Current master's projects in Landscape Architecture
Residential Greenroof Implementation Strategies in Washington, D.C.
Britt Zimmerman and Holly Zipp
Advised by professor Dr. MaryCarol Hunter, this project is exploring green roof implementation in the residential market as a storm water management tool. A common architectural typology in the District of Columbia is the flat roofed row house, which may be ideal for green roof retrofitting. The residential market for green roofs is smaller than that for commercial, but it is a burgeoning field, with many opportunities for design and construction professionals. The goal is to quantify the potential for residential row houses in the District to contribute to the reduction of storm water as well as to provide three illustrative design and construction templates tailored to an average DC row house. These templates will attempt to cover the array of options for green roofs, in terms of design, cost, and construction materials. These templates are intended as a way to increase public awareness about green roofs and the issues involving the DC sewer system, as well as to encourage green roof retrofitting by residents in the District.
Normative Scenarios for Urbanization in Nanchang, China
Tao Zhang
Dramatic landscape changes caused by rural-to-urban migration and rapid industrialization in China have uncertain impacts on biodiversity and the quality of urban life. With the goals including protecting and enhancing biodiversity in the fast-growing urban areas in China, normative scenario design strategies are applied in this project. Based on plausible assumptions and clear expectations, the normative scenarios integrate design, GIS tools, and simulation modeling to invent and evaluate urban landscape patterns that have desirable ecological, economic and cultural effects.
The case considered here is a 2,000-acre site in Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province in southeastern China. Facing a 23% of urban population growth, the city government has identified this greenfield site, located in a floodplain adjacent to downtown, for development due to increasing land demand. Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake is situated 25 miles away and attracts half a million waterfowl each year, including 95% of the world’s Siberian Crane population. In the route of the bird migration, the floodplain and the wetlands in this region provide habitats and important stepping-stones to the wildlife. Based on the scenario landscape patterns, alternative urban plans can be designed, compared and directed to foster biodiversity.
Argo Dam Removal and Redevelopment in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Yasuhiro Ishihara, Amy Beltemacchi, Amy Hiipakka, Michael Wagman, Alicia LaValle and Oliver Kiley
Advised by Professors Joan Nassauer and David Allen, the Argo Master's Project is a multi-disciplinary study that examines the ecological, community, and economic issues influencing the Argo Dam area in Ann Arbor, Michigan and proposes alternative scenarios for future development of the site and surrounding context. Alternative scenarios are devised and refined in response to modeled ecological affects and community feedback. These scenarios will be used by the City of Ann Arbor and a stakeholder committee to facilitate discussion for the Argo Dam area’s future in a manner that is ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable.
An Ecological Showcase for Depot Park: Clarkston, Mich.
Eric Bauer, Stephen Layton and Susie Mattke-Robinson
This practicum will provide a master plan for the downtown park in Clarkston, and will feature ecological designs such as native-plant streambank restoration, rain gardens, a wetland overlook, solar sculpture concepts, and other low-impact designs. These features will create an interactive educational space for local residents, and inspire a deeper understanding of natural processes of the local ecosystem and watershed. This ecological showcase will teach new technologies to the public, promote public protection of their natural resources, and help Clarkston envision a greener future.
Mike Yun
The city of Detroit has been dealing with the effects of a shrinking population for the last 50 years. Today, less than 50% of the peak population remains within its borders. This extreme population change carries deep implications for the landscape that is forced to accommodate it, bringing along complex new challenges for designers, planners and social institutions. In response to those challenges, professionals all over the world are attempting to construct a new paradigm of thought that will provide a framework to effectively address them.
This project adds to that dialogue through the examination of over 33,000 city-owned vacant properties in Detroit. A broad scale analytical approach is utilized to develop management strategies, which are illustrated through model design work. This project frames one approach to the problems posed by shrinking cities in an extreme context; a large city that has lost more than 1 million people. The proposals are specific to Detroit, but the broader level of thinking illustrated may be transferable across contexts.
The Role of State Conservation Priorities in Local Land-Use Decision Making in the Northeast United States
Michael S. Jastremski and M.S. Aldridge
Local governments in the Northeast play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, habitat and wildlife resources. With hundreds municipalities in each state, each with their own community visions and goals, coordinating eco-system scale conservation efforts is a mammoth undertaking. However, effective biodiversity protection depends on linking local land use planning with ecosystem-scale conservation goals. While habitat loss and fragmentation from development are the principal threats to wildlife in the region, often the individuals making decisions about how and where to develop are not aware of state conservation priorities. Our research explores state and local wildlife conservation collaboration in nine northeastern states (ME, MA, NH, VT, NY, PA, NJ, CT, RI) and investigates the following questions:
(1) How do state fish and wildlife agency conservation priorities in the Northeast
US affect local land use decision making?
(2) What is the role of the State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) in encouraging state-local collaboration?
(3) How is state-local collaboration affecting conservation of species and habitats on the ground?
We conducted interviews with individuals affiliated with state agencies, conservation NGOs, and municipalities, focusing on specific projects that have achieved conservation success on the ground. Northeast states vary considerably in method and degree of engagement with local planners. The extent to which the State Wildlife Action Plan changed that interaction also varies across states. Using examples and case studies from across the Northeast, we highlight state-local collaboration strategies that successfully incorporate state conservation priorities in local land-use planning. We identify tools to that encourage collaboration between fish and wildlife agencies and local planners.
