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In 1979, author Joan Didion wrote that shopping malls are toy garden cities where no one lives but everyone consumes.

That was when malls and their role in American culture were at their pinnacle.

The 1985 blockbuster hit Back to the Future repurposed a shopping mall parking lot into a time-travel launch point between past and present. What could be a better symbol of American destiny in the affluent 80s?

Now, decades later, hundreds of malls nationwide are closing or contracting. Now, as the shelter-in-place orders are being loosened and malls are starting to reopen, its clear that a few powerhouse malls in the Twin Cities will continue to evolve and thrive.

Well-located and managed by savvy owners, malls such as Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka and Rosedale Center in Roseville are reinventing themselves as experiential, mixed-use destinations where shopping is just one of many reasons to visit.

We are way over-retailed when it comes to built space, said Joan Suko, Ridgedales senior general manager, adding that the United States has more retail square footage per capita than any other country.

Thats why Suko sees the loss of anchor stores, such as a Sears or a Herbergers, not as harbingers of doom for brick-and-mortar retail, but as opportunities to reinvent shopping centers for the next generation as community hubs.

Architect Bill Baxley, who heads the Minneapolis office of the international architecture firm Gensler, led the recent conceptual revisioning of Rosedale. Like Suko, he sees department store closings as creating new options for 24-hour activities including health clubs, shared-work spaces, theaters and restaurants.

We approach it as a planning process in reverse, Baxley said. Rather than building from the ground up, we start with an existing property and rethink it to relate back to the community that surrounds it today.

The former J.C. Penney footprint at Edinas Southdale, another mall on the remake, has become a 204,000-square-foot Life Time fitness facility, where guests can exercise, play indoor soccer and even work in the shared office environments on-site. Soon, a new Southdale Library will open, connected to the mall.

By the end of this year, Ridgedale will have three major multiunit residential projects right next door. This is the kind of density and mixed uses long advocated by Julie Wischnack, Minnetonkas director of community development.

The Avidor Minnetonka apartment project is a pioneering example of how Minnesota is rethinking shopping malls. Scheduled to open this fall, the 168-unit Avidor, marketed to ages 55 and over, shows how buildings can bring walkability to places long dominated by the car.

Opening directly onto the new 1.8-acre Ridgedale Park and parkway boulevard, Avidor is a city-scaled building that frames the space around it rather than standing alone. The Ridgedale Library is just across the boulevard and a nearby bike trail will connect to Crane Lake Park (just to the east of Ridgedale) and all the way south to the Minnetonka Mills Park and Minnehaha Creek. New roundabouts and trees will calm traffic and introduce a green buffer on the malls southern edge.

Rethinking Rosedale

Built in 1969 as one the original dales shopping centers, Rosedale Center is still thriving. Its also evolving into a walkable village center with outdoor streets, a new grocery store and perhaps even a hotel.

According to plans drawn up in 2019, the center will have a new entry plaza along a curving boulevard. There also will be a pedestrian street slicing through the old Herbergers, which will essentially create a distinct stand-alone building where Kowalskis Markets is slated to open. The revamped structure will also house other retail and entertainment businesses on the street level along with apartments and, possibly, a hotel above.

We are still planning for a green space near restaurant row [the plaza near AMC] and pedestrian connections along the south side of the current mall, says Lisa Crain, Rosedales senior general manager. The improvements are expected to be made in the next three to five years.

In the post-quarantine years, such schedules may change. But a new generation of mixed-use community centers is coming possibly even more alluring now, as we rediscover the healthfulness and value of being outside.

Frank Edgerton Martin is a landscape historian who has written for Landscape Architecture magazine, Architecture Minnesota, Fabric Architecture and co-authored a book, The Simple Home.

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The Twin Cities leads the way in tranforming malls into town centers - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Progress continues on the extension of the Glacial Drumlin Trail in Cottage Grove to the Capital City Trail in Madison, but bike riders hoping to make the trek this year will have to wait a little longer.

While village officials are moving ahead with its portion of the project, thanks to a $554,800 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant, Dane County is a little slower on its end.

We are currently working on design and engineering for the segment of trail between the interstate (39/90) and Buckeye Road, and are at about 60 percent completion, said Chris James, senior landscape architect with Dane County Land and Water Resources-Parks Division. We are also working with the DOT (Department of Transportation), DNR (Department of Natural Resources) and Wisconsin and Southern Railroad on negotiating terms of the shared right of way for both the trail and railroad to co-exist through the corridor under the interstate. My best estimate now is we should be finalizing plans and approvals by early 2021 for the segment between the interstate and Buckeye Road, with construction potentially in 2022 pending available funds.

The connection between Buckeye Road and Cottage Grove is possibly even farther down the road.

We are still trying to acquire lands necessary for the trail between Buckeye Road and Cottage Grove, James said. Timing for that segment is uncertain.

In Cottage Grove, officials will begin work this year on connecting the trailhead in the village with a point that will become the east end of the Dane County portion.

The off-road path will run along the east end of Clark Street, replacing the sidewalk that currently exists on the south side of the street, according to a May 15 memo from JJ Larson, director of public works, to the Cottage Grove Village Board. As it heads west, the path will move through Bakken Park, utilizing some of the existing path there.

During the initial application and concept planning, there was no plan to have real estate work needed, as the project will stay entirely inside the right-of-way of Clark Street. However, now that officials are into the design aspect of the project, it has become clear there will be some real estate work required.

Specifically, we will need to have temporary limited easements from the property owners along two blocks of Clark Street, Larson said. These allow work on private property, in order to match grade of existing driveways for the most part, while not needing a permanent easement granted, as the finished project still remains entirely in the existing right-of-way.

Larson said the village is working on a three-party contract with the DOT and MSA (village engineering firm) the engineering and design of the project.

Because this real estate work is not eligible for funding through the TAP grant, the village will pay MSA for the work, estimated at $45,850.

Larson said the costs will be covered by the village planned project borrowing in 2021.

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Village to begin work on bike path extension - HNGnews.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered humans relationship with natural landscapes in ways that may be long-lasting. One of its most direct effects on peoples daily lives is reduced access to public parks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issuedguidelinesurging Americans to stay at home whenever feasible, and to avoid discretionary travel and gatherings of more than 10 people. Emergency declarations and stay-at-home ordersvary from state to state, but many jurisdictions have closedstateandcounty parks, as well as smaller parks, playgrounds, beaches and other outdoor destinations.

Theres good reason for these actions, especially in places where people havespurned social distancing rules. But particularly in urban environments, parks are important to human health and well-being.

Richard leBrasseur(Photo: The Conversation / Contributed Image)

As alandscape architect, I believe thatFrederick Law Olmsted, the founder of our field, took the right approach. Olmsted served as general secretary of the United States Sanitary Commission during the Civil War, and his knowledge of contagious diseases informed his visions for his great North American urban parks, includingCentral Parkin New York,Mount Royal Parkin Montreal and BostonsEmerald Necklacepark system. In my view, closing parks and public green spaces should be a temporary, last-resort measure for disease control, and reopening closed parks should be a priority as cities emerge from shutdowns.

Making healthy places

Olmsted was born in 1822 but became a landscape architect rather late in his career, atage 43. His ideas evolved from a diverse and unique set of experiences.

From the start, Olmsted recognized the positive effect of nature, noting how urban trees provided a soothing and refreshing sanitary influence. His sanitary style of design offered more than mere decoration and ornamentation. Service must precede art was his cry.

Olmsted came of age in the mid-19th century, as the public health movement was rapidly developing in response to typhoid, cholera and typhus epidemics in European cities. As managing editor of Putnams Monthly in New York City, he regularly walked the crowded tenement streets of Lower Manhattan.

At the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War, Olmsted led efforts to improve sanitation in Union Army military camps and protect soldiers health. He initiated policies for selecting proper camp locations, installing drainage and disposing of waste, ventilating tents and preparing food, all designed to reduce disease. And in 1866 he witnessed adoption of New YorksMetropolitan Health Bill, the first city law to control unhealthy housing conditions.

Antidotes to urban stress

The insights Olmsted gained into connections between space, disease control and public health clearly influenced his landscape architectural career and the design of many urban park systems. For example, his design for the interlinked parks that forms BostonsEmerald Necklaceforeshadowed the concept of green infrastructure.

This system centered on stagnant and deteriorated marshes that had became disconnected from the tidal flow of the Charles River as Boston grew. City residents were dumping trash and sewage in the marshes, creatingfetid dumps that spread waterborne diseases. Olmsteds design reconnected these water systems to improve flow and flush out stagnant zones, while integrating a series of smaller parks along its trailways.

Olmsted also designedAmericas first bike lane, which originated in Brooklyn, New Yorks Prospect Park. Of the tree-lined boulevards in his design for Central Park, Olmsted said, Air is disinfected by sunlight and foliage. Foliage also acts mechanically topurify the air by screening it.

In all of his urban parks, Olmsted sought to immerse visitors in restorative and therapeutic natural landscapes an experience he viewed as the most profound and effective antidote to the stress and ailments of urban life.

Parks in the time of COVID-19

Today researchers are documenting many health benefits associated with being outside. Spending time in parks and green spaces clearly benefits urban dwellerspsychological, emotional and overall well-being. Itreduces stress,improves cognitive functioningand is associated withimproved overall health.

In my view, government agencies should work to make these vital services as widely available as possible, especially during stressful periods like pandemic shutdowns. Certain types of public green spaces, such as botanical gardens, arboretums and wide trails, are well suited to maintaining social distancing rules. Other types where visitors may be likely to cluster, such as beaches and playgrounds, require stricter regulation.

There are many ways to make parks accessible with appropriate levels of control. One option is stationing agents at entry points to monitor and enforce capacity controls. Park managers can use timed entries and parking area restrictions to limit social crowding, as well as temperature screening and face mask provisions.

For example, inNew Jersey, many public parks have reopened for walking, hiking, bicycling and fishing while keeping playgrounds, picnic and camping areas and restrooms closed. They also have limited parking capacity to 50% of capacity.

In Shanghai,China, the government recently reopened most parks and several major attractions, including theChenshan Botanical Gardenand thecity zoo. Entry requires successful screening and online reservations, and visits are limited to a maximum of two hours.

Technologies such as GPS tracking and biometrics can set a precedent for future green space interaction. Residents could sign up for reserved time slots and log into apps that monitor their entry and distancing behavior. Some Americans might be put off by such technocentric means, but officials should be clear that making visitation easy and safe for all is the priority.

There will be challenges, especially when peopleflout social distancing rules. But urban parks and nature offer plenty of benefits that are especially important during a pandemic. I believe that finding ways to enjoy them now in a manner safe for all will be well worth the effort.

Richard leBrasseur is an assistant professor of Landscape Architecture and director of theGreen Infrastructure Performance Lab atDalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. He wrote this for The Conversation.

Read or Share this story: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/opinion/columnists/2020/05/18/parks-matter-more-than-ever-public-health/5213509002/

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Parks matter more than ever to public health - Kitsap Sun

When construction on the$1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus is completed, it will be a mostly walkable campus with underground parking and significant open space, according to a presentation Tuesday by the Virginia Tech Foundation and developer JBG SMITH.

The first phase of development will occur at the current location of the Regal Potomac Yard movie theatre, which is closed due to the pandemic. It is unknown if it will open again before construction begins.

The developers unveiled plans for the first phase of development, which includes the construction of a9-10 story structure will be located along E. Reed Avenue, Potomac Avenue and a campus green space. The building, as well as the other Virginia Tech buildings, willbe built to reach LEED Silver certification and the areas immediately around it will include lawns and walking paths.

There will also be a slope of less than 5%, meaning that there will be no steps or handrails on the campus.

The overall illustrative plan shows the projects contiguous an interconnected network of open spaces that stretch between Potomac Avenue and George Washington Memorial Parkway, said Simon Beer, a landscape architect with design firm OJB. All of the design of these spaces at this point are conceptual in nature, as we present them today. Our team is going to continue to work with the city with you and with each individual buildings architect as we continue the process.

The open spaces includePotomac Yard Park, a Metro plaza, a market lawn and a pedestrian plaza.Virginia Tech will take up four acres of the northern end near the Alexandria border with Arlington, and the underground parking will be available once the buildings are finished.

The development will alsosee the construction of three academic buildings dedicated to computer science research and development programs. The permanent campus is currently planned to be operational by fall 2024, and will accommodate 750 computer science masters degree students per year and more than100 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.

The city will undergo the approval process for the projects preliminary infrastructure plan this June, in addition to an approval for a pump station to handle sanitary sewer flows from the proposed project and other off-site properties so that construction can begin in the fall.

Images via JBG SMITH

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Open Space Featured Prominently in Plans for North Potomac Yard - ALXnow

Photo via Google Maps

UPDATED: 05/22/20 2:39 p.m.

On June 9, the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Tampa is holding a public meeting to discuss the future of the Seminole Heights Baptist Church, which is arguably the most prominent structure in Seminole Heights (its steeple can be seen from I-275).

A city document says the request pertains to the demolition of property listed, Eligible for listing, or pending listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) individually or as contributing in a National Register-listed historic district or property in the HPC workplan. The document also mentions a request for determination of economic hardship.

Creative Loafing Tampa Bays calls and voicemails to the listed authorized agent, former Tampa City Attorney Julia C. Mandell, have yet to be returned along with calls and messages to City of Tampa building inspector Jerry Schrenker, and Eddie Browder.

Browders LinkedIn profile says hes a project manager and landscape architect at Orlando engineering firm S&ME. S&ME submitted a plan for the church, located at 810 E. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampas Seminole Heights neighborhood, to the city.

Those plans, like many related to this demolition, can be seen by anyone via the citys Tampas Accela Citizen Access site.

City of Tampa

And for now, without comment from the engineering firm, developer and city officials or any of the newest documents, we have to speculate about the process and future of the historic structure (with a lowercase "h," by the way, not "Historic" as in on the National Register of Historic Places).

Josh Frank, Principal and Urban Designer at Wide Open Officewhich works to establish new relationships between people and their environment through landscape architecture, urban design and community developmenttold CL that these are typical documents for these kinds of proposals.

But based on the docs available,the plan for the demolition of the church could pretty well be on its way.

Frank, 31, said those plans could be for marketing and pointed out that there could be a new plan for the site that isn't online yet.

But a look at aforementioned test fit site plan, which shows a 10,860 square-foot free standing emergency room within the footprint of the church, which was founded in 1921. The plan also shows a future expansion zone (blue dotted line, ironically next to the shadow of the churchs famous steeple) in addition to a list of all the requirements for permitting on the right side of the sheet. There are square footage numbers for the parking, plus floor-to-area ratio numbers that all signify that the project is pretty close to applying for permits.

If it was purely for funsies, you wouldn't necessarily do those calculations, Frank told CL.

Sill, to many on urban development blogs like URBN Tampa Bay, it looks like there's an intent to demolish the church.

The old fire station on the Taliaferro side of the property is also in jeopardy according to the preliminary site plan.

The plan also shows a desire for a curb cut (entrance/exit) on Hillsborough Avenue, but a note on the plan says it is unlikely to be approved.

Frank agrees that the curb cut will be disapproved since Hillsborough Avenue is an Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) road thats close to the interstate.

That shows me that they know what they're doing and that maybe they've had conversations with FDOT to some degree, Frank said.

Brant Adams, Pastor of Seminole Heights Baptist told CL that, "The plan you are looking at is not official or anything that has been submitted, from preliminary discussions."

He said church members are trying discover what their rights as a property owner are.

"The Church Membership is the property owner, whom has built and removed many buildings over the decades on this property," Adams added.

CL also reached out to Atelier Architectures Vivian Salaga, who is listed as the Chair for Tampas Historic Preservation Commission.Salaga wrote that, Unfortunately, I cannot speak with you regarding this matter.

I sit on the Historic Preservation Commission and this would be considered ex parte communication and render me unable to act on this matter at the public hearing, Salaga added in an email.

CL then asked for comment from Dennis Fernandez, Manager of Tampas office for Architectural Review and Historic Preservation.

This is a developing story, and we will update this post later today.

The public meeting is set for Tuesday, June 9 at 9 a.m. inside meeting rooms 14-17 on the first floor of the Tampa Convention Center, located at 333 S. Franklin St. Social distancing measures will be in practice, and members of the public who do not wish to appear in person may submit written comments for the Architectural Review & Historic Preservation Office by mail (4900 W. Lemon St., Tampa, FL 33609) or email (beverly.jewesak@tampagov.net) no later than 24 hours before the meeting.

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

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There's a public meeting to discuss the demolition of the Seminole Heights Baptist Church - Creative Loafing Tampa

Is an M.Arch from a top-tier school necessary based on my interests/background? | Forum | Archinect '); }, imageUploadError: function(json, xhr) { alert(json.message); } }}); /*$(el).ckeditor(function() {}, {//removePlugins: 'elementspath,scayt,menubutton,contextmenu',removePlugins: 'liststyle,tabletools,contextmenu',//plugins:'a11yhelp,basicstyles,bidi,blockquote,button,clipboard,colorbutton,colordialog,dialogadvtab,div,enterkey,entities,filebrowser,find,flash,font,format,forms,horizontalrule,htmldataprocessor,iframe,image,indent,justify,keystrokes,link,list,maximize,newpage,pagebreak,pastefromword,pastetext,popup,preview,print,removeformat,resize,save,smiley,showblocks,showborders,sourcearea,stylescombo,table,specialchar,tab,templates,toolbar,undo,wysiwygarea,wsc,vimeo,youtube',//toolbar: [['Bold', 'Italic', 'BulletedList', 'Link', 'Image', 'Youtube', 'Vimeo' ]],plugins:'a11yhelp,basicstyles,bidi,blockquote,button,clipboard,colorbutton,colordialog,dialogadvtab,div,enterkey,entities,filebrowser,find,flash,font,format,forms,horizontalrule,htmldataprocessor,iframe,image,indent,justify,keystrokes,link,list,maximize,newpage,pagebreak,pastefromword,pastetext,popup,preview,print,removeformat,resize,save,smiley,showblocks,showborders,sourcearea,stylescombo,table,specialchar,tab,templates,toolbar,undo,wysiwygarea,wsc,archinect',toolbar: [['Bold', 'Italic', 'BulletedList','NumberedList', 'Link', 'Image']],resize_dir: 'vertical',resize_enabled: false,//disableObjectResizing: true,forcePasteAsPlainText: true,disableNativeSpellChecker: false,scayt_autoStartup: false,skin: 'v2',height: 300,linkShowAdvancedTab: false,linkShowTargetTab: false,language: 'en',customConfig : '',toolbarCanCollapse: false });*/ }function arc_editor_feature(el) { $(el).redactor({minHeight: 300,pasteBlockTags: ['ul', 'ol', 'li', 'p'],pasteInlineTags: ['strong', 'br', 'b', 'em', 'i'],imageUpload: '/redactor/upload',plugins: ['source', 'imagemanager'],buttons: ['html', 'format', 'bold', 'italic', 'underline', 'lists', 'link', 'image'],formatting: ['p'],formattingAdd: {"figcaption": {title: 'Caption',args: ['p', 'class', 'figcaption', 'toggle']},"subheading": {title: 'Subheading',args: ['h3', 'class', 'subheading', 'toggle']},"pullquote-left": {title: 'Quote Left',args: ['blockquote', 'class', 'pullquote-left', 'toggle']},"pullquote-centered": {title: 'Quote Centered',args: ['blockquote', 'class', 'pullquote-center', 'toggle']},"pullquote-right": {title: 'Quote Right',args: ['blockquote', 'class', 'pullquote-right', 'toggle']},"chat-question": {title: 'Chat Question',args: ['p', 'class', 'chat-question', 'toggle']}, "chat-answer": {title: 'Chat Answer',args: ['p', 'class', 'chat-answer', 'toggle']}, },callbacks:{ imageUpload: function(image, json) { $(image).replaceWith('

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Is an M.Arch from a top-tier school necessary based on my interests/background? - Archinect

In this Webinar, chaired by AJ Architecture editor Rob Wilson, the speakers will be asked to present and talk about a recent project, considering the key issues in terms of material and specification and comparingthis with current work.This will befollowedby discussion of howthey are looking to change the way they specify and work with suppliers and manufacturers in the future from choosing samples to on-site coordination, with questions from the audience.

Speakers will beStephanie Thum-Bonanno, associate, Delvendahl Martin Architects; Ian OBrien, founding director, Ian OBrien Studio andAndrew Macpherson, architect, Moxon Architects. They will be talking about Delvendahl Martins KH House project;Ian OBrien Studios The New Steading extension in Perthshire andMoxon Architects on their new HQ for Aberdeenshire Council in Fraserburgh, amongst other projects.

Whether you are specifying architect or a supplier providing products and services to the architecture community, this webinar will include valuable case studies and insight to help you navigate this challenging period.

AJSpecification Live is a series of events run by the AJ, providing in-depthinformation into the design and specification ofbuilding components and construction methods. The event is free to attend register today to confirm your attendance!

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Join us for AJ Specification Live Webinar - Architects Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered humans relationship with natural landscapes in ways that may be long-lasting. One of its most direct effects on peoples daily lives is reduced access to public parks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidelines urging Americans to stay at home whenever feasible, and to avoid discretionary travel and gatherings of more than 10 people. Emergency declarations and stay-at-home orders vary from state to state, but many jurisdictions have closed state and county parks, as well as smaller parks, playgrounds, beaches and other outdoor destinations.

Theres good reason for these actions, especially in places where people have spurned social distancing rules. But particularly in urban environments, parks are important to human health and well-being.

As a landscape architect, I believe that Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of our field, took the right approach. Olmsted served as general secretary of the United States Sanitary Commission during the Civil War, and his knowledge of contagious diseases informed his visions for his great North American urban parks, including Central Park in New York, Mount Royal Park in Montreal and Bostons Emerald Necklace park system. In my view, closing parks and public green spaces should be a temporary, last-resort measure for disease control, and reopening closed parks should be a priority as cities emerge from shutdowns.

Olmsted was born in 1822 but became a landscape architect rather late in his career, at age 43. His ideas evolved from a diverse and unique set of experiences.

From the start, Olmsted recognized the positive effect of nature, noting how urban trees provided a soothing and refreshing sanitary influence. His sanitary style of design offered more than mere decoration and ornamentation. Service must precede art was his cry.

Olmsted came of age in the mid-19th century, as the public health movement was rapidly developing in response to typhoid, cholera and typhus epidemics in European cities. As managing editor of Putnams Monthly in New York City, he regularly walked the crowded tenement streets of Lower Manhattan.

At the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War, Olmsted led efforts to improve sanitation in Union Army military camps and protect soldiers health. He initiated policies for selecting proper camp locations, installing drainage and disposing of waste, ventilating tents and preparing food, all designed to reduce disease. And in 1866 he witnessed adoption of New Yorks Metropolitan Health Bill, the first city law to control unhealthy housing conditions.

The insights Olmsted gained into connections between space, disease control and public health clearly influenced his landscape architectural career and the design of many urban park systems. For example, his design for the interlinked parks that forms Bostons Emerald Necklace foreshadowed the concept of green infrastructure.

This system centered on stagnant and deteriorated marshes that had became disconnected from the tidal flow of the Charles River as Boston grew. City residents were dumping trash and sewage in the marshes, creating fetid dumps that spread waterborne diseases. Olmsteds design reconnected these water systems to improve flow and flush out stagnant zones, while integrating a series of smaller parks along its trailways.

Olmsted also designed Americas first bike lane, which originated in Brooklyn, New Yorks Prospect Park. Of the tree-lined boulevards in his design for Central Park, Olmsted said, Air is disinfected by sunlight and foliage. Foliage also acts mechanically to purify the air by screening it.

In all of his urban parks, Olmsted sought to immerse visitors in restorative and therapeutic natural landscapes an experience he viewed as the most profound and effective antidote to the stress and ailments of urban life.

Today researchers are documenting many health benefits associated with being outside. Spending time in parks and green spaces clearly benefits urban dwellers psychological, emotional and overall well-being. It reduces stress, improves cognitive functioning and is associated with improved overall health.

In my view, government agencies should work to make these vital services as widely available as possible, especially during stressful periods like pandemic shutdowns. Certain types of public green spaces, such as botanical gardens, arboretums and wide trails, are well suited to maintaining social distancing rules. Other types where visitors may be likely to cluster, such as beaches and playgrounds, require stricter regulation.

There are many ways to make parks accessible with appropriate levels of control. One option is stationing agents at entry points to monitor and enforce capacity controls. Park managers can use timed entries and parking area restrictions to limit social crowding, as well as temperature screening and face mask provisions.

For example, in New Jersey, many public parks have reopened for walking, hiking, bicycling and fishing while keeping playgrounds, picnic and camping areas and restrooms closed. They also have limited parking capacity to 50% of capacity.

In Shanghai, China, the government recently reopened most parks and several major attractions, including the Chenshan Botanical Garden and the city zoo. Entry requires successful screening and online reservations, and visits are limited to a maximum of two hours.

Technologies such as GPS tracking and biometrics can set a precedent for future green space interaction. Residents could sign up for reserved time slots and log into apps that monitor their entry and distancing behavior. Some Americans might be put off by such technocentric means, but officials should be clear that making visitation easy and safe for all is the priority.

There will be challenges, especially when people flout social distancing rules. But urban parks and nature offer plenty of benefits that are especially important during a pandemic. I believe that finding ways to enjoy them now in a manner safe for all will be well worth the effort.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversations newsletter.]

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Parks matter more than ever during a time of sickness something Frederick Law Olmsted understood in the 19th century - The Conversation US

The Hudson River is tidal, gaining a mean elevation of only two feet for 150-plus miles inland from the Atlantic. It is flanked, almost without interruption, by bluffs and cliffs. Most communities along it have only a slender strip of land at river level. Historically, industries and infrastructure were sited below, with more salubrious parts of towns built up the slopes. Most industry is gone. Communities want to reinvent their riverfronts, which means contending with the tides and storms of a changing climate. Theyre getting help from Josh Cerra, ASLA, the director of graduate studies in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. With collaboration from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservations Hudson River Estuary Program, he has been bringing community-based Climate-Adaptive Design studios to Hudson River towns.

The studio has obvious pedagogical value. Students learn site research and engagement skills, and to imbue design with climate science. Meanwhile, it lets Cerra pursue an interest in applied education and cross-disciplinary experiences. In developing their concepts, his studentsget consultantsother students, from Cornells Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. To assess the studios benefits, Cerra is collaborating with a Cornell researcher who studies behaviors and conservation management. Their inquiries, he says, include how working with engineers or other technical partners may enhance learning innovation for landscape architects. And then there is the studios value to the towns, which are gifted with provocative visions for their futures.

This past fall, Cerras studio11 third-year MLA candidatesfocused on Ossining, on the east shore of the Hudson about 30 miles north of Manhattan, where the topography is especially steep. A rail line to the city traces the bottom of the bluff. Circulation on the waterfront and to the town center is constricted. Only two streets cross the railway, over narrow viaducts. On the river side, a single street parallels the tracks; its sides are often crammed with commuters cars, more like a parking lot than a right-of-way. Visual chaos is accentuated by a lot of vine-tangled, rusted chain-link fencing.

The land-use mix in the roughly mile-long study zone between the tracks and the river is typical. Vestiges of industry remain: a working oil transfer facility, a historic, if architecturally unremarkable, brick factory building. There are a couple of restaurants and private marinas and a wastewater treatment plant. Several features are not so typical of Hudson River towns, including the original compound of the famous Sing Sing state prison; its barely used since the facility expanded uphill, but still off-limits and taking up space. There is also the dock for a cross river ferry, one of only two now regularly operating north of New York City. And at the waters edge stands a 188-unit apartment house completed in 2016. About a third of a mile of shoreline is composed of two parks separated by a public boat club and launch. These spaces give a glorious view toward the steep wooded ridge two miles away on the opposite shore. One park, quite small but in good shape, was built along with the apartment building; the larger one, an acre, is uninspired in design, run-down, and at one point narrows to the width of a single footpath. During Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, the storm surge at Ossining was about nine feet, and nearly all of the current waterfront including the rail line was flooded. (Using the FEMA terminology for describing flood events, Sandy would be considered a 1 percent or 100-year storm.)

The semester in Ossining was the studios seventh iteration. Early on, selection of locations was fairly informal. In fall 2015, the first was conducted in Catskill, just across the river from Hudson, where I live. I went over to view the students final designs, met Cerra, and brought him back to see our waterfront. Like that of just about every town along this magnificent river, Hudsons waterfront is both daunting and enchanting. He was enchanted, but undaunted. I offered to organize local support, and Hudson became the next venue.

Nowadays, Cerra and the Estuary Program select towns not just for their waterfronts interesting challenges and potential but also for communities demonstrated progress toward wise planning. They solicit candidate venues with a detailed request for applications and a preapplication webinar. Once a locale is chosen, but before the students first visit, there are meetings with officials to identify key resource people and waterfront issues. Local participants now receive a 12-page guide describing the studio process, expectations for their involvement, and suggestions for leveraging the studio to stimulate planning momentum. After it ends, the Estuary Program follows up to keep the student propositions active in the local conversation, and publishes a lookbook for mass distribution of projected local climate-change impacts and the students ideas. Last year the state issued an RFP for a consultant to help one town take elements from the studio proposals and move them toward implementation, offering a $125,000 fee. So strong was the response that they ended up making two such awards for concepts devised during studios held in Kingston and Piermont.

(I use town here generically for anywhere the studio has focused, because New York legal terminology is confusing. Every place in the state is either a townthink townshipwhich can contain municipalities called villages, or else it is a city. Hudson is a city, but of fewer than 7,000 residents. The Village of Catskill, population 4,000, is in the Town of Catskill. The Village of Piermont, population 2,700, is in the Town of Orangetown. The City of Kingston has 24,000 people, and hosted the studio three times. Ossining is a town of 40,000 within which is the Village of Ossining, a dense core including two-thirds of that population, the commercial center, and the waterfront.)

The Town and Village of Ossining already had a strong record of initiative and collaboration on planning. Their joint letter of interest detailed current efforts. Those included, for the town, a new comprehensive plan with a sustainability and complete streets orientation, and a new master plan for the larger waterfront park, both in process. The village was moving forward on updating its comprehensive plan: inserting a mixed-use and mixed-income housing project on a moribund site just inland of the tracks; extending the ferry pier to accommodate larger boats; and facilitating development of rental housing on sites next to what became the study area. A planned link to a statewide bike and pedestrian trail network would connect the riverfront and the upland business district. There was excitementbarely contained by the official tone of the letterabout the imminent opening of the Sing Sing Prison Museum in two historic structures, the facilitys former powerhouse and an 1825 cellblock. These projects and others, still fluid, meant that the studio could expect informed local engagementand perhaps influence what got built.

Ossining was certainly aware of sea-level rise. Local regulations had been modified recently to address future flood events. The design of that apartment building was altered after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when a bulkhead built to prepare its site was overtopped by storm surge. Still, people in river towns may not fully visualize the anticipated severity of local impacts. They are, though, likely to be aware of local obstacles to change. Those might include political discord and lack of planning capacity, but also facts on the ground like valued historic sites or, ironically, recent investmentssuch as Ossinings new apartment building and the museum, both intended to animate the waterfront, or its wastewater plant, which recently had nearly $15 million in upgrades.

The students do become aware of such particulars. But they are involved in a learning exercise, using newly acquired design skills to dream up concepts. They are not constrained by politics and budgets, as they will be when in practice. So their concepts can seem abstract or radical to the point of impossibility to people in the towns. Even so, Cerra says, the proposals inspire conversation about what theyre interested in and what resources they can bring to bear to push some of these ideas forward. Thats building capacity, right there. Still, raising awareness of risks and offering possible responses is not the same as actually building something to adapt a threatened waterfront. We learned about setting up that expectation. You know these are not going to be constructible when we get to week 16.

At semesters end, the students presented their concepts publicly at the Ossining library. All depicted enhanced access to the waterfront, with some vision of resculpted shoreline and floodable parkland that would evolve with rising waters. Where the concepts became unnerving was in addressing those big facts on the ground: if, and when, to dismantle the apartment building; and how to defend, or relocate, the wastewater plant. The third rail, so to speak, of all challenges was the train. Some students suggested elevating it by six feet on a berm or by 16 or even 30 feet on a viaduct; tunneling it under the raised grade of a terraced park; or rerouting it altogether, inland alongside a highway. But the tracks hug the shore for 150 miles; this cannot be resolved within one community, and the cost of any move is unimaginable. The boldest, perhaps most realistic proposal was to abandon rail for a system of ferriesmade feasible, the student designer pointed out, because with warming the river wont freeze over.

Cerras students had presented similarly in Hudson in 2016, attracting considerable interest. Four years laterblame political discord? lack of planning capacity?the waterfront remains untouched, the studio a dim memory. Kingston, by contrast, has a planning department, a sustainability coordinator, and an active Conservation Advisory Council of citizen volunteers. Last October the city organized Weaving the Waterfront, a walking, biking, and boating tour of 10 current recreation and resilience projects. They included the studio proposal funded for further development, which would create a living shoreline of tidal wetland and beach. While Piermont has the smallest population of the studio towns, it has outsized capacity: the highest average household incomenearly three times that of Catskill or Hudsonand a Waterfront Resiliency Commission established following Hurricane Sandy (whose members include the Columbia University climate-change expert Klaus Jacob). Funding further development of a studio concept there seems an equally good investment.

Graham Harlan Smith, now an assistant landscape architect at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, was a student in Cerras Hudson studio. A lot of academic work, you can get off into fantasyland. It was grounding, he recalls of the public engagement aspect of the studio. You see that there are parameters you dont necessarily get from an academic settinglike, anything thats too radical might be good for visioning but might not get much mobility. Practicalities about more than physical constructability, but What can a social unit achieve? Smith, an Ossining native, attended all the public events of the recent studio there. What struck me was how diverse the students projects were. Theres utility for the town with that, a variety of ideas to explore. But its a gnarly waterfront. Theres a lot going on down there that is beyond the power of a local municipality.

As the Ossining studio concluded, the village was interviewing to hire a professional planner, and the urgency of shoreline adaptation was broadly agreed upon. We have a lot of issues to contend with as the Hudson starts to rise, the Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg told the students that day at the library. Thank you for helping us understand how to take an active role in planning. Of course, this is just a start.

Contributing Editor Jonathan Lerner sloshed around the City of Hudsons waterfront when it, and the railroad tracks, were underwater.

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THE RIVER AND THE REAL WORLD - Landscape Architecture Magazine

A new high-rise in the works for Uptown is the biggest Dallas development announced this year.

The 27-story office and retail tower will sit on a prime corner on McKinney Avenue, Uptowns Main Street, making it the tallest building on McKinney Avenue.

Trammell Crow Co. plans to build the 2401 McKinney tower on the block between Maple Avenue and Fairmount Street.

The more than 2-acre site next to the Crescent is occupied by Trulucks restaurant and Golds Gym.

Its in the heart of Uptown, Trammell Crow senior managing director and principal Scott Krikorian said. Its a great opportunity for us to transform this underutilized site with a world-class office development with a significant amount of street retail.

Trulucks will be the anchor retail tenant for the project.

They had a 20-year lease, Krikorian said. The key was to work out a deal with them to provide for a new restaurant in the building.

Crow Co. has been working on the site for years.

We assembled those two tracts of land with Golds and Trulucks starting in 2016," Krikorian said.

Plans for the building call for 670,000 square feet of offices, 15,000 square feet of retail and underground parking.

Crow Co. selected Connecticut-based architect Pickard Chilton to design the project, and Dallas HKS will be the architect of record.

In January, we did a design competition, Krikorian said. We had five world-class architects come in and give their vision for the site.

Landscape architect James Burnett will also work on the 2401 McKinney project.

Krikorian said Crow Co. wants the new tower to be worthy of a neighborhood that already has high-profile buildings by architects Philip Johnson, Robert A.M. Stern and Csar Pelli.

The buildings are all here along McKinney, from the Crescent to the Ritz-Carlton go McKinney and Olive incredible architecture, he said. We wanted to do something that would be different but also in the same genre of great architecture.

The 2401 McKinney tower will have landscaped plaza areas on the street and terraces on cantilevered sections of the buildings floors.

Weve tried to maximize the open space and push back from the surrounding buildings, Krikorian said. We set the building back along Maple so that we could create a connection of our plaza that aligns with the Crescents motor court.

Crow Co. plans to start construction on the tower early next year with an opening in mid-2023. The developer is seeking zoning changes to allow for greater height and density for the project.

The developer is pushing ahead with this new project as leasing wraps up on Crow Co.s 20-story PwC Tower in the Park District complex at Pearl Street and the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The 497,000-square-foot high-rise is 94% leased. Crow Co. recently signed a deal with Morgan Stanley for a block of office space in the building.

All of the recent office building additions to the Uptown area have leased ahead of schedule and at higher than anticipated rental rates.

Obviously the market has been very tight in Uptown in this part area, Krikorian said. Who knows what happen when you come out of COVID-19 well see.

But I do believe in this location, and what we are taking about building is a generational asset.

He said the developer has already identified a couple of potential anchor office tenants.

Crow Co.s McKinney Avenue tower is one of the few major Dallas developments unveiled during the pandemic.

Crescent Real Estate announced plans last month for a more than 30-floor luxury residential tower on Maple Avenue between the Stoneleigh Hotel and the Crescent.

Other office projects previously announced for the Uptown area include a 27-story tower planned by Granite Properties at Maple and Cedar Springs Road.

Stream Realty is planning to build a 12-story office at the Quadrangle. Ryan Cos. is planning an 18-story office tower on Cedar Springs at Routh Street. Dallas developer KDC is teaming up with investor Miyama USA Texas to build a 30-story office tower overlooking Klyde Warren Park at Harwood Street.

And developer Harwood International is planning a more than 40-story office tower on the edge of Victory Park near Harry Hines Boulevard.

Only two offices are under construction north of downtown: Hillwoods 15-story Victory Commons in Victory Park and Kaizen Development Partners 25-story building going up at Akard and Olive streets.

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New McKinney Avenue tower will rise from block occupied by Truluck's, Gold's Gym in Uptown - The Dallas Morning News