Landscape Architecture Magazine March 2023

ZACH MORTICE (“Bet the House,” page 56) is a design journalist and critic in Chicago who focuses on landscape architecture and architecture and covers the intersection of public policy and design. You can follow him on Twitter @zachmortice. “The sheer amount of historic, intact public housing in New York City is incomparable to any other American city, and it’s a legacy I think all designers should fight to maintain and keep livable.” NICOLE NEDER (“Again from the Top,” page 26) is a former landscape architect and business owner who continues to see the world curiously through designer and gardener eyes. “We all know that Frederick Law Olmsted designed epic public spaces, but there is much to be learned about how his politics and social tenets laid the foundation work for promoting public-wellness equality.” GOT…

THE HARM OF “PRETENDIANS” As the January issue of LAM that includes my article “Here in Spirit” was finding its way into your mailbox, I received some distressing information that I must share about the artist Kay LeClaire, who presented themselves as nibiiwakamigkwe, part of the throat-singing duo Taiqaa//Ambe Omaa. LeClaire misrepresented their ethnicity and fabricated their identity. An anonymous online research specialist has provided convincing evidence that LeClaire has no Indigenous heritage. Over the past several years LeClaire has worked on Indigenous-centered projects and in positions including a residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison claiming they were of Oneida, Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), Métis, and Cuban ancestry. After allegations [of falsehood] came to light, in a news article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on January 11, 2023, the school said it had cut…

ChatGPT prompt: Explain how green infrastructure works in the voice of Jane Austen. Dear reader, allow me to enlighten you on the subject of green infrastructure. It is a manner of designing and managing land in a way that promotes the natural systems that provide numerous benefits to society and the environment. Zzz; very boring. Austen would have included some wit and scathing social commentary. ChatGPT prompt: Write a poem in the voice of Emily Dickinson about climate change. The winds of change are blowing strong,A force both fierce and wild,Bringing shifts in seasons long,A story to be filed. The world we knew is fading fast,A distant memory,As temperatures continue to blast,A new reality. Egad. This is why we don’t publish poetry in LAM. ChatGPT prompt: Write a call to action for landscape architecture. As members of a…

As American cities continue to roll out tree-planting campaigns, most arborists and landscape architects acknowledge that the question isn’t how many trees you can plant, but rather how many of those trees will survive. While there are many factors contributing to street tree mortality, a common yet rarely addressed factor is soil health. “Anytime a tree is not living to its longevity, I would guess that soils are a major reason for that,” says Bryant Scharenbroch, an associate professor of soil and waste resources at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Poor soil health even contributes to losses that get attributed to other causes, Scharenbroch says, such as pests or diseases. Much the way an immunocompromised individual is at greater risk from a common virus, soil issues can weaken a tree’s defenses.…

When Frederick Law Olmsted designed Rochester, New York’s Highland Park, he sited an open-air pavilion on its highest point to capture the views. Designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and colloquially known as the Children’s Pavilion, the circular structure, dedicated in 1890, was quickly adopted by the youngest park visitors, who at that time were subject to high rates of mortality due to industrial pollution. Climbing the steps, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the breeze at the highest point of the 150-acre park was a beloved activity for many, but children ran fast up the stairs, circling the three-story structure, then basked in the expansive view, which stretched as far as the Bristol Hills at the northern edge of the Finger Lakes. The building was integral to Olmsted’s overall park…

On a Sunday this past December, residents of a neighborhood in Phoenix woke up to their streets disintegrating. Rain had swept in, and the precipitation seemed to be causing the streets’ gray coating, recently applied as part of the city’s Cool Pavement Pilot Program, to peel and flake off. The loosened material stuck to car tires and became slippery enough to cause at least one motorist to crash. Although the reason the street coating failed to adhere is not yet known, a spokesperson for the City of Phoenix noted that reflective coatings have been applied to 73 miles of roadway in the city, and the incident in December is the only known occurrence of such a failure. Still, the event raises questions about the efficacy of so-called cool pavement applications, especially when…