SANS SNOW

Winter is not my favorite time of year. It often seems to hang around for too long and I dislike having to tread carefully on icy paths and through sludge and grit of melting snow on city streets. Then there are times when I am mesmerized by the  transformation of buildings, piles of garbage and vehicles as they carefully balance mountains of snowflakes that are altered with each gust of wind or snowball toss. The snow covered rural landscape affords beauty that often takes this Afro-Caribbean native by surprise. These photographs were taken in western Massachusetts in 2017.

Vajra Hall

Going downhill from Vajra Hall

The very mild winter of 2020 is coming to an end; uneventful maybe for northeast landscapes but not so for human health across the globe, with the scare of the Coronavirus epidemic. There was almost no snow in New York City. I actually really missed it. It will be interesting to see how landscapes and gardens fare without the moisture that thawing snow usually provide. I also wonder how the lack of snow affects the tick population as I observed many deer deer on a recent trip to the Hudson Valley. 

Landscapes such as these are inspiring and I venture out for walks even during the coldest of days. Snow becomes the canvas on which linear marks of trees and other vegetation are etched. Slopes and vegetation are both simplified and amplified in contrasting hues and dramatic sketches with hints of color. Our planet is truly beautiful. I have come to appreciate winter, the snow and this period of dormancy and the benefits of snow cover to plants, pest and disease control. Some, I included, may often gripe about the cold and wish for warmer days or more comfortable temperatures all year round. But living in the Northeast is imaginable without snow. The absence of snow may teach us some humility, patience and awareness that we are privileged to inhabit this space.  May we do more to preserve it as it means also preserving our own futures. 

VIEWING LANDSCAPES

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 9/18/17



The subjectivity of the word ‘landscape’ is inescapable. Within the categories described by Meinig in the Beholding Eye, landscape as history has various interpretations for persons of color living in America and for persons who are recent migrants to this country. For many landscape is the same as streetscape and unless one is privileged to have a glimpse from  an elevated balcony, from the Empire State Building or from an elevation in Brooklyn Bridge Park  or Central Park, landscape is relegated to the status of whatever floor or ground span that person traverses. For some the landscape does not extend beyond Chinatown. As the New York subway emerges from its tunnel and lounges across a bridge to Brooklyn or Queens or New Jersey one can have a glimpse of the Hudson River, the East River and possibly recognize the Statue of Liberty in the distance beyond some other bridge that is partly concealed by multitudes of buildings. This is the landscape of the city dweller. Within this category of people are some who resist outdoors or are reluctant to walk in parks for fear of mosquitoes, soil and bacteria, fear of pit bulls and falling tree limbs, fear of fear. For some there is no landscape except for the patches of land found in tree pits and that suits them just fine. For some the idea of landscape only occurs in the form of imagery, particularly screen savers and background computer imagery. These bitmapped and pixelated landscapes often carry the capacity to seduce the viewer and move in ways that can rival the experience of actually standing for a moment overlooking the Grand Canyon, at sunset, so there is no need to actually experience the landscape of the Grand Canyon.

The connotations of the landscape for the immigrant may oscillate from wonder to threat to conquest and while this new landscape may not reveal itself as new frontier as in the case of newly arrived immigrants in the seventeenth century, the immigrant has an urgency to settle in and “get a piece of the pie”. The beholding eye of the immigrant often sees landscape as investment that is to be quickly secured for his family’s future. The refugee may regard the landscape with even more nuanced emotions. For the refugee landscape is history, place nature, system, ideology, problem and landscape resembling something synonymous with sudden disruption and displacement.

Whatever our associations and eyes discern landscape to be, it is necessary for the landscape architect, landscape designer or urban planner to grow a third eye. Our views of the world and landscapes have to expand and evolve with the times and include the various and fluctuating connotations that landscapes encompass for diverse populations of myriad socio-economic and cultural compositions. The future of the profession may rely on those astute enough to devise research that is grounded in critical theory that challenges the status quo as well as enlists imperative and instrumental theories (Deming and Swaffield) when designing research for landscape solutions.

WITHOUT TOAST

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 9/1/17


 
Thwaites’ Toaster Project is outrageous and insightful. Reading it I could not help but wonder just how many toasters have been manufactured since the first in 1909.  I did some research and found that over 16,000,000 toasters were sold in the US between 2010 and 2016. Once I got started I could not stop. Approximately 700 people are killed due to toaster fires and electrocutions each year. Toasters are the most commonly broken household item. They are practically made to be broken and thrown away. They can be easily repaired but why bother when a new one can be had for about ten dollars.

I began to wonder if Thwaites’ self prescribed criterion, more specifically rule #2, could be used in reverse and for the opposite purpose, the total deconstruction of a toaster to its start. With parts made of mica, plastic, steel all transformed through various processes that render them unrecognizable from their original 'starter selves', how would one make a toaster completely vanish? I wondered if reverse engineering is used in the recycling of toasters and other small appliances and whether each of the 404 individual parts of more that one hundred different materials were sorted into groups of like materials and melted into some reusable compound. Is there an assembly line of sorts that can take apart household items? Or did all broken toasters get crushed and compacted to lie forever in the graveyard of household appliances and other trash?

A toaster is an accumulation of centuries of experiments, engineering, mining, inventiveness, capitalism and advertising to add crunch and texture to our breakfasts. This little item that we seem to think we can't live without can teach us a lesson about what we take for granted and the modern conveniences that will only be noticed if they were suddenly taken away. Maybe Thwaites' project will shed some light on how we can find smarter ways to divert electronics and household items from landfills and renew them with another, more robust starter life.

NAUTILUS

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 11/19/17

The beautiful curved white shell with brown linear markings can be seen adorning the selves of elegant living rooms in catalogs. It is unmistakably what once was the protective shell of Nautilus belauensis. My fascination with the creature began when my then three-year old son pointed at a small group of as they shifted below us while snorkeling near coral reefs in Castara, Tobago, in 2003. I will never forget his excitement then and glee whenever he talks about the event, even though it seems so long ago.

Nautiluses are cephalopods, creatures of the soft-bodied mollusks family with tentacles attached to their heads. They are related to octopus and squids. A nautilus moves by a system of jet propulsion.  It pulls water into the far regions of its shell through its siphon and forces it out in the opposite direction of the path it wants to take. Salt is removed as water washes over the steps of the chambers and oxygen if removed and fed into the creature’s bloodstream.

 The spiral chambers of the nautilus have inspired many an architect.

Nautilus is prized for its beautiful outer shell and pearlescent inside shell layers. It can live for as long as twenty years. However, nautilus are only reproductive after their fifteenth year. Late maturity, life span and low fecundity may be a limit to their overall numbers. For this reason nautilus have been placed on the protected species international trade list. 

Warming oceans and rising sea levels have put many coral reefs at risk. On my last visit to Bucco Reef in Tobago, there was almost no color to be seen but for the dull brown of dead or dying coral and a few parrotfish. Nautilus have been around for millions of years and fossils indicate that they have not evolved much since their beginning. I am rooting for them and hope they can withstand the currents of human error. I hope my Julian, now seventeen, will one day swim in the coral reefs of Tobago with his kids and be fortunate to see another school of nautiluses bobbing by.

DEATH + TAXES

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 4/1/18


The death of a loved one, coworker or pet reminds us of our own mortality. At least temporarily, we reevaluate what is important, what is worth our time and energy.  Those departed, especially the most recent ones, are really adept at their job.  I had a fair share of loss over the past year, the most recent being the loss of my cat, Gigi. Often referred to as Mr. Gigi, that mischievous fur ball joined my family when my boys were one and three years old. He would have been seventeen years old this year. As I held his skinny, fur-covered body, still and still warm I realized I would never again get mad at him for peeing on the bathroom rug and would miss seeing him waiting on the sink for a drink of running water. He was often a pain in the ass but he was family and he knew we loved him. Mr. Gigi is gone.

This loss coincided with a time of conflict. It occurred around the time of an argument with someone I cared for; an argument that changed the course of our relationship and made me adjust my priorities. At the same time I began the dreaded task of organizing my tax returns. I love trees but paperwork, not so much. Gigi’s death also occurred during an altercation with a gardener at a community garden near my home in Harlem. Being able to grow delicious and gorgeous tomatoes requires some attention. However, many with limited skill and knowledge assume the role and title of expert and evidence of their handiwork is clear to more trained eyes. Over 27 million Americans filed their own taxes in 2017. Does that mean they are qualified accountants?

On my first garden day of the season I found that someone had already cleaned the perennial flowerbed that I planted and devoted much of my limited finances, time and energy to for the past three years. What most distressed most me was the loss of the Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' that was rescued from an old client's garden years ago. It needed much more sun than was available in that backyard and it was finally thriving in its new home in the community garden. I pampered that tall, lanky shrub with extra water and mulched it heavily each winter.  On that eventful Tuesday I found the ilex severed to about one third of the height it had struggled to grow to. It now shows no signs of life. The buddleia was cut within an inch of the soil and several other shrubs were cut so low that I wonder if they would ever resurface. The ground was scraped clean and bare of leaves and the rosemary bush was gone. I reached out to the persons I thought responsible. It was not easy to explain that being able to grow tomatoes from seed or potted plants or growing sunflowers is not quite the same as knowing how, when, why and if to prune a shrub or a tree and when to cutback plants. The gardener who slashed the ilex also cut back the ornamental grasses dangerously low to the soil. He called the grasses "straw".

I tried to explain that this bed should not be “cleaned” the same way the annuals in the bed of tomatoes and collard greens would and the importance of what I was tiring to achieve with maintaining this almost all native plant garden. This garden had finally gotten the attention of monarch butterflies and had become the home and feeding place of numerous bees, wasps, praying mantis and birds. I tried to explain that every plant in the bed was paid for out of my pocket; it was not okay for a member to cut every single one of the liatris that struggled through three growing seasons and were finally standing tall. I reminded the gardener of the many times I had provided plants, vegetables, seeds and garden assistance and asked that he and other members check with me before removing flowers that were meant for monarchs. The response I received was very surprising. There were no apologies. It was clear that this gardener with longer membership felt entitled to the plants of that bed. He was confident of his skills, yet unaware of the limited knowledge of plants.

In another garden, closer to my home, a garden caretaker lopped off limbs of the London plane trees, slashed the Japanese maple; witch hazels and dogwoods were mutilated mid- trunk. These disfigured trees and shrubs do not seem to disturb non-gardeners and this caretaker will soon be assigned to maintain the new garden proposed by a crew of architecture students. These students are not landscape architecture students, horticulturists, botanists or gardeners. However, they are proposing designs that will include paving a large portion of the garden space and the removal of mature Calgary pears and four 70’ London plane trees that sustain a population of birds that are so important to our North Harlem neighborhood.    

Over the years I have encountered many trained, skilled and expert gardeners, garden designers and horticulturist, some of whom have published books and write garden articles. These experts are aware of how much there is to learn and know in the fields. At the same time I meet many persons who know so little yet claim to be experts. I understand the zeal. Climate change, global warming and environmental awareness have made gardening and related activities timely, fashionable, hip and sexy and getting dirt  on one’s hand is admirable. Caring enough to know the importance of knowing is even more admirable.The beginning of wisdom is awareness of just how little one knows.

Each Spring I find bodies of cats, birds and squirrels that do not survive the winter in gardens after the snow melts. I have buried many. Like leaves and decomposed stems that are spared the misfortune of being scraped off the earth and hauled away in garbage bags, these bodies go back in the ground after they have been nourished by all the good things that spring out of it. April brings life to the garden. April also brings varying degrees of skilled and unskilled garden enthusiasts. This April as with all previous Aprils, I will file my taxes with the help of an accountant.

MODERN IS MODERN IS MODERN

Originally Posted from Land + Artscapes on 11/13/17

Architects, landscape architects and designers are control freaks. It is what we do: create, manipulate instill order or propose ideas, some nonsensical and often unrealistic, that may result in tangible objects, changes and outcomes. Our modern sensibilities draw us towards simplicity, clean lines and minimalism and this is reflected in our choices in materials, airy spaces and planting palettes. When we design we expect construction and installation to be as close as possible to what we envision on paper. 

Lee Weintraub Architecture designed plantings of ornamental grasses en mass throughout the grounds surrounding the City College student dormitory and near the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. One cannot miss the elevated bed of Panicum virgatum encased in corten steel as it rises alongside the stairs the main entrance to the Spitzer School of Architecture building. Now in its seventh year, the mass of grass is being invaded, primarily by a mob of resilient weeds. 

The need to control is also exhibited in the early cutback of the grasses in Fall, a practice much frowned upon in contemporary garden circles. Panicum, Miscanhthus, Molinia and other ornamental grasses are eye-catching in fall; they add movement and interest during grey winter days; they look great popping through sculpted mounds of snow. They also feed birds and provide habitat for insects and other creatures. The uncut layers of grass help insulate perennial grass roots against extreme winter freezes and heaving, thus adding to more robust plants in the following season, plants that are less likely to succumb to weed invasion.

These reasons do not seem compelling enough to the maintenance company who practice untimely chopping of the grasses each Fall, leaving a neat, bare and unattractive entrance to the Spitzer School of Architecture until Spring.

A bit of wildness is in order. Modern is practical, diverse, inclusive and adaptive. The New Modern is wild as well as beautiful. I propose a re-design that includes some weedy plants that seem determined to stake their claim in this piece of prized real estate. Rather than a monoculture, this mass of grass can be interplanted with butterfly weed, goldenrod, rudbeckia, mountain mint and echinacea, to create a planting that is attractive, ecologically mindful and one that will require less obvious maintenance.

 

A similar planting scheme can be implemented to cover the sloping area on the south side of the entrance. Rustic railroad tie and gravel steps can take the place of the desire path that is a favored short-cut for students.

Panicum virgatum near the dormitory south of the Spitzer School of Architecture in January.

The new proposed meadow can be cut back in late winter or early spring before new growth begins as is the garden maintenance recommendation by experts like Piet Oudolf, Tracy DiSabato-Aust and the maintenance practice of the HighLine.

 

QUILTS

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 10/6/17 

Long before I understood what they represented, the circular shapes in aerial landscape photography have held some fascination.  Once I get over the bit of fear that almost always arrests me during moments of take off, I can’t help but marvel at the views below. As the plane soars cross the grid patterns of cities, looser sprawling designs and through surprisingly combative clouds, I crane my neck to witness how we have shaped and not shaped the land.

Browns, tans, sienna and various shades of green formed by the center pivot irrigation systems cover much of Middle America.  From New Jersey to California, North America is dotted with circles with a radius of about .25 miles.  The linear arms of galvanized steel and aluminum are electrically powered and rotated on wheels to water crops at regular intervals.  Each circle represents soy, corn, wheat or bare ground. The corners of the squares that run tangent to the circumference to each irrigated square may contain some other crop or, usually, weeds or native trees.  Collectively these circles and squares create quilts of varying sizes and shapes that blanket hundreds of miles of land that were once one continuous swatches of prairie grasses with contrasting clumps and splatters of wholly bison, white pine and cottonwood trees.

We fly over this vast landscape to land in places like Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco and seldom have any reason to set foot on this strange and artificially crated landscape. It is a landscape no more artificial than ours, yet artificial all the same. What do aliens beings think when they see the earth spotted with circles?  Yet I am reminded that people live in the corner pockets and strips of non-circular land, surrounded by evergreen trees that shield them from harsh winds and glaring summer sun. These people in whose minds are etched the line of highways or long flat roads connecting town to town.  Theirs is a landscape of large swatches of blue that touch yellowish-greenish-brown shapes receding into an endless horizon. The circular forms seen from above are lost to them. 

These quilts are colorful fragmented skins and layers of centuries of struggle, neglect, abuse, waste, abundance; layers and fragments of promise, betrayal, deception, upheaval, drought, violence, triumph, hope and uncertainty. These quilts feed us. They allow us to live alternative lifestyles and create spaces over which we can fly and wax poetic whenever we dare venture out for short trips.

RIDGEWOOD RESEVOIR

Originally Posted on Land + Artscapes, 9/15/17

The Ridgewood Reservoir is of major historical significance for persons living in New York, yet only few New Yorkers have even heard of it. The reservoir is made up of three holding basins that sit on 50 acres of city owned land that has reverted to wetlands. These three man-made structures once held the drinking water for inhabitants of Brooklyn and Queens.  Whereas the reservoir of Central Park is the highlight of many a marathon runner, this lesser known reservoir is nestled in an almost hidden landscape, frequented by very few.

      One active pond with the pump house in the distance

Thesis Goals

There has been talk of redesigning the reservoir to fit into its vibrant urban surroundings. Plant and wildlife ecologies may be greatly disrupted if this landscape and its structures are repurposed. My concern is for preserving the integrity of the place, creating environmental awareness and education and imbuing a sense of pride for the residents of the area. My research will highlight the history of the reservoir, showcase the significance of its evolution to this date and make recommendations for enhancing the space as a wildlife and educational community destination.

Proposition

Over the recent years proposals have been presented to redesign and repurpose the reservoir. One such proposal included the installation of artificial turf football fields and other sports venues. I propose an intervention that incorporates maintaining the current wilderness aspects of the space as well as the integration of areas for recreation, education and community engagement that are more in tune with the needs of the neighborhood and the wildlife communities.

Domain/Context

H2O is a non-profit agency that strives to highlight the importance of the reservoir as an ecological treasure the city of New York. The company organizes educational tours and meets with community boards to address concerns regarding the use and misuse of the space. H2O has also fought with developers who see the reservoir as an opportunity create golf courses. My research will align with the findings of H2O to bolster their claims for preservation.

The reservoir is part of a larger area that includes designated plots for sports, recreation (including open fires, and hubs of entertainment. Cemeteries are abundant near the reservoir

Mission

My role in this project is partly that of wildlife preservationist. I was afforded the opportunity to work at the reservoir during the summer of 2017. I was struck by its beauty and wildlife and by the levels of invasive species that crowded habitats for wildlife. I witnessed the level of participation and interest of the community, and their attitude towards the space and how they experienced and moved in this environment.

Relevance

There are not many wetland or natural areas in NYC that claim that status of

Discipline

My research will add to the field of Ecological Restoration, Environmental Preservation and Landscape Design. It will also have implications in the field of policy making regarding land use and environmental impacts.

Strategy/response/rationale

-The areas around the reservoir may be viewed as unsafe, overgrown and neglected. There are no authorities in the form of a gatehouse or security guards and individuals see opportunities for vandalism and dumping of garbage.

-Areas that are designated as meadows are not obviously seen as such and plantings are regarded as weeds.  

Project significance/ impact contribution

This project can be used to gauge the restoration of similar sites and to improve conditions of other plant and wildlife communities.  It will also offset health, educational, psychological and commercial benefits to the local community.

There has been interest in bird watching in the area. Research has shown that birds that are listed as endangered species have been seen in vegetation around the reservoir. It is imperative that measures are taken to continue this trend by conservation and expansion of the wetland areas of the resevoir. 

Strategy and references

My research strategy is deductive and constructionist.

Landscape architect, Thomas Rainer, has had much success in meadow restoration. Much can also be learned from the Freshkills land restoration project which shares similar vegetation and wildlife habitats.

Research(able)Design

The NYC department of Parks and recreation may be useful in providing date on the depth and size of the basins as well ads information of plant communities n wildlife. I will also source surveys, site plans and historical maps.

Research methods

-Through neighborhood surveys, GIS data and census data the research will investigate the consequences of an intervention that allows for community input and participation. 

-Citizen scientists will be needed to locate, identify and document plant and wildlife species.

Relevance

So what will the discipline learn from your work and why does it matter?

Feasibility

This project will require significant funding and be completed over a two years. Ongoing monitoring and management will be required.

Strategy/response/rationale

How are native plant communities adversely affected the robust invasive colonies? What types of wildlife will arrive or depart once native habits are restored? How can the community benefit from the designation of the space as a natural reserve? How will education adjust their attitude towards the space?

State the variables/parameters you need to investigate and develop a research design that will enable you to access relevant data.

Select and test methods—detailed procedures, techniques, and units for data collection, analysis, and evaluation.

Anticipated findings  

There may be resistance from community members who think the reservoir should remain hidden and its grounds and paths be free of crowds. Others will want a tamer, less wild landscape than the one I am proposing.

A sense of pride in the history of the community can be created as locals

Steps, Pragmatic Requirements and Scope of the Study

- Access and evaluate the levels of invasive species and actions necessary for their removal.

- Activate existing water bodies to decrease stagnation

- Create additional habitat and areas for aquatic recreation and   education

- Create restricted access to areas for bird watching

- Integrate native plants species into grass areas to enhance meadow ecologies and increase habitats for birds, bees and butterflies

- Implement programs highlighting history of the reservoir, the species of wildlife and native vegetation through regulated activities like educational bird and canoe tours.

Transportation and Circulation Activation, Commerce

The reservoir is not easily accessible by public transport and Visitors walk for twenty to twenty-five minutes to access the nearest subway line. The walk is often lonely and along side an expansive cemetery.

- The surrounding community can be benefit from visitors to the reservoir.  A suggested donation box can help to offset maintenance cost.