News
Davenport River Vision Plan Inspires Forward Movement for Flood Solutions in the Mississippi River Basin
We are pleased to see that Davenport’s model of creating a river edge that receives floods, rather than attempts to control them with walls, is cited as an example of the way forward throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Our work in Davenport beginning in 2003 has helped establish a floodable riverfront park that allows the waters to spread out and slow down – thereby decreasing velocity and helping to alleviate downstream problems, as well as creating an open space amenity along the river and preserving views to the river from the city. As the article says:
Instead of relying on hard barriers that hold back the torrent and increase pressure on the system, it [Davenport] depends on its riverfront parkland and marsh to act as a release valve…“Building a floodwall, a solid-structure floodwall pushes problems downriver,” says Mayor Frank Klipsch, where the growing volume of water overwhelms the next town—and beyond.
And the example is catching on:
Mayor Klipsch is determined to keep an open riverfront and expand natural storage along the river. He’s not alone. The Mississippi was still well above flood stage in Iowa when he and the mayors of 89 other river communities released a statement calling for more natural infrastructure in response to the ongoing disaster.
…“In years past, if you wanted to stay mayor, you couldn’t talk about anything but a floodwall or a levee,” says Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, an association of 90 mayors. “Times have changed.”
Indeed, times have changed and if we want to respond to the growing numbers of storms and floods as our globe heats up and climate changes, we must look to solutions that work with natural systems rather than trying to control them. Landscape architects can lead the way to creating public amenities such as riverfront parks, wetlands and natural areas that are as much flood management infrastructure as open space destinations.
Read More:
Audubon: A Better Way to Decrease Disastrous Flooding on the Mississippi River
Oklahoma City’s New Signature Downtown Park Opens
Ten years in the making, Phase One of Scissortail Park opened in Oklahoma City on September 27th to an audience of 28,000 gathered for a concert on the Great Lawn, followed by a weekend of events. OKC Mayor, David Holt, described the experience of witnessing this new 36-acre signature park in use: “Magical. There is no other word for one of the most memorable nights in Oklahoma City history.” The park features open lawns, meadows, gardens, a lake, children’s play area, café and boathouse, an interactive fountain that evokes the blowing grasses of the plains, all set within a landscape of 1,000 new trees and woven into Oklahoma City’s downtown urban fabric. As one local visiting with her family said: “I love that there are different things to do but it’s not over-programmed. It’s awesome.”
Phase Two of the park will follow in 2021, and will complete the long-held vision of connecting downtown OKC to the Oklahoma River.
Read More: Citylab: A First Look at OKC’s 36-Acre Scissortail Park The Oklahoman: Oklahoma City’s Scissortail Park a Hit for the First Round of Visitors KFOR: 28,000 is a record for a concert crowd in the history of Oklahoma City,” OKC Mayor reflects on Scissortail Park grand opening The Oklahoman: Scissortail Park: Final day of grand opening – Photo Gallery
Il Paesaggio Al Centro: International Landcsape Conference Hosts Mary Margaret Jones as Key Note Speaker
Senior Principal Mary Margaret Jones will speak at the 2019 International Landscape Conference in Naples. The event will address critical issues in contemporary landscape design and management, including resources, pollution, and biodiversity.
Discovery Green Named a Great Place by the American Planning Association
The Houston Chronicle celebrates Discovery Green as the only Texas location to be recognized as one of the Great Places in America for 2019, along with 12 other winners. Once occupied solely by parking lots, this now vibrant public space brings art, performances, classes, and community events to engage and develop the Downtown District.
Vision Plan for Cleveland’s Shaker Square Unveiled
The result of a 9-month outreach and concept design phase, the vision for an enhanced, welcoming, and connected Shaker Square was unveiled at a celebratory meeting and picnic on the square. The plan seeks to enhance the many strengths of the square while increasing connectivity to and between the surrounding neighborhoods.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park featured in the Design With Nature Now Book and Exhibit at The McHarg Center
As 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Ian McHarg’s seminal book, Design With Nature, the University of Pennsylvania Stuarts Weitzman School of Design celebrates a continuance of McHarg’s vision for regional planning using natural systems by showcasing some of the most advanced ecological design projects in the world today. Hargreaves’ Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been selected as part of the Design With Nature Now: Five Themes, 25 Projects. These projects are featured in the Design With Nature Now book (now available for pre-order) and exhibit at The McHarg Center (June 21st – September 15th in the Meyerson Hall Lower Gallery). Read more about how Hargreaves turned this heavily polluted site into a high-performance ecological and recreational space.
Competition Entry for Baltimore Middle Branch Master Plan posted for Public Review
The competition entry—The Patapsco Strand—reimagines 11 miles of Baltimore’s Middle Branch shoreline as a shallower, bountiful edge, returned to the people—as a place of connection, an economic driver, a green edge to fish and recreate. Amplifying the shared cultural heritage as watermen (and women and children)—the Strand delivers the bountiful, biodiverse, beautiful waterfront that Baltimoreans deserve. The phrase “Land of Pleasant Living” finds its richest urban expression here on Baltimore’s Middle Branch, as a daily destination for the neighborhood families of all ages to socialize and strengthen their communities at a shared resource.
MIPIM Awards Special Jury Prize for Moscow’s Zaryadye Park
The winners of the MIPIM Awards, presented on March 14, include two Italian projects. The special jury prize went to Zaryadye Park, with its multipurpose concert complex, a project that opened in 2018 and could easily become the new symbol of the city of Moscow.
IOC Director General Hails Release of Guide to Help New Sports Venues Minimize Impact on Nature
International Olympic Committee (IOC) director general Christophe De Kepper has hailed the significance of a newly-released guide by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which is designed to minimize the impact of new sports venues on nature and deliver conservation benefits.
2019 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards: The Finalists
Hargreaves Associates’ Crescent Park, with Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, Adjaye Associates and Michael Maltzan Architecture, is one of 5 finalists in Public Architecture for ArchDaily’s Building of the Year Award 2019