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Reflection 8

There were two built environments that really struck a chord with me! Both the Nedlaw Living Walls biotechnology and the AreoFarms horticulture production made me feel excited and were both awesome to learn about. I feel like the example of Nedlaw Living Walls will probably align better with my own concentration though. Especially since it’s not just a bunch of plants on the wall. I could maybe look at what they do and apply it to sustainable landscape design. Perhaps applying their methods, or something similar, to outdoor spaces would allow for cleaner air in public spaces. The idea of being able to use a structure similar to MFO park in Switzerland, but with the purpose of cleansing the air of pollutants is interesting. I’m not sure how feasible that would be, but nonetheless, it would be really neat if that could work. Aside from cleaning the air, I think designing places where people can be happy and enjoy time in nature is exciting. I can use this when designing a place that will specifically benefit the public’s physical, mental, and spiritual health, as well as the other aspects of health. Being mindful of how the built environment can change what the public experiences, especially for the better, is crucial for my concentration.

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Reflection 7

I feel that a solution to this would be to create paths through the center. The reason the wildflowers must remain is that when the “property's namesake owner conveyed the parkland to the city, it was done so with the proviso that wildflowers be allowed to bloom there.” In having paths mown through the center, this would allow for a large area to be native plants, while having a sense of structure that would also allow for recreation. Perhaps the people that claim this is an eyesore only think that because they are of a different mindset. One that views lawns and very manicured gardens to be more pleasant than natural spaces. The hardest part of this is to convince others that natural spaces are also beautiful. I find it funny that Patricio Espinosa attributed the increase in carpenter ants to the flowers. I just wonder about the validity to his claim. Regardless, the issue of pests is concerning. I would suggest integrated pest management practices to aid in the control of these pests.

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Reflection 6

I’ve been able to get my list narrowed to these four projects:

Owensboro Health Regional Hospital

University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Alumni Plaza

Vista Hermosa

William G. Milliken State Park, Phase 2 Lowland Park

The reason I like these four projects is because they have a large use of native plants. This is important in fostering healthy native ecosystems. We learned in the videos for this week just how important that is. I have always liked the idea of using native plants just for the novelty of using native plants. I knew that it would also benefit the ecosystems, however I didn’t realize just how much! The lecture we watched by Doug Tallamy was very interesting and proves just how crucial using native plants in a planned ecosystem can be.

The reason I am undecided on which of these project to choose is because I am interested in all of them equally. The range of project sizes is another factor I’m considering. Large projects are needed, but I also feel like smaller projects can be just as important. By this I just wonder which is more effective. Lots of small islands of green, or fewer, but larger greenspaces. Either way, I’ll be happy to learn more about any of the four projects I have listed.

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Reflection 5

The Detroit Future City’s ‘Working with Lots’ initiative is exciting to see! The initiative is bringing people into the mix and allowing the public to also be part of the change in the city. When people are involved, they will care more, so this looks like a good initiative to me. The value of this project will be seen in the beautification of the city of Detroit, but also in the products of some of these future lots designs. An example is the Grassland Habitat Maker. It will be nicer than an old lot and will bring beauty to the city, but it will also provide habitat for native and migratory species. Another valuable Future Lot Design is the Dumping Preventer Lot. This design will create a barrier of hardy plants that, again, have interesting texture and will bring beauty, but the plants will also help prevent people from dumping trash and other pollutants in the lot. This helps with beautification as well as having potential ecological benefits. This was just two of the many Future Lot Designs. I would like to see how possible it may be to attempt this in Knoxville or surrounding areas. I feel that it would be good to see this in many, if not all, areas that could support it around the country and world. Good job Detroit!

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Reflection 4

           Early American landscape designers were working on preserving the land, and making it beautiful. This resonates with me because feel that conservation is an important aspect of landscape design. Conservation and preservation are different, but both work in their own ways. Preservation was more along the lines of Jens Jensen, where he wanted to use the same native plants and keep the areas that he worked on looking as close to what they naturally would, specifically the Indiana Dunes.  In his projects, Jen Jensen would use native plants and place them in a way that would allow for his project to be a continuing work. They’re still changing today. I think that being able to have that foresight on projects is really amazing. It is more of a work of art by allowing nature hold the paintbrush and not trying to force it to be what you want it to be. I enjoy maintained gardens, but more than that, I enjoy being in natural spaces. I would like to say that I can use that feeling for designing my own projects in the future. Jen Jensen has been the most inspirational person that we have learned about so far. It made me think of the design aspect being more free in contrast to the heavily maintained gardens we had seen until now.

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Reflection 3

     I haven’t been able to travel very much in my life yet. The most I have gotten to travel was visiting my family in Texas. My grandparents live in Texas and one summer I spent with them travelling around New Mexico and Colorado. Even though I was young, I got to see parts of the world that I hadn’t seen before. I was used to the climate and environment of East Tennessee and the Smokies. Chama New Mexico was so much different! The mountains were familiar, but they were so much more intense here than at home. The arid landscape was new and exciting. We rode a train that wound itself through the mountains. It was so memorable to experience something this different from what I was accustomed to. I still want to live in Colorado because of that visit when I was 11.

     If I feel this strongly of a memory I have from when I was 11, then traveling with the intent of learning something about another culture by experiencing it would be an amazing learning experience. This is important to do, because we can learn from other cultures. We don’t necessarily need to travel, but I think it is important to open yourself up to these other ideas ,  whatever they may be.

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Reflection 2

My favorite style of design would probably be the Japanese garden. I like the peaceful and serene atmosphere that permeates the space. The use of balance in the gardens is meaningful to me because I am interested in being in balance in my own life.

The natural look of the Japanese gardens is interesting to me because nature is often the best artist. There are some magnificent man-made gardens, but the look of something in it’s natural state is most beautiful to me. Symbolism in these gardens is also fascinating. To use gravel, and smaller rocks to represent water is very beautiful and actually quite powerful. You can observe the motion of water this way.

The use of barrowing in these gardens is also a really neat idea. It’s a small space, so having small gardens that look like they belong in the environment and surrounding area is enjoyable.  I also like tea gardens. They are beautiful and the purposeful placement of everything to experience the garden in a peaceful way is interesting.

I also enjoy the stroll garden. It has you follow winding pathways to see the attritions of the gardens. It is a peaceful walk, and the shifting of focus keeps you interested, feeling like you are discovering something new as you wander.

Aside from all of that, the actual vegetation is pleasing to me. I like the plants used in these gardens.

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Reflection 1

What I hope to gain from this class is a better understanding of what a landscape is. I also want to gain knowledge that I can use later in my college career as well as my future, real life career. I am interested in landscape design, and I feel that this class is a great starting point. I am passionate about sustainability, especially with regards to conservation. I hope that this class can show me what makes a landscape attractive and how to design an attractive landscape. I want to learn how these places were designed, and how I could design my own landscapes with sustainable practices in mind. Bottom line, I want this class to provide me with a solid foundation and understanding of what a landscape is, and how to shape it to be more efficient and useful to the general public or a specific person. I enjoyed the first class and look forward to what the rest of this semester holds.