Landscape Interventions
When I began my design process, I kept thinking of how different layers within the neighborhood interact. These layers included the front porch and the alley, or the street scape and the telephone wire level. I realized that these spaces were ecologies, or systems of people, flora, and fauna existing simultaneously within a coherent rhythmic cycle. This realization inspired me to examine how such urban ecological systems could promote a healthy neighborhood.
The designs documented in this page are prototypes that can be easily implemented throughout the neighborhood and across the city. These prototypes include bird houses strategically placed all around the neighborhood, selected plants in front yards, or hummingbird feeders. Parks with landscaping, designed to attract wildlife, are inserted in empty lots. The image below shows a park located across the street from a school. The park, due to its unique location, gives the school children an opportunity to interact with nature. The second design shown below is a bee community made up of a fruit tree orchard, flower gardens, and a structure to house the bees. The bees pollinate the garden. The fruits, flowers and honey are assets because they could be sold for a profit. This bee community serve an educational function too — as a place where people learn about the importance of bees in the city and their impact on the health of the community. |