The Architect’s Newspaper is bringing back its Outdoor Spaces virtual conference on April 27. Featuring cutting-edge projects in landscape architecture, the event will highlight issues related to ecology, sustainability, public space, and urban planning, as well as new technological developments in design. Click here to view additional conference information and register. ASLA Members receive 20% off registration! Use code ASLA.
Streetscapes for Wellness
The program will begin with a presentation on the NYC Public Design Commission’s new report, Designing New York: Streetscapes for Wellness. Jenna E. Miller, deputy director of urban design and policy at the Public Design Commission, was the project lead and author of the new report. She will present her findings and design recommendations, which focus on making New York’s streetscape more attuned to the demands of public health, mental wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and longevity.
Mette Skjold: Nature-based Design at SLA
Mette Skjold, partner and CEO of SLA, will present the keynote address. Covering SLA’s latest projects in Copenhagen, Oslo, and Abu Dhabi, Skjold will showcase how these projects use the latest landscape design approaches to improve quality of life and enhance biodiversity in urban environments. With over 20 years of experience in landscape architecture, Skjold will share invaluable knowledge for audience members looking for new ways to incorporate sustainability and social responsibility into their design practice.
Hudson Square: A Pedestrian Scale Masterplan
Signe Nielsen, principal at Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, will discuss the transformation of Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood. The project, which was originally conceived in 2012, officially wrapped up last year and introduced several pedestrian-friendly areas to the neighborhood. These include Spring Street Park, Freeman Plaza East and West, and the Hudson Square Streetscape Standard, in addition to the rehabilitation of Hudson Street. Timothy Schuler, contributing editor for Landscape Architecture Magazine, will moderate the conversation.
Re-envisioning Dealey Plaza / Martyr’s Park
At the invitation of Mark Lamster, architectural critic for The Dallas Morning News, Chris Reed, founding partner at STOSS, and Monica Ponce de Leon, founding principal of MPdL Studio and dean of Princeton University School of Architecture, created a proposal for the redesign of Dealey Plaza and the nearby Triple Underpass beneath I-35 East. Lamster and Reed will present the design at Outdoor Spaces. Dealey Plaza is a site of historical significance as the location of the JFK assassination, and its neighbor, the yet unbuilt Martyr’s Park, will remember the victims of lynchings in Dallas—including three slaves who were hanged near the site of the current plaza in 1860. The ambitious proposal would make the area more accessible to pedestrians, utilizing the site’s location as a gateway and urban thoroughfare between Downtown Dallas and the proposed Trinity Park.
Vision Through Process: Creating a New Waterfront Plan for Middletown, Connecticut
This panel will use a waterfront redevelopment plan in Middletown, Connecticut as a case study to help design teams create actionable and flexible urban plans that respond to market conditions, site constraints, and community needs. Mike Aziz, partner at Cooper Robertson; Alexandra Sutherland-Brown, principal at Karp Strategies; and Marek Kozikowski, director of land use in Middletown Connecticut; will unpack the numerous delays and failed plans that have prevented the redesign of the 200-acre site for decades and focus on their new plan to reimagine the area.
—
Lead Image courtesy of SLA
