The Field

Join us in Denver!

It’s only a few weeks away: the ASLA Annual Meeting! Below, you’ll find a preview of the Urban Design PPN Meeting, plus highlights from the rest of the Annual Meeting, including selected sessions on urban design from among the 120+ education and field sessions that will be taking place November 21-24 in Denver.

What to Expect at This Year’s Urban Design PPN Meeting

Saturday, November 22
12:45-2:15pm in PPN Room 3 on the EXPO floor

Charting a Path for 2015

Landscape architecture’s role in urban design has become increasingly vital and more defined within the built environment. As a result, planners and developers are looking to landscape professionals to guide and cultivate strategies that not only support environmental sustainability, but also encourage interaction and reinforce authenticity. So what tools do Urban Design PPN members need as leaders and stewards in order to effectively frame the discussion and direct efforts in shaping our cities and towns? How can social media and other digital platforms be more effectively utilized? Are there initiatives that should be explored and presented? This and more will be outlined in the first part of the meeting.

Six Rapid Presentations on Urban Design Framed by Landscape

PechaKucha-style presentations (20 slides, 20 seconds each) will be given by 7 dynamic presenters demonstrating different aspects of urban design which are framed by landscape principles. Listed below are the scheduled presentations.

Reconnecting Urban Populations to Nature
Presenters: Stephanie Landregan, FASLA, Director, UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program and Horticulture and Gardening Program; and Marc Yeber, ASLA, Design Principal, CONT-X Studio

Today’s urban park is more than simply an isolated pocket, a patch of grass or a place of respite amidst the concrete jungle. It is an urban design paradigm that integrates, intertwines and interconnects the larger urban and natural context to weave a seamless fabric that further defines the civic and cultural experience. Highlighting 5 urban parks from around the country, this model will demonstrate how urban design becomes central to the planning and designing of such spaces.

Transit-Oriented Development & Districts
Presenter: Taner R. Ozdil, Ph.D., ASLA, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington

This presentation highlights the research and the lessons learned from the review of 21 Transit Oriented Development/District (TOD) case studies nationwide to inform future projects, especially in Sunbelt cities. The aim of the review is to understand the concept, the definition, and the guiding principles of TODs as well as to explore the development process in creating TODs for small, medium, and large cities. The presentation emphasizes the use of the term Transit Oriented District among landscape architects and urban designers to promote district-level design, planning, and development to create better urban form and experience.

Limited-Access Roadways Through Full-Access Neighborhoods
Presenter: Keith Billick, ASLA, Owner / Designer, U3 Urban Design

What impacts do limited-access highways have on our full-access urban neighborhoods? Beginning with a brief history behind the interstate highway system with insight from key proponents and opponents of the system, the presentation will wrap up with a look at a local project proposal for Interstate 70 through several North Denver neighborhoods, presenting a limited-access and a full-access solution. The main focus of the presentation will be the disconnect between limited-access infrastructure and the desire for full-access neighborhoods.

Roosevelt Plaza Park Pop-Up
Presenter: Diana Fernandez, Associate ASLA, Landscape Designer, Sikora Wells Appel

Through December, visitors to the Roosevelt Plaza Park Pop Up can expect to find what many have quickly grown accustomed to: a roof of yellow umbrellas, jazz rhythms from the piano, interactive lighting in IBC Tote towers, blue Adirondack chairs dotting the lawn, and the constant sway of patio gliders. For downtown Camden, NJ, the Pop Up is an entirely new type of public space, meant as an experiment to guide future public space investment.

Responsive Urban Renewal
Presenter: Daniel Woodroffe, ASLA, President, dwg. | urban architectural landscapes

The 816 Congress adaptive reuse project transformed unbecoming and inaccessible rooftop spaces into modern, sustainable terrace amenities. This enhancement has allowed an office building designed for another era to adapt to meet the changing needs of the creative working class. Exhibiting powerful before, during, and after images of the transformed spaces, this presentation challenges landscape architects to look at aging environments with renewed vision and creativity.

Representing Resilience
Presenter: Blake Belanger, ASLA, Associate Professor, Kansas State University

The six winners of the Rebuild by Design (RBD) competition propose urban design strategies for improving the resilience of Northeastern coastal areas impacted by Superstorm Sandy. The term “resilience” has become a buzzword; however, RBD is significantly the first competition of its kind to employ concepts and vocabulary from resilience theory in the competition brief. This presentation focuses on how the winning design proposals used maps and diagrams to communicate core concepts from resilience theory.

Questions & Networking

To wrap up the PPN Meeting, there will be an opportunity to ask questions, make comments and engage in a little networking. So come prepared to participate, learn and connect. We look forward to seeing you.

Make New Connections at the PPN Networking Reception

Friday, November 21
5:15-7:15pm in the Colorado Convention Center, Room 201

Join your fellow PPN members in person to make connections and discuss with friends and colleagues how they are contributing to the landscape architecture profession.

Selected Field Sessions on Urban Design

Friday, November 21

7:30am-1:30pm – Times Two: Doubling Downtown Denver
7:45am-5:00pm – Stapleton and Lowry: Runways to Green Communities
8:00am-4:00pm – You Will Never Forget Boulder’s Landscapes and Landmarks
8:00am-12:30pm – Legacy Space, Contemporary Use: 16th Street Mall and Skyline Park

Selected Education Sessions on Urban Design

Friday, November 21

8:30-10:00am – Civic Leadership: Integrating Design into Local Government and Public Infrastructure
8:30-10:00am – Infrastructure Is Public Space: Designing the Public Realm on Every Level
10:30am-12:00pm – Empathy-Driven Design and Public Spaces in the 21st Century
10:30am-12:00pm – Innovation, Landscape, and Shrinking Cities: The Detroit Case
1:30-3:00pm – Sustainable Planting Design: A New Model for Large-Scale Urban Parks
1:30-3:00pm – Take Back the Boulevard: Grassroots Complete Streets Efforts
1:30-3:00pm – Taking Back the Street: the Transformation of Times Square
3:30-5:00pm – Paying Attention to Nighttime: Planning and Design for the After-Dark City
3:30-5:00pm – Design 2034: Our Resilient Tomorrow

Saturday, November 22

11:00am-12:30pm – Barangaroo: Reclaiming the Past for the Future of Sydney
2:30-4:00pm – Landscape Architects Take Charge in the City

Sunday, November 23

2:30-4:00pm – Integrated Urban Waterfronts in an Era of Climate Change
2:30-4:00pm – Letting the Street Win: Saying No to Donuts

Monday, November 24

8:00-9:30am – The Landscape Architect’s Role in Policy Development and Implementation
10:00-11:30am – Ask a Traffic Engineer: Street Design 101
3:30-5:00pm – Planning and Design for a Dynamic Senior Lifestyle in the 21st Century
3:30-5:00pm – Public Parks and Private Partners: A Healthy Marriage?

by Marc Yeber, ASLA, and Taner R. Ozdil, ASLA, the Urban Design PPN’s Co-Chairs, and Keith Billick, ASLA, PPN Officer