The Many Flavors of Urban Farming
The practice of urban agriculture is incredibly variable. There are a tremendous number of current technologies and systems for developing urban agriculture on both large and small scales, and on surfaces that are both horizontal and vertical. It demands a certain ingenuity, or creative spirit, to take on farming of all types in the city and the best practices are the ones that take advantage of existing opportunities and infrastructures.… Read More >
3 Urban Landscape Cultural Events to Get You Through February
Or am I the only one who has a problem with February? We’ve been tossing around announcements of upcoming events that intersect with landscape design in one way or another and I collected them here to share the cultural wealth. Several of us will be attending these – if you will be there let us know! Luminous Field “Luminous Field” is an interactive video/sound installation taking place in Millennium… Read More >
Urban Agriculture: The Latest Trend is . . . Ancient
It’s not mentioned much, but the hot topic of urban agriculture is not new. It has strong historic roots and has played a major role in cities for a very long time. As a landscape architect, I find the history of urban agriculture fascinating and I think that having a better understanding of the history of it will allow us to educate others on its importance while dreaming up creative ways… Read More >
A Call to Urban Agriculture
I first became interested in urban agriculture in graduate school when a discussion about how to make cities more ‘sustainable’ turned to the topics of food security and food deserts. This pushed me to explore how landscape architecture can and should not only be about aesthetics but also about achieving ecological, social and functional objectives. Urban agriculture does this by adding a layer of productivity to our urban spaces.… Read More >
When Designing Planters, Remember the Plants
Every now and then in our travels we get a kick out of finding design solutions that are at the opposite pole of how we approach something. So as a firm that prioritizes horticulture in the public realm – and by the way, Lynden Miller’s book called Parks, Plants, and People: Beautifying the Urban Landscape is a good read on this topic – we had to scratch our heads… Read More >
Engaging Plants in the Garden
Camp Rosemary is a garden designed in the 1920s by Rose Standish Nichols. On a tour of the garden this summer, I took time to reflect on the formal and evocative qualities of several types of plants. Two opposing elements; the vertical and the planar, are used in this garden to generate several playful vignettes and engage the design components of the garden. In this collection of Actaea matsumurae… Read More >
A Green Roof Threesome
We’re excited that the Illinois Chapter of the ASLA just awarded its highest honor for our design of three green roofs at one of the largest mixed-use complexes on Michigan Avenue. Green roofs in Chicago are hardly a new phenomenon. The city has been at the forefront of cities promoting and installing green roofs for several years and still retains the ‘lead’ as the city with the… Read More >
Holiday Reading List: Great Books on Landscape Architecture and Design
Stumped on a gift for someone interested in landscape architecture, design, or garden design? Here are some of our faves, for a wide variety of skill levels and interests, ranging from monographs on the hottest landscape architects practicing today to a simple guide for organic composting. Let’s hear it for last-minute shoppers! Piet Oudolf: Landscapes in Landscapes, The Monacelli Press Peter Schaudt’s favorite for this year, Oudolf’s monograph is… Read More >
Uptown Normal Wins Smart Growth Achievement Award from U.S. EPA
We are very pleased to announce that our firm’s project, Uptown Normal Circle, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a Smart Growth Achievement award, which identifies the Uptown Normal project as a national model for urban development that respects the environment, fosters economic vitality, and enhances the quality of life. The project was awarded in the Civic Places category, which commends projects that create well-designed… Read More >
Realigned: How to ‘Move’ Architecture with Landscape Design
Historic campus quads require careful and often subtle design responses to balance heritage with contemporary demands. Earlier this fall, we completed a careful landscape ‘edit’ to the University of Chicago’s Harper Quad, a historic quad south of the main quad that features Harper Library as its anchor. The project was part of a larger effort to redesign the entire area’s walkways to be more pedestrian-friendly. During the design process,… Read More >