can be messy. It’s more about who can come to the table and who can be there.

Kotchakorn: Let’s come back to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the uncertain future that’s coming.

There are so many things that need to be changed in our society. What in our profession should change?

Maggie: Some of the work that we do is looking at coastal and riparian flooding.

Especially along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, a lot of money goes into coastal resiliency. It puts a big question mark on what are we

valuing? What are we protecting?

We know that the people who suffer the most are the people who don’t have the means to be able to move. A lot of renters and others are in communities that have been left behind or that were planned irresponsibly because land was cheap. Paying more attention to issues of environmental justice and thinking about interim solutions that are actually in a community or at a local scale is really important. We talk about large scale infrastructure projects that can protect big cities, and those are interesting and important in their own right, but at

the same time, there’s not as much of a careful landscape lens towards the communities that are dealing with flooding problems right now. What are intermediary, smaller scale solutions that can at least extend the time period of somebody’s ability to be in a place to make a decision on their own? Those are necessary.

It’s also really important to think about how landscapes evolve over time and how they interact with more complex social inequity.

Do they evolve justly or unjustly? Do they contribute to more flooding and contribute to greater inequality? Do they drive property values down on one side, and up on the other side? Where are people and what are they left with afterwards?

Jaline: That’s a great point. And it shows the power in our field, in connecting these huge climate changes that feel really far out in the distance and landing them onto the ground and showing who is affected and how ground conditions will change over time. This is super valuable. This newer generation of designers can use technical skills that we learn in school, and bring them to the newer generations living these experiences. Building future capacity for coastal resilience. Climate change is happening now. There are things we can do right now.

Kotchakorn: I really like that: “Build the change” and “Be the change.”

Many people dealing with change have protective attitudes and don’t want to change. So they propose solutions relevant to that mindset, like the city that builds dams to not get wet. In contrast with the city that wants to lead the change and shapes buildings so that water can flow through. It’s

not only about the solutions, it’s about changing attitudes. Because

if cities build the dam, people are weak;

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CONVERSATIONS BSLA

they think that the dam will protect, but it won’t; it’s actually just a short term solution that creates even more problems.

Jaline: Different communities have different opinions about climate change, and landing those on the ground and

having honest conversations about different opportunities or processes that will occur is where there is a lot of agency. Looking at it from many perspectives and many

Maggie Tsang is co-founder of Dept., a landscape architecture and urban design studio. Maggie has worked extensively on issues of architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure. Recent projects include a community stormwater park and citywide plan for North Miami’s flood-prone properties. Prior to founding Dept., she was design lead at WORK Architecture Company in New York where she led several public projects, including two school additions for Edible Schoolyard and the New York School Construction Authority. Maggie received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Architecture from Yale University where she was awarded the Sonia Schimberg Prize.

She also holds a Master of Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

points of view. Landscapes really are an opportunity to not just be a storm water drainage project that’s very much needed but also new public space. Is it also cleaning the air? Is it also producing respite and joy? There are opportunities to bring in multiple perspectives, not just a singular narrative of space. And it expands through time, making it really exciting to be in this field.

Maggie: One thing that’s so interesting about landscape architecture is that it has longevity, whether or not you pay

Listen to the full conversation online at www.bslafieldbook.org. attention. Learning from mistakes or things that went well, how plants change, how community reactions change; there’s an evolution of land and the environment and nature over time.

And you can see what your role was in that and in many ways what your role was not in that. To me, that’s exciting to have that process continue in my career.

Kotchakorn: It’s about process, it’s about time, it’s about change.

Jaline McPherson, SASLA, is a third year Master in Landscape Architecture I candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

An avid artist, she is interested in the inclusion and celebration of minority perspectives through a visual medium. She believes that design should be collaborative in order to celebrate, heal, and create successful communities. Before attending Harvard, she worked for SFCS Architects in Roanoke, Virginia, where she developed a desire to create inclusive environments for aging populations and enhance their overall quality of life. During her time at the GSD, Jaline served as co-chair for the 2019 Black in Design Conference, which explored pathways to liberation through a design lens, considering the historical past and present structural oppression of Black and brown communities locally and internationally.

She currently serves as president for the African American Student Union at the GSD and has co-authored student publications advocating for diversity and increase representation within the field of landscape and larger design culture.

Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA, is a landscape architect who works on building productive green public space that tackles climate change in sinking cities. Her favorite childhood activity—boat paddling in floodwaters— would later become a catastrophic disaster for her hometown of Bangkok, Thailand. To save her city from rising sea levels, Voraakhom founded the firm Landprocess and the Porous City Network, a social enterprise working to increase urban resilience across Southeast Asia. Voraakhom is a TED Fellow, Echoing Green Climate Fellow, and Atlantic Fellow. She received her master’s in landscape architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and was a 2020 Design Critic in Landscape Architecture at the GSD.

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WANTED Landscape architects to work pro bono on 2021 community projects in greater Boston.

Experienced professionals, beginning practitioners, students welcome.

Volunteer as a designer or project liaison!

COGdesign takes on 5-10 communityinitiated green space projects annually, matching pairs of designers with community projects and offering a working structure in which to provide an equitable and open design process. While COVID makes community engagement challenging, our projects are moving forward.

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Delivery of a schematic design plan fulÞlls our agreement. Some designers choose to continue to work with their COG clients.

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MaineASLA is: An active Section of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects Focused on promotion of and advocacy for the profession in Maine Seeking kindred practitioners, seasoned and emerging alike, to advance landscape architecture initiatives throughout the state, and to support landscape architects throughout their careers

Support the design community in Maine.

Contact contact@msla.org to get involved. We need you!

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/ This is where Landscape Architecture -- and design thinking in more general terms -- has the capacity to shape systemic transformations. As a profession, and as professionals, we are aware of the discipline’s multi-faceted approach to tackling the big issues of our time. We know we work to cross-pollinate with multi-disciplinary colleagues, we have a commitment to community-centered initiatives, a focus on resilience, and devotion to ecologically driven decision-making. We recognize our role in altering the built environment in the face of unprecedented social, economic, and environmental challenges. But how much do our youth truly know? How much do we reach diverse communities of young people traditionally marginalized, without access to or knowledge of design education? How much do we really commit ourselves to building an inclusive space for awareness and advocacy of our profession, while lifting the voices of our most excluded young people?

DANIELA CORAY, ASSOC. ASLA

THE JOURNEY TO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Strengthening Awareness and Access through Youth Engagement As we reflect on 2020, we must pause on the multitude of critical moments, volatile events, and cataclysms that have shaken the ground we walk on, and that have led many of us to become activists for change. This has been particularly evident among young people, who have continuously been on the frontlines of significant, headline-making movements, while they remain politically stymied, unable to alter the broken systems that have engendered such shifts in their lives.

Though we could list myriad actions youth have taken against injustices and inactions in recent years, be they climate change, the Black Lives Matter movement, prolific gun violence, or the loss of basic human and civil rights in our communities, this essay is geared toward hope. Hope for a revived democracy where diverse youth have a more active and appreciated voice in political matters that directly impact their families. Hope for the continued building of resistance movements that are recognized for the challenges they do make against broken systems. And hope for the future of our younger generations to live, study, and work in meaningful ways that they feel reflect their desires for change in the world.

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In 2020, Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) launched a new Committee on K-12 Outreach, geared towards building a coalition of practitioners, academics, students, K-12 educators, and youth in a collaborative effort to increase awareness of the profession and the built environment.

The K-12 Committee, which I chair, is working to develop partnerships across Massachusetts and Maine and then further afield as we design and implement programming that engages youth, especially underserved youth, in the broad spectrum of landscape architecture practice and thinking.

As I describe our efforts underway, I am pleased to share with you voices from our partners and from our committee.

Recent Harvard GSD graduate Jonathan Kuhr, SASLA, reflects on landscape architecture’s historical trajectory: “For years, the discovery of landscape architecture as a practice has been left to privilege and circumstance. That has meant that its participants have matched the prevailing profile of privilege and circumstance: overwhelmingly White. To correct this chasm in representation, we cannot rely on these means to introduce our work. We have to take action to engage young people of color, to share how they can help shape the environment and the public realm, to open up access to our profession, and actively invite them to participate and share their knowledge and experience.”

David Meshoulam, co-founder and executive director of Speak For The Trees, a non-profit in Boston dedicated to increasing and protecting the urban tree canopy, shares the following on how youth engagement can empower communities: “I think we’re facing a moment of pivot in our country, where a lot of these issues are coming together, around climate change, systemic racism, public health, and it all ties powerfully into the history of landscape, and the landscape we have today.

Having teens see that the world around them wasn’t created by accident, that everything has a story… nothing is accidental. I

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CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT / BSLA think that empowerment gives them ways to become advocates, to activate them in realizing they have the power to change the space around them.”

The K-12 Committee has begun to develop pilot projects that offer parents, teachers, and youth alternatives to the current Zoom-focused world of education, getting people outside, engaging in their environments while gaining valuable knowledge in STEM and STEAM-related environmental education, and helping young people imagine how they might change the space around them. The goal is to meet kids where they are, breaking down typical barriers to alternative education, encouraging students to explore their own local spaces and places, and offering new tools for discovering nature. These efforts continuously evolve as we test ideas in real time this year, towards the development of broader programming in the future.

One project being piloted this year is series of design workshops with high school students. The K-12 Committee has joined the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Green New Deal Superstudio, which will launch with three cohorts of high school students during the spring 2021 semester. Each team will consider site-specific applications of the core components of the Green New Deal: decarbonization, environmental injustices, and community job development. Each high school cohort will be led by a team of landscape architecture college/grad students and mentored by a landscape architecture firm.

Jamie Brandt, a science teacher at The Governor’s Academy in Newbury, Massachusetts, will engage his 11th and 12th grade environmental science class as one cohort of our GND Superstudio, focusing on science topics through the lens of landscape architecture and the identification and protection of threatened ecosystems on the school’s 460-acre campus. Jamie has shared that, “One of the things that really excites and drives me as an educator is to introduce and connect my students to the ‘real world.’ I love the idea of giving students examples and getting them to interact with professionals to give a better sense of what a passion in science classes actually means for people when they finish school… This studio seems like a great pairing between a high school interdisciplinary science class and an interdisciplinary profession.”

A second cohort will include a team of Boston high school students who are interns with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Youth Leadership Program and will be led by landscape architecture students from the Boston Architectural College. This studio will focus on community engagement and neighborhood-level action plans for resilience, equity, inclusion, and climate change, using Boston’s Franklin Park as a spatial and social lens. Tess O’Day, Youth Education Coordinator with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, speaks about this collaboration, and environmental education opportunities as a whole: Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

“I think there is so much more opportunity for everyone to be involved in shaping public space, especially youth. People are part of their places…so I really believe in environmental education, place-based education, and experiential education as ways to create more access and ownership. For everyone to have an opportunity to shape the space they live in, I see this as the key. If you provide people with opportunities to get involved, provide those channels for access (we really need to expand access in place making and landscape architecture) a lot can happen!”

Kent Jackson, Director of Education at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, provides a poignant perspective on how connection is the foundation of sustained advocacy for the built environment, “Connection is what you want. If you never see blankets of stars at night because where you live there is too much light pollution, you get blown away. That’s huge, and youth will say ‘I want to bring my parents here, my sister and friends here…’ “ He continues, “Education and connection aren’t the same. You can blend the two, but if your focus is just to identify trees, and if you learn five and get all five you get an A… that’s information, that’s not connection. Programs that get youth out there, and then have the conversations after [spark connection], I know it, I’ve seen it. Nature is our first teacher. We are programmed to be in our senses in the natural world. Then we talk about climate change, and youth have a better understanding of how all things are connected. Connecting to nature is huge.”

Indeed.

As the BSLA K-12 Outreach Committee moves into 2021, we are committed to building deeper connections across our member community and allies, offering opportunities for us to learn from each other. The more we build awareness and mentor youth towards amplifying their voices, ideas, and actions in service of the built environment, the more we serve our future, not just as the profession of landscape architecture, but as agents for equity, diversity, and inclusion, champions for environmental justice, stewards of our landscapes, and pioneers for new models of inclusive practice and education.

Daniela Coray, Assoc. ASLA, is coordinator of course instruction and assistant faculty in the School of Landscape Architecture at the Boston Architectural College, and chair of the BSLA Committee on K-12 Outreach. She holds an associate’s degree from Suffolk University, bachelors and masters degrees from Falmouth University in England, and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the BAC. As a first generation American from Latin America, and granddaughter of immigrants from Eastern Europe, identity and belonging have long been convoluted and fascinating concepts for Daniela, particularly regarding defining an understanding of the self in public space.

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BSLA

LETTER FROM THE TRUSTEE / BSLA November 2020

Hello!

I write this letter just days before the election, amidst a resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country, and increased threat from changes in our climate.

We’re in a time of great uncertainty and yet, as landscape architects, we are in a great position to literally save the world.* Our collective advocacy nationally has helped inform some pretty amazing change through the Great American Outdoors Act. Our members continue to design places of resilience and community that directly improve quality of life. Our wider network of colleagues and allied professionals continue to collaborate with us in new and innovative ways that are yielding renewable and sustainable strategies for our planet.

As Julia Africa, Gary Hilderbrand, FASLA, Chris Reed, FASLA, and I wrote in The Boston Globe (May 6, 2020), “Now, more than ever, our parks must be understood as essential public infrastructure. Not unlike essential workers, their contributions during a pandemic should be celebrated, protected, and ultimately leveraged to support public health. We must shift our thinking to repurpose public spaces during times of crisis, restore their ecologies when the crisis abates, and adapt our parks to better accommodate urban populations (especially those who have been historically underserved) for the future… It’s a time to embrace bold thinking and turn resolutely toward planning a healthier and more equitable future for Boston.”

As designers of the built environment, we MUST be champions of equity and inclusion. How? By amplifying commonly compromised voices. We must work to eliminate the barriers that prohibit people from participating in important conversations about their neighborhoods and communities. From public libraries to barber shops, and farmers markets to playgrounds, we must meet people where they are and really listen.

As your chapter Trustee, I am in direct contact with ASLA leadership at the national level. What are your concerns? Let me know! I’ve heard from some members about repayment obligations under the Payroll Protection Program that threaten firm solvency. Others have inquired about a more consistent path to licensure and clarity around that process from ASLA. Whatever your concern, please be in touch. I will bring your issues and ideas to the next Trustees meeting with our ASLA peers from across the country, and I will work on your behalf in the interim, too.

Join me in embracing our potential as advocates for meaningful change, not only in what we design, but how we operate as professionals.

Be well,

Cheri Ruane, FASLA Trustee * In August 2020, ASLA was named by the American Society of Association Executives as one of the “100 Associations That Will Save the World” for our climate change initiatives in the category of “sustainability.”

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THANK YOU The BSLA thanks the dozens of individual members, landscape architecture firms, and industry colleagues who have supported this Fieldbook. Your intellect and passion shape these pages, and your financial support allows them to be printed. The editorial team strives to honor and celebrate your work.

COLLABORATIVE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

“Try to remember, when the noise is too great and the demands endless – find a place where the birds are singing, where the rising sun will touch your face, where the dirt of the earth will stick between your toes. Maintaining a connection to the land, the waters, and the sky is vital to nurture yourself and your work.”

Cornelia Oberlander

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We’re keeping our boots on the ground and our heads in the game this year.

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Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

In solidarity with everyone out there doing the same.

WORKING TOGETHER (REMOTELY) SINCE 2017 w w w . c o l l a b - l a . c o m

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Better design, together.

“Contribution is the only value … for it brings the advantage of giving more than one person’s slant to a problem, and shows how differences may be harmonized by active discussion.”

–HIDEO SASAKI

sasaki.com

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125 Cambridgepark Drive, Suite 301 Cambridge, MA (617) 945-9397 jessalynjarest.com Contact: Jessalyn Jarest info@jessalynjarest.com Ray Dunetz Landscape Architecture is founded on the basic underlying principles of how nature, aesthetics, physical and cultural contexts and history affect our environment.

179 Green Street Boston, MA 02130 (617) 524-6265 raydunetz.com Contact: Ray Dunetz info@raydunetz.com Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

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FROM A PARENT’S NOTEBOOK JOE JAMES, ASLA

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with cameo by JESSALYN JAREST, ASLA

Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook

Joe James, ASLA, is an associate principal at Reed Hilderbrand and adjunct professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. He spent his spare time in 2020 performing the duties of a headmaster for a (very) small elite boarding school for socially-distanced learning, and drawing cartoons to handle the events of the nation and world. His cartoons have been published in the BSLA Fieldbook and Landscape Architecture Magazine, but most of them are just littering his desk.

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A quarterly series of half-day Climate Adaptation Forums organized by the Environmental Business Council of New England and the University of Massachusetts Boston – Sustainable Solutions Lab.

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DESIGN AWARDS Boston Society of Landscape Architects seeks to recognize excellence in the diverse practices of landscape architecture.

Awarded projects reflect the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environment.

Projects should merit recognition in one or more of the following areas:

The program is open to submittals of work by landscape architecture practitioners and design offices based within the BSLA chapter area (Massachusetts and Maine), and to projects sited within the BSLA chapter area, whether or not the design offices are located in the chapter area states. Individuals, firms, project owners, public agencies, organizations, or other entities may be the formal submitting entity as long as the project’s creative team includes a graduate of an accredited landscape architecture program or a registered landscape architect.

Projects are recognized in one of six categories:

• Exemplary social, cultural, educational, or environmental significance • Outstanding quality, craftsmanship, creativity, or artistry • Unique and innovative technologies, techniques, or concepts • Advancement of the public’s awareness and perception of the field of landscape architecture

2020 BY THE NUMBERS

Communication

Analysis and Planning Design Student Research Landmark

...at the level of Merit, Honor, or Excellence. In any given year, not every category is used.

Number of submissions 99 From how many firms 35 And how many schools 3

Submitted projects are sited in 61 different cities and towns, in 15 different US states and 8 different countries across the world.

2020 BSLA Design Awards

Jury

Andrew Arbaugh, ASLA Terrance DeWan, FASLA Dan Gordon, ASLA Jason Hellendrung, ASLA Jessalyn Jarest, ASLA Kaki Martin, ASLA Ruth Raphael, ASLA Courtney D. Sharpe

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Pre-Jury William Baumgardner, Assoc. ASLA Sara Cohen, ASLA Sam Coplan, FASLA Eamonn Hutton, ASLA Patricia McGirr Liza Meyer, ASLA Mike Sardina Kate Tooke

Committee Co-Chairs April Maly, Assoc. ASLA Jeremy Martin, ASLA Susannah Ross, ASLA Advisor Joe Strayer, ASLA

BSLA

2020 Award Winners Excellence

Represents extraordinary advancement and innovation to the profession of landscape architecture.

Excellence awards may be given to one submission in each of the professional and student categories.

Com m unic at ion

Stu dent

WxLA Agency Landscape + Planning

Right to Remain Tina Yun Ting Tsai Harvard Graduate School of Design

Honor

This is the highest award in each category, recognizing superior professional accomplishment.

Multiple Honor awards may be given in each category.

Design

Stu dent

401 Park - Boston MA Leblanc Jones Landscape Architects

Mobility is Equality Amanda Ton, Weihsiang Chao, Xin Qian Harvard Graduate School of Design

Bow Market - Somerville MA Merritt / Chase Government Center Plaza Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio

Water Assemblage Tam Banh Harvard Graduate School of Design

Northeastern University ISEC Plaza & Bridge STIMSON Xuhui Runway Park SASAKI

Merit

Recognizes significant professional accomplishment.

Multiple Merit awards may be given in each category.

Ana ly s is and P l a n n i n g

Design

Stu dent

Climate Ready South Boston Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio

A New Suburban Ecology Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design

From Trash to Fish Xue Bai Harvard Graduate School of Design

Arsenal on the Charles STANTEC

Healthy Place-Making for the Medical District Allyson Fairweather, Tor Gagnon, Tianyi Guan, James Mealey, Gwendolyn Stoll, Peter Wachernagel University of Massachusetts Amherst

Healey and Mystic Groundview Lakeview District SASAKI Lincoln Park Master Plan STIMSON Reaching Beyond: Blackinton’s Cultural Crossroads Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture

Baton Rouge Central Green Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture Beach House Studio 2112 Landscape Architecture Ferrous Foundry Park STIMSON

The Berm Bishop Land Design

Hancock Adams Common Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio

White River Vision Plan Agency Landscape + Planning

Lafayette Park Crowley Cottrell

Wuhan Yangtze Riverfront Park SASAKI

Lincoln Park Weston & Sampson

Xinyang University Campus Master Plan SASAKI

Nature's Neighborhoods Coyle & Caron

Returning to the River: Water as Public Space Estello-Cisdre Raganit Harvard Graduate School of Design Stone Wall Trees 2040

By Anson Ting Fung Wong Harvard Graduate School of Design Where the Emerald Necklace Meets the Sea Reif Larson University of Massachusetts Amherst

Neponset River Greenway Crosby | Schlessinger | Smallridge Old Farm STIMSON Phillips Square Tactical Plaza Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture Solitaire Residential Tower Landworks Studio Symphony Park Groundview T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge Hargreaves Jones

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Communication

The WxLA Team Submitted by Agency Landscape + Planning WxLA WxLA is a group that advocates for equity in landscape architecture. The movement emerged from a presentation and panel talk at the 2018 ASLA national convention as a gender justice initiative in landscape architecture. Raising awareness of the challenges that prevent women from reaching their potential and providing inspired ideas and new models, WxLA’s initiatives include: The Women’s Landscape Equality (re)Solution With over 4,000 signatures on change.org, the (re)Solution summarizes the challenges to women in leadership and provides a series of commitments for practitioners and firm leaders.

WxLA Instagram Campaign With over 1,000 followers, WxLA crowd-sourced and then celebrated over 50 women-led landscape practices.

The WxLA Scholarship Feeling the need to reach next-generation practitioners, WxLA kicked off an inaugural WxLA Scholarship program in 2019.

Social Media Takeovers WxLA leveraged its Instagram platform for the benefit of other women-led initiatives: The VELA Project and the WiKi Project.

Featured in national and international publications including Landscape Architecture Magazine, World Landscape Architecture Magazine and The Dirt, WxLA is an empowered movement. It provides a voice for our profession’s women, a mechanism for enacting change and an inspiration to legacy and next-generation practitioners alike.

Project Team: Gina Ford, Cinda Gilliland, Jamie Maslyn Larson, Rebecca Leonard, Steven Spears

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Tina Yun Ting Tsai Harvard Graduate School of Design Right to Remain

The project reimagines Willis Wharf in Little Hog Island, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, some 60 years into the future: Thick forests of mangroves suppress wave action, with additional help from a dyke, elevated buildings, and residents who have determined to remain in place and transitioned from mono-aquaculture to poly-culture. Despite shrinking terrestrial areas and weak productive efficiency, with the new mechanism, the dynamic changes of water and plant species become sustainable support to help people retain their livelihoods on Little Hog Island under increasing heat extremes, sea-level rise, and more extreme flood surges. Within the new network system, the dyke, as the main element that constructs the system, not only reinforces poly-culture operations but also works as an infrastructure that fosters cultural identity through productive working ecologies. Watermen remain watermen in the face of climate vulnerability.

Project Team: Instructor: Gary Hilderbrand

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LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects 401 Park Boston, MA 401 Park reimagines the cornerstone of a prominent site within Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. Surrounded by surface parking, the 1920s Sears distribution center was far from realizing its potential as an urban beacon. Relocating automobiles underground made surface area available, which was then reconceived to support recreation, leisure, and flexible programming uses.

The Green, a new public space and the signature of our design, becomes a “front yard” to the Fens. Native plantings, drawn from the Fenway palette, frame the historic building and visually extend the language of the public green areas onto the project site while offering shade and delineating pathways.

The design aspires to give back to the community by building on the progress that the quickly evolving surroundings have made to date. 401 Park amplifies the mixed-use adaptive repurposing of the historic structure with a generosity towards its environs not always found in commercial real estate development Project Team: Keith LeBlanc, Douglas Jones, Chris Regan, Chris Shirazi Elkus Manfredi Architects, Pine and Swallow Environmental, Irrigation Consulting, Inc

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Anthony Crisafulli

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Merritt Chase Bow Market Somerville, MA Bow Market is a food, art, and retail market in Somerville, Massachusetts, that illustrates the power of community-focused public realm. Bow Market's inclusive retail strategy and investment in public space has created a mixed-use experience unlike any other in Boston. Bow Market sets a new standard for the integration of design, management, programming, and local culture.

Bow Market exemplifies how investing in public space can inspire a celebration of the social, cultural, and historical identity of a place. While a rise in public space programming is driving the implementation of urban landscape globally, the challenge to design truly unique and culturally relevant landscapes is more important now than ever. Bow Market leverages the contemporary demand for flexible public space while celebrating Somerville's culture and diversity. Through restrained material and design decisions, including integrating subtle grade changes and simplifying complex geometries, the courtyard creates a flexible urban platform for community participation.

Christian Phillips Photography Project Team: Nina Chase, Principal, Chris Merritt, Principal Boyes-Watson Architects

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Ed Wonsek

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Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio Government Center Plaza Boston, MA Boston City Hall and Plaza replaced Scollay Square with a signature Brutalist structure and complementary open space. Modeled after Sienna’s Piazza del Campo, the plaza was envisioned as a grand, open space able to host large events. Though useful for accommodating crowds, the barren, windswept plaza offered little to welcome visitors on a day-to-day basis.

Working with the City and MBTA, Halvorson and HDR developed a vision and implemented the first phase in revitalizing this significant landmark in a more environmentally responsible manner, with the completion of the Government Center Station headhouse and plaza.

The design respects the Brutalist aesthetic while addressing 21st century needs to make the plaza accessible and inviting. New trees abutting the station and along Cambridge Street are planted in structural soil with permeable paving to absorb stormwater and reduce the heat island effect. The human-scaled gathering spaces and extensive seating opportunities welcome visitors to soak up the sun or enjoy lunch under the shade of large canopy trees.

The Government Center plaza redesign represents the first step toward rebranding City Hall Plaza as Boston’s “front lawn,” where people are invited to gather, socialize, and engage with their civic Ed Wonsek leaders.

Ed

Project Team: Robert R. Uhlig, FASLA, LEED AP BD+C, Bryan Jereb, ASLA Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, City of Boston, HDR

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Ed Wonsek

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Ngoc Doan

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STIMSON Northeastern University ISEC Plaza & Bridge Boston, MA The completion of Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) and Pedestrian Crossing (PedX) Bridge marks a significant new benchmark for the design of public infrastructure within the city of Boston. Built as a link across the MBTA/Amtrak line (formerly the southern edge of the campus), this new iconic public landscape creates a universally accessible connection between the neighborhoods of Roxbury and the Fenway via a sequence of lushly planted gardens, sculptural steel forms, and dramatic lighting. This project demonstrates a highly coordinated design effort that is as formally expressive as it is technically impressive, marrying site with architecture, campus with landscape, city with nature, elevating the standard for design quality among urban campus landscapes.

Project Team: Stephen Stimson, FASLA, Greg Tuzzolo, David Nielsen, Sean Kline, Adrian Flores Payette Associates Ngoc Doan

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Ngoc Doan

Ngoc Doan

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Sasaki Xuhui Runway Park Shangh ai, China Xuhui Runway Park is an innovative urban revitalization project that breathes new life into a unique piece of Shanghai’s history. Serving as a runway of modern life, the project offers a recreational space for nearby communities and a respite from the high-density redevelopment around.

The design mimics the motion of a runway, creating diverse linear spaces by organizing the park and street into one interconnected sequence at a runway scale.

The articulated ascending and descending movement resembles the experience of being on an airplane, connecting visitors to the past while providing varied viewpoints of the site.

Following the project’s construction, many residential, commercial, and office developments have been grounded in its adjacent blocks, and the property value of the neighborhood increased dramatically.

Its strong sustainable initiatives have earned it the first SITES Gold certification in Mainland China.

Insaw Photography Project Team: Mark Dawson, Dou Zhang, Guohao Li, Yu Zhu, Yi-Ting Chou, Tianwen Zhou, Jialing Zhang, Steve Engler, Daniel Pryor, Andrew McClurg, Tera Hatfield, Jeffrey Sprague, Sam Pease, Michael Tavilla, Anthony Fettes, Zhiqing Yu, Shuai Hao

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Amanda Ton, Weihsiang Chao, Xin Qian Harvard Graduate School of Design Mobility as Equality Los Angeles, CA Despite unprecedented public transit investment and transit-oriented development over the last two decades in Los Angeles, transit ridership remains low. More than any other US city, the vast majority of LA transit-riders come from very-low and extremely low-income households. Yet LA Metro's plans have failed to adequately cater to their needs. TOD densities around stations often produce luxury condos, whose inhabitants avoid public transit.

In an attempt to reverse this demographic mismatch between transit and development, this project investigates better coordination between bus service, public housing provision, and street design around the Vermont Station on LA's Expo Line. The project sees the 2028 LA Olympics as a major opportunity to demonstrate such coordinated planning by delivering a new-generation bus system, converting Olympic housing to public housing, and delivering amenity-rich streets that not only cater to the Games but also deliver a much-needed legacy of amenities to the surrounding marginalized communities.

Project Team: Andres Sevtsuk (Faculty Advisor)

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Tami N. Banh Harvard Graduate School of Design Water Assemblage

Water Assemblage explores a new working and living dynamic between the Mekong and its inhabitants by redesigning the Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental body that was created by the UN in 1957 and is responsible for water resource management and development in the Mekong Basin. Sited in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, this project examines both the institution’s form and operational structure. Asserting that the shaping and management of river landscapes is a political issue for which all sides must be heard, this reformulation of a water management institution seeks to create new operating principles for a world in which typically suppressed voices—from farmers, fishermen, and city-dwellers to plants, fish, and birds—can constitute new forms of collective power. The new MRC spaces integrate institutional functions with landscape operations and democracybuilding where local communities can learn about and participate in the decisionmaking process regarding how their environment is shaped.

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Analysis and Planning

Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio Climate Ready South Boston Boston, MA Climate Ready South Boston, the second district-scale coastal resilience plan developed by the City of Boston and funded by the Barr Foundation, seeks to identify vulnerable resources and develop a series of near- and long-term strategies for protecting South Boston from rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and storm surges, while creating social, environmental, and economic benefits and value.

Through focus group meetings and open houses, the team analyzed potential risks, presented options, and collected feedback from residents, property owners, developers, and other stakeholders on preferred solutions. They then developed recommendations for infrastructure adaptation, shoreline protection, changes to existing zoning and design standards, and ways to address other resiliency issues impacting South Boston.

Climate Ready South Boston imagines an enhanced network of parks, pathways, and docks providing options for pedestrian, bicycle, and water transportation, paired with complete streets that connect to these networks. These integrated solutions provide layers of protection from sea level rise and coastal floods that work in concert with broader resilience measures.

The final report and implementation strategy dovetail with Boston’s overall planning and development initiatives, resulting in conceptual design options to help the various neighborhoods of South Boston prosper and grow in the face of climate change.

Project Team: Robert Adams, ASLA, Gary Hon, Olivia Stasin

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GroundView Healey + Mystic Somerville, MA Healey+Mystic is a plan for a thirty-two-acre urban area composed of the Healey School (a K-8 public school), the Mystic Neighborhood (a public 240-unit family housing development), and the adjacent Mystic River waterfront (a state reservation). Historical research, mapping, demographic analysis, and outreach informed discussion, community events, blogging, sketching, and ideation with hundreds of community members of diverse interests and backgrounds.

An imposing feature of the site is a 35 foot high, nearly half-mile long bluff that isolates the Mystic Neighborhood, physically and socially, from the rest of the City. The designers and stakeholders focused on ideas to transcend the bluff and other social and environmental barriers affecting the neighborhood. The proposed designs physically connect the Mystic Neighborhood, the Healey schoolyard, the waterfront and the surrounding city. Collectively, the projects create a new neighborhood identity defined by strong connections within the neighborhood.

Project team: Eden Dutcher, Wilson Martin, Kirk Hiatt

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Sasaki Lakeview Village Ontario, Canada Lakeview Village is a transformation of a 177-acre site of a former coal-fired Generating Station, long an indicative presence on Lake Ontario of the 20th century approach to power generation and the use of prime waterfront lands. The transformation from sequestered coal-fired plant to what will be a vibrant lakefront community, as well as a destination for all of Mississauga and the broader GTA, is a 21st century story of regeneration and sustainability. Lakeview will provide close to 20,000 people with homes and an additional 9,000 people with workplaces, retail and recreation in a compact, human-scaled community located close to heavy rail transit along the Lake Ontario shoreline and accessible by bicycle along the soon-to-be completed Waterfront Trail). This will create a roadmap for future redevelopment of large sites in Canada and North America, ensuring reduction of vehicle dependency and increase of local vibrancy.

Project Team: Dennis Pieprz, Paul Schlapobersky, Elaine Minjy Limmer, Sejal Agrawal, Philip Dugdale, Pankti Sanganee, Yang Huang, Qiuying Sun, Astrid Wong, Gandong Cai

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STIMSON Lincoln Park Master Plan Albany, NY The story of Lincoln Park’s landscape mirrors the many layers of Albany’s ever-evolving social history and infrastructure, from early settlement into the modern era. This active recreation park is distinguished by its wide-open spaces and dramatic topography. The park sits at the intersection of Albany’s downtown and several residential neighborhoods and is a critical part of the city’s network of green spaces. The team built upon Charles Downing Lay’s 1913 Master Plan and created a framework for future development. After gathering feedback from park users at a series of community meetings and engaging in a diverse dialogue with local leaders, the team evoked a set of community design priorities that focused on preserving, connecting, activating, and celebrating. Overall, the aspirational plan provides a flexible vision for investment and development, respecting Albany’s existing fabric and highlighting opportunities to improve this important park for future generations.

Project Team: Glen Valentine, ASLA, Greg Tuzzolo, ASLA, Julie Shapiro

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Reed Hilderbrand Reaching Beyond: Blackinton's Cultural Crossroads North Adams, MA On 72 acres in Blackinton, a historic district of North Adams, Massachusetts, a consortium of entrepreneurs has come together to celebrate and cultivate the community’s natural beauty and industrial heritage. Their design team envisions a destination for recreation, leisure, dining, and lodging that connects tourists and residents alike with a landscape shaped by twentieth-century textile production and water treatment infrastructure. Proposed woodland invasive species management, ecological restoration, and wetland regeneration reinvigorate Blackington’s natural systems. Publicly accessible trails and open spaces immerse visitors in the site’s remaining industrial artifacts. TOURISTS, a 48-room hotel, and a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Hoosic River that links Route 2 to the larger landholding are already complete. An expanding network of trails will lead to a performance space in the historic mill, restaurants, spas, and other new programs. A three-mile multi-use trail will link North Adams and Williamstown, two of the region’s renowned cultural capitals.

Project Team: Doug Reed, Chris Moyles, Jeremy Martin, Jackson Plumlee

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Analysis and Planning

Bishop Land Design The Berm Quincy, MA In March 2018, Storm Riley generated the third largest tidal swell recorded for greater Boston, leaving impassable streets and flooding Quincy neighborhoods. In dire need of an emergency route, residents went to the berm. Designed in 1903 by Olmsted and Eliot, the berm encapsulates an MWRA sewage pipeline that services 1.5 million households.

Storm Riley galvanized our resolve to develop a new framework for the berm, to revitalize and fortify it to better withstand severe climatic events.

Inventory and analysis were followed by a master planning phase, both with community engagement. A berm walk allowed stakeholders to reference challenge areas and assets.

Four goals for the berm were delineated: an emergency access corridor, a safe route to school, a recreational path, and a healthy forest. Goals were achieved through careful attention to emergency vehicle requirements, dual purpose overlooks/vehicle pull-offs, and restoring the forest to its original mixed oak hardwood composition.

Project Team: Scott Bishop, Principal, Nicole Gaenzler, Associate Principal Massoud Baghieri, Senior Designer, Marianella de la Guardia, Research Designer

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Agency Landscape + Planning White River Vision Plan Indianapolis, IN The White River flows through Indianapolis, Noblesville, Fishers, and other surrounding communities as it meanders from east to west across Indiana. The region is experiencing a renaissance and the river is awakening from a period of underutilization and ecological degradation. Engaged by a multi-county partnership, Agency led an interdisciplinary team to examine the complex and interconnected issues of human activity and ecological systems along the White River corridor.

The project included a deep analysis of the area’s existing conditions, studies of the region’s cultural and natural history, ecology and hydrology, development potential, governance, activation opportunities, and open space system. The team developed a comprehensive and transformative vision for the region driven by engagement of key stakeholders, technical experts and public constituents. The final plan highlights areas along the river slated for new destinations, recreational assets, restoration and preservation, areas chosen based on ecological, economic, historical and cultural significance and important nearby neighborhoods.

Project Team: Brie Hensold, Gina Ford, Rhiannon Sinclair, Eamonn Hutton, Tatyana Vashchenko, Matthew Macchietto

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Sasaki Wuhan Yangtze Riverfront Park Wuhan, China The Yangtze River drains one-fifth of China’s land area. It has nurtured China’s history, culture, and economy for millennia. Despite advancements in engineering that attempted to tame the Yangtze, damaging floods remain an annual occurrence. Wuhan, central China’s largest city, is re-envisioning its waterfront park to not only accept floodwaters, but to embrace them as a driving force shaping its public realm. Sasaki’s plan to improve and expand the Wuhan Yangtze Riverfront Park leverages the river’s dynamic forces to cultivate a rich regional ecology, and rethinks traditional approaches to coexisting with an ever-changing river. A comprehensive public process resulted in feedback from over 65,000 people throughout Wuhan who provided programming ideas and influenced design iterations. The result is a reimagined riverfront that celebrates the city’s heritage and repurposes spaces to celebrate the river’s spontaneity safely.

Project Team: Michael Grove, Tao Zhang, Ming-Jen Hsueh, Julian Wei, Muhan Cui, Ponnapa Prakkamakul, Binbin Ma, Lanmuzhi Yang, Rex Tseng, Xiangmei Hong, Xiaoran Du, Xin Zhao, Ge Feng, Yue Shi, Mingshan Shao, Charlotte Yu

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Sasaki Xinyang University South Bay Campus Pla n Xinyang, China Xinyang University is an emerging leader in China’s private higher education sector. The new South Bay campus will be home for 17,000 students in 5 liberal arts schools in a scenic live-learn environment.

The new campus strives to advance the university’s educational mission as a 21st-century institution focusing on interactive and experiential learning. Xinyang University is committed to developing a culture that respects and integrates learning and living with ecology through a variety of environmentally conscious development strategies including preservation of upland woodland habitat, and improvements to the seasonal streams and wetlands as part of the connected regional watershed.

Inspired by the vernacular landscape, the campus offers spaces ranging from formal campus quads to an array of naturalistic landscapes, including a tea plantation, each with its own aesthetic, management processes, and ecological considerations.

The first phase of the campus will be completed by the summer of 2022.

Project Team: Tao Zhang, Romil Seth, Caitlyn Clauson, Lan Ge, Muhan Cui, Andrew Sell, Yang Huang, Jingyi Hu, Kelly Farrell, Elangovan Govindan, Phillip Bruso, Benjamin Zunkeler, Renyi Zhang

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Design

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC A New Suburban Ecology Newton, MA A south-facing, sloping lot in an established Boston area neighborhood is rare, especially one that offers nearly unlimited potential to prioritize outdoor-focused living. The new owners, who desired a forever-home nestled into the context of their community, saw opportunities to simultaneously merge environmentally conscientious design with luxuriant suburban living. They willingly offered their property up as a laboratory for testing new planting design strategies in the hopes that the work may inspire the rehabilitation of similar residential ecologies in Boston’s suburbs.

A new contemporary shingle-style home now positions itself purposefully upon the land, revealing seamlessly integrated indoor and outdoor rooms that support ecologically balanced, outdoor focused living throughout every season. Well-crafted masonry features create a memorable sense of place. The masterplan is guided by low-water consumption, minimized mechanical maintenance requirements, and reduced energy conservation, placing environmentally sustainable goals at the site’s core, with no adverse impact on its luxuries.

Project Team: Matthew Cunningham, Jen Stephens

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Stantec Landscape Architecture Arsenal on the Charles Garage and Pocket Park Watertown, MA The Arsenal on the Charles campus has a rich military history and is now the home of a vibrant office and retail complex on 29 acres, bordering the Charles River.

A critical part of the project is a half-acre pocket park that screened the lower portion of the garage from the neighborhood by maintaining existing trees along the street and adding substantial evergreen trees at the base of the garage. Upper levels of the garage have planters that provide a green edge to the garage.

Due to its proximity to the Charles River and the Town’s robust stormwater by-law, developing an aggressive and integrated approach to stormwater management was an essential part of the project. The Landscape Architect led the strategy and design of this system, working collaboratively with the project’s Civil Engineer.

Project Team: Robert Corning, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP, Sr. Principal, Thu Ngan Han, Project Manager, Barbara Nazarewicz - Project Landscape Architect, Xuehan Li, Landscape Designer

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Reed Hilderbrand Baton Rouge Central Green Baton Rouge, Louisiana Today, Baton Rouge’s 21-acre civic core is green, active, and connected— the realization of a decade of planning. The district developed in the 1970s without a coherent plan for public space and pedestrian movement. Mayor Kip Holden’s Plan Baton Rouge II initiative in 2009 sought to unite the district’s fragmented, static places within a broader effort to enrich downtown and promote public life. The landscape architect developed a plan whose broad lawns, accessible path network, and modest terraces embrace flexibility and freedom of use. Repentance Park, one of the first completed projects, features a sweeping, inclined landform that eases complex grade changes; a tree-lined, multi-level promenade with views of the river; and a 150’ linear fountain. The second completed project, City Hall Plaza, provides a parking garage and comfortable, well-lit lawn engineered for heavy use during public events.

Project Team: Doug Reed, Chris Moyles, Jeremy Martin, Jackson Plumlee

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Studio 2112 Landscape Architecture Beach House Coastal Massachusetts The project responded to sea level rise and resiliency by restoring a hierarchy of process-based landscape communities and associated resource areas on the site. Located directly along the beach and at a low point in the surrounding neighborhood, the site had been battered by beach erosion, dune over wash and storm runoff. A restorative design methodology was applied to achieve a performative yet context sensitive landscape. Sustainability and resilience is demonstrated through the naturalized, low maintenance plant communities which stabilize slopes, reduce erosion, infiltrate and detain stormwater which reduced flooding in the surrounding neighborhood. The site grading and house siting capitalize on the proximity to the bay and spectacular views yet protect the house from storm surge and erosion.

Site planning and grading were key components in the resiliency goals.

The overall design feels integrated, affords great views as well as ease of movement throughout the property.

Project Team: Lynne Giesecke, Principal, James Royce, Principal, Andrew Pichette, Landscape Designer

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STIMSON

Ferrous Foundry Park Lawrence, MA Ferrous Foundry Park is located at the confluence of the Spicket and Merrimack Rivers in the North Canal Historic District of Lawrence, MA. This industrial brownfield site conversion to a public park was brought to fruition by the collaboration between the City of Lawrence and Groundwork Lawrence. When the team was introduced to the project in 2014, industrial uses had ceased and unique spontaneous plant communities and a mound of casting sands revealed exciting opportunities for the park to be reborn as an urban wild, celebrating its past and the power of nature to spontaneously revegetate a post-industrial site. Ferrous Foundry Park is an authentic representation of the City of Lawrence and a successful example of the power of design to transform neglected, post-industrial sites into unique landscape experiences. The Park illuminates the power of community engagement, careful listening, and interpretation to provide quality green spaces for underserved communities.

Project Team: Joe Wahler, ASLA, David Nielsen, Laura Gomez

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Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio Hancock Adams Common Quincy, MA Hancock Adams Common stands as a bold example of the successful re-imagining and enhancement of a historic New England city’s downtown core. This long-awaited open space—culminating a series of transformative public projects spanning a decade—sets the stage for future development and investment in downtown Quincy.

The complex, multi-phased public realm project is comprised of seven sequential—and in some cases overlapping— construction projects, which transformed the existing site into an attractive civic open space. Harkening back to an industry rooted in Quincy’s heritage, the Common uses granite for its seatwalls, fountains, and plaza to create a unified landscape for Old City Hall, United First Parish Church, and Hancock Cemetery that celebrates Quincy natives John Adams and John Hancock.

Exiting the Quincy Center MBTA station, visitors are greeted by a stunning panorama with sightlines to the church and Old City Hall. A monumental fountain creates a powerful draw, backed by an allée of Autumn Blaze Maples that line the promenade.

Hancock Adams Common has rekindled a sense of civic pride, and the community’s response has been resounding.

This gift from the City to its residents is a catalyst, sparking improvements and attracting new development in downtown Quincy.

Project Team: Robert R. Uhlig, FASLA, LEED AP BD+C, Charles Kozlowski, ASLA, Richard Houghton, ASLA, Shannon Lane, RLA

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Crowley Cottrell Lafayette Park Salem, MA Lafayette Park demonstrates that precise use of core skills can multiply the value of public space and leverage finite resources for profound transformations.

Lafayette Park is located in Salem’s dense Point Neighborhood, an environmental justice community. Although upgrading the park was prioritized in the neighborhood’s action plan, funding only allowed a construction budget of less than $13/sf.

Our approach incorporated robust community engagement; careful management of urban tree canopy; a seamless marriage of form and function; thoughtful planting design; and deliberate grading. With these tools, we transformed a shunned, overgrown traffic island into an urban oasis and civic gateway.

Pre and post-construction public opinion surveys show that significantly more people feel safe in the park. Where once was a symbol of stigma and decay, there is now a proud gateway between downtown and its southern neighborhood.

With only $1,000 a year, the city can maintain this park for future generations.

Project Team: Jessica Brown - Project Manager, Naomi Cottrell - Principal

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Weston & Sampson Lincoln Park Somerville, MA Together with the City of Somerville, Weston & Sampson developed designs to accommodate athletic fields, multi-generational recreation, interactive education-based elements, and stormwater runoff as part of the Lincoln Park renovation. Park improvements addressed programmatic requirements as well as the dramatic increase in climate-related stormwater events. New playgrounds, a splash pad, a skate park/parkour course, fitness stations, and basketball courts offer a range of opportunities for play. The redesigned park now includes various seating options, a hammock grove, an outdoor classroom, rainwater harvesting, and an off-leash dog area. Lincoln Park’s new athletic fields serve dual purposes; they support active and passive recreation, while stormwater chambers installed below the fields maximize the subsurface stormwater that can be stored. Now with new park amenities, improved layout and circulation, enhanced connectivity, and an intricate stormwater system in place, Lincoln Park has become a civic hub teeming with opportunities for recreation and hands-on learning.

Project Team: Cheri Ruane, FASLA, Eugene Bolinger, RLA, Evan Andrikos, Cassandra Bethoney, RLA, Cassidy Chroust, RLA, Michael Easler, RLA, CPSI, Brandon Kunkel, RLA, Amanda Gaal, Kevin MacKinnon, PG, CG, PH-GW, Daniel Marchand, Robert McAleer, PE, James Pearson, PE, Alyssa Peck, PE, Michael Warner, PE, Connor Western, PE

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Coyle & Caron Landscape Architects Nature's Neighborhoods Boston, Massachusetts Nature’s Neighborhoods at Franklin Park Zoo (FPZ) is a series of landscapes that combine nature-based play with habitats for endangered species including mammals, amphibians, and birds.

This project replaces a traditional ‘Children’s Zoo’ and creates new types of experiences that allow structured and unstructured play to take place amid lush landscapes. Four ecologies (woodlands, grasslands, thicket, and wetlands) are designed to be fun, to engage all senses and to open the doors for imaginative play while giving kids opportunities to observe and learn about the animals that share those habitats. Zoo and early-childhood educators believe that these types of experiences are transformative and inspire curiosity and empathy for the natural world.

Nature’s Neighborhoods is also distinctive in its approaches to expand animal welfare in captive environments. The project’s opening in 2016 has propelled FPZ, their Board, and supporters to a new level of quality and expectation of excellence.

Project Team: Sally Coyle, RLA, ASLA, Principal, Quentin Caron, Principal, Kaley Dunlap, RLA, ASLA, Project Manager, Tracy Wyman, ASLA, Landscape Designer

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Crosby | Schlessinger | Smallridge Neponset River Greenway Boston + Milton, Massachusetts The Neponset Greenway Corridor Completion Project will complete a bicycle and pedestrian route that links urban and suburban communities between Boston Harbor and the Blue Hills Reservation over 8 miles away. It expands upon a heavily used bicycle/pedestrian network, creating healthy transportation options and seamless connections between diverse communities and links to job centers, higher education institutions, and recreational opportunities.

The final segment between Central Ave and Blue Hills Ave in Mattapan and Milton finished construction in Spring 2017. A new pedestrian bridge over the Neponset River connects to Ryan Playground in Boston. An 1100-foot-long Canopy Walk carries users through an existing mature oak grove over the rail line to Mattapan Station and Mattapan Square.

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STIMSON Old Farm Little Compton, Rhode Island This fourteen-acre property in Little Compton, RI is the site of a 19th-century barn and historic residence dating to the 1920’s. Built in the same vernacular as the region’s sea captain houses, the project involved the restoration of the historic home and grounds. The landscape was full of remnants that that were integrated carefully into a holistic landscape master plan that carefully folded the new landscape in with the old. Reclaimed granite is dotted around the site as steppingstones, pathways, lawn treads, and terraces, reinterpreting vestiges of what might have been original building footprints. The gardens are quiet with hedges and walls defining outdoor rooms and grade changes. A vast meadow was re-established at the front of the property with heirloom apple trees, as the antithesis of the conventional lawn. The site celebrates history, ecology and a reminder of simplicity and the importance of establishing a sense of place.

Project Team: Lauren Stimson

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Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture Phillips Square Tactical Plaza Boston, MA Phillips Square tactical plaza is a semi-permanent installation located in Chinatown, Boston and is a test of longer-term solutions that could increase usable public space for the community. The goal of the project was to create an occupiable space from an excessively wide street and demonstrate a low-cost way to reimagine the public realm.

This plaza transforms a 3,700 square foot portion of the existing roadway on Harrison Avenue into a gathering space for daily-use and events. To represent the character of the community we designed a roadway mural inspired by the traditional style of Chinese painting called “shan shui”, but implemented it as an abstract, pop-art themed landscape painting that took on contemporary colors and abstract shapes.

Project Team: Kyle Zick, Rob Barella, Danielle Desilets, Mike Doucette, Yongjae Lee, Tracy Hudak

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Landworks Studio Solitaire Residenti al Tower: Gallery Respite Taichung, Taiwan Landworks Studio designed the landscape for this new 41-story residential tower located in the Seventh District of Taichung, Taiwan, in close proximity to the Taiwan Opera House which represents the city’s center for the Arts.

Taiwanese Zelkova define the public way, cooling the ambient air temperature at grade. Layered night-lighting sets a domestic scale while combatting the neighborhood’s ‘night sky’ violations.

Bird life has been consequently returned to the area.

The private series of outdoor gallery spaces are defined by the combination of natural materials and geometric patterning to achieve immersive landscape experiences.

The arrival court is bounded by striking art walls and a ground plane of a mosaic of granite octagons of varied tonal and dimensional proportions creating a fluid pattern.

The rooftop terrace includes large stone veneer panels, water elements and raised tree planters that extend the fascination with natural materials, modularity and the play of light.

Project Team: Michael Blier, FASLA, Principal, Chris Macfarlane, ASLA, Tanja Kerzig, Project Designer, Katarina Creamer, Designer, Cissy Yang, Designer, Jane Wang, Designer, Steve Watt, Architect

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GroundView Symphony Park Somerville, MA As a quarter-acre public garden in residential East Somerville, Symphony Park’s peculiarities defy many of the typical treatments of today’s small urban public spaces.

Topography and water organize the space. A path slices diagonally across the site, making the garden fully accessible to the streets that frame its corner lot. This six-foot cut into the previously existing grade exposes bedrock ledge and initiates a sculptural terracing of the landscape. These undulating terraces are constructed of dry laid precast walls that shape plant beds of tan and chartreuse grasses and perennials while directing the flow of storm water.

A custom suite of multilevel wrought iron benches playfully leapfrogs the walls, creating interactions between the shifting levels. The park’s south edge is anchored by a thirty-five-foot pergola, composed mainly of steel dowels that are a half-inch square, a thickness conducive to the helical twining of the Wisteria planted at its base.

Project Team: Eden Dutcher, Wilson Martin, Kirk Hiatt

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Hargreaves Jones T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge Richmond, Virginia The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge repurposes the remnant industrial dam structure from 1901 as a 21st-Century recreational amenity for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge brings visitors directly in contact with the raw energy of Class IV rapids through the downtown, the diversity of wildlife, and the wealth of recreational opportunities within the James River Park System. The proximity of the bridge to the water and its materiality heighten awareness of rushing water below within the context of striking views of the city skyline.

This adaptive reuse of a languishing post-industrial river structure and reestablishment of native riparian plantings and topography establishes a remarkable destination within the city, ensuring that the river remains the focus, transforming an otherwise non-traversable urban landscape into a singular experience accessible to all. The bridge annually attracts hundreds of thousands of people across the river linking the historically disconnected banks of Richmond’s downtown.

Project Team: George Hargreaves - Design Director; Mary Margaret Jones - Senior Principal/President; Kirt Rieder - Principal in Charge; Mary Lydecker - Principal; Amy Linne - Designer

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Xue Bai Harvard Graduate School of Design From Trash to Fish Madagascar In recent years, with the depletion of land resources and the development of technology, people have gradually turned their attention to the ocean.

However, we may not realize that the ocean has become the world's largest garbage dump. Due to the influence of the Mozambican ocean currents, marine debris in the Indian Ocean gradually gathered on the west side of the island of Madagascar, seriously affecting the local ecological environment, fishery, and tourism.

This project aims to find a simple but powerful way that can be sustainable and also help local people alleviate poverty. Available raw materials are very convenient for locals and the decentralized recycling process provides the local infrastructure for the construction industry. When the marine environment is gradually purified, this original device can be used to build marine fisheries, providing a sustainable strategy for the local economy.

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Allyson Fairweather, Tor Gagnon, Tianyi Guan, James Mealey, Gwen Stoll, Peter Wackernagel University of Massachusetts Amherst Healthy Placemaking for the Medical District Springfield, MA Healthy Placemaking for the North End Medical District was a community engagement urban design studio for Springfield, MA to propose a new vision for the Medical District as an exemplary model of healthy place-making.

Interconnected amenities activate the public realm and build upon sense of place. Design strategies consider the ecological relationship between people and the environment for improvement of the mental, physical, social, and economic wellbeing.

Sense of Place through Landscape Architecture for playing and gathering and the enjoyment of the beauty and healing of plants.

Green Connections to get to work, school and nature in the city.

Balanced Amenities are introduced into the urban fabric to activate street life while also stimulating the local economy.

Green infrastructure and public health are intrinsically linked: stormwater management, tree canopy, pervious surfaces, and public open space.

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Estello Raganit Harvard Graduate School of Design Returning the River: Water as Public Space

Roughly 80 kilometers south of Oaxaca, San Agustin Amatengo is one of many towns adjacent to or bisected by the Atoyac River. Climatically, Oaxaca dramatically oscillates between a gradient of extreme wetness to absence of water. This transformation is phenomenal, permeating throughout all facets of agricultural, economic, and social life in Amatengo.

Returning the River combines implementable, town-scale water filtration systems with public space, channeling rainwater runoff and effectively cleaning the water through seepage dams and rockeries for human recreational and agricultural use.

This hydrologically performative system is paired with a social one to maximize services to the community and include swimming pools, sports courts, and microreservoirs for agricultural needs that are scaled for construction using local materials and labor. The prototypical project can be multiplied along the entirety of the Atoyac, returning the river to the townspeople as both productive resource and social and cultural artifact.

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Anson Ting Fung Wong Harvard Graduate School of Design Stone Wall Trees 2040 “Stone Wall Trees 2040” is a multi-media public awareness campaign designed to stimulate community discussion about the future of the Stone Wall Trees, a feature landscape artifact in Hong Kong.

These trees tell a unique story about urban vegetation adaptation to the city's geomorphology, urban density and climate. They have grown spontaneously on the vertical surface of masonry stone retaining walls since British Hong Kong. Most studies are only around their impacts on the walls from engineering perspective, but their cultural and ecological significance to the local community is largely underestimated.

A controversial tree removal in 2015 sparked public outrage, and every tree felling afterwards became emotional disputes between tree huggers and tree fellers. As these hundred-year-old trees are expected to face rapid decay in the next two decades, there is an urgency for a constructive conversation on their future treatment.

For more information, visit the project website at StoneWallTreeHK.com.

Project Team: Anson Ting Fung Wong, Associate ASLA, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Advisors: Alistair McIntosh, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Montserrat Bonvehi Rosich, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Paul Yuen King Chan, Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Design and Environment, Technological and Higher, Education Institute of Hong Kong, HKILA, RLA

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Reif Z. Larsen University of Massachusetts Amherst Where the Emerald Necklace Meets the Sea Boston, MA Where the Emerald Necklace Meets the Sea is a master plan for Joe Moakley Park driven by the site’s potential regional significance and need for climate resilience.

Reinventing the park as both a local and regional destination, the proposal incentivizes greenway connectivity between the Emerald Necklace, Downtown Boston and the site, completing a full ring of parks and greenways around the City.

It introduces a contemporary interpretation of the metropolitan landscape park that addresses both the roots of American landscape architecture in Boston and the City’s continued leadership in urban placemaking. It bolsters Boston’s most popular and most flood-prone beachfront against advancing storm surges. While it challenges the current programming of Joe Moakley Park by proposing more civic and pastoral spaces than sports fields, it balances these regional attractions with the needs of local communities such as safer gateways, community event spaces, play, recreational facilities, bike-ped infrastructure and road diet.

Project Team: Ethan Carr and Theodore Eisenman (Studio Instructors)

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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 50 ACE Mentorship Program 101 Anthony Crisafulli Photography 92 Berliner 50 Black Landscape Architects Network 51 BosNOMA 51 Boston Architectural College 130 Botanica 103 BSC Group 107 Cavicchio Greenhouses, Inc. 107 Climate Adaptation Forum 93 COG Design 99 COL LAB 50 Cross Cultural Collective 99 Crowley Cottrell 30 DuMor 68 Earthscape

Back issues are available. Email request to chapteroffice@bslanow.org.

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69 Ecological Landscape Alliance

107 Nitsch Engineering

115 Forms + Surfaces

8 OBrien & Sons

98 G2 Collaborative

14 Oldcastle

69 Garden X Graphite

9 OMNILITE

31 Grow Native MA

50 Portland Society for Archicture

31 Harvard Graduate School of Design

INSIDE BACK

31 Horsley Witten Group

103 Radner Design

131 Hunter Industries

115 Rand Stoneworks

98 IBI Placemaking 115 Ideal Concrete Block

R.P. Marzilli & Company

14 Read Custom Soils BACK COVER

Robert Hanss, Inc

15 JP LaRue

100 Sasaki

99 Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture

114 Select Horticulture

INSIDE FRONT

Landscape Collaborative

15 LANDSCAPE FORMS 131 Legrand 102 Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design 51 National Association of Minority Landscape Architects 93 Native Plant Trust

101 Shadley Associates 69 UMass Amherst LARP 9 VICTOR STANLEY 96 Weston & Sampson 106 Williams Stone

*INDICATES 2020 PARTNER SPONSORS

This 2020 edition of Fieldbook is online: www.bslafieldbook.org To advertise in the 2021 Fieldbook, contact the BSLA Chapter Office: chapteroffice@bslanow.org

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/ SUPPORTING YOUR SUCCESS... We need you.

Boston Society of Landscape Architects connects, convenes, and celebrates landscape architects and the greater design community, as we strive to advance the profession of landscape architecture, and support the creation of extraordinary -- resilient, equitable, beautiful -- environments throughout the region and the world.

BSLA thrives thanks to the ongoing energy and commitment of our members throughout Massachusetts and Maine.

And BSLA thrives thanks to the generosity of sponsors, who underwrite our activities.

THANK YOU to the dozens of individuals and firms who have offered ideas, participated in workshops and events, and shared their professional expertise and passion over the past year.

And THANK YOU to the dozens of businesses, companies, municipalities, and organizations who support our work, and who collaborate with us regularly.

Please join us!

For information on MEMBERSHIP, contact Member Relations co-chairs Rebecca McKevitz, Assoc. ASLA and Carol Moyles, ASLA membership@bslanow.org For information on SPONSORSHIP, and for GENERAL INQUIRIES, contact executive director Gretchen Rabinkin in the Chapter Office. gretchen@bslanow.org Photo: Sara Lawrence, ASLA, discusses the design of Pulaski Park, Northampton, Massachusetts, one site of many in the inaugural Inside/Out “unconference,” October 2020. Landscape Architect: STIMSON. Come outside with us.

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