Archive:

2014

NEW ONLINE RESOURCE: Getting the Dirt on Dirt


Soil is a vital component in landscape architecture, from providing the material to create artificial hills to the planting medium that serves as the fundamental nutrition for our plants. “Soils support buildings and infrastructure. So it needs to be viewed in a kind of holistic way,” says Susan V Fisk.

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Waterfront Toronto: Rebuilding Queens Quay Above and Below Ground


“A Canadian landscape magazine once ranked Queens Quay among the world’s worst streets, declaring it ‘perhaps the ugliest urban waterfront boulevard of any major city’. A $110 million revitalization project has transformed a 1.5-km stretch into a model streetscape,” wrote Amy Dempsey.

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Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Releases “Green Pages: 2014 Green Roof & Wall Industry Directory”


“Green Pages is the first comprehensive listing of Green Roof Professionals and corporate members and it will be a great resource to anyone looking for help with their green roof or wall project. Hard copy and digital issues provide numerous opportunities for widespread distribution in an industry that continues to receive double digit growth each year,” said Steven Peck.

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From Concrete ‘Jail Yard’ to Lush Escape in Brooklyn


“Initially the space was an unwelcoming pit — sited well below street level and surrounded by 22-foot-high concrete walls. A massive dry well to capture and disperse rainwater sat at the bottom, covered by thick concrete. The designers made the most of the existing structure, fabricating a showstopping waterfall and trellis to capitalize on the height of the concrete walls,” wrote Bonnie Monte.

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“Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative” promotes collaborative approach to achieving Watershed Health Goal


“In Year 3, the program is built around an Inter-Regional Collaboration Workshop Series. The spotlight is on the Watershed Health issue and how to move forward with implementation and integration, really. This sharing and learning process aligns with
each region’s priorities and individual work plans. The deliverable is ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2015,” reports Peter Law.

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“Water Balance Model Express demonstrates how inter-regional partners are sharing tools and resources,” Kim Stephens informs Cowichan Valley Regional Board


“Watershed health is a priority is a priority and everyone has these over-arching plans and strategies. Everybody is primed to move from talk to implementation and integration. So, why collaboration? Here are the key words – affordable and effective. This is what it is all about. Money is not unlimited. So what is the goal of collaboration? We are talking about standards of practice, whether those practices be engineering or planning. They have to be affordable and effective. Where we are trying to get to is a healthy watershed with healthy streams,” stated Kim Stephens.

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Green Infrastructure: Urban Sustainability Accelerator program helps others build on Portland’s success


Cities selected for this program are able to take advantage of a full year of personalized advice provided by individuals with decades of sustainability expertise. “The participating cities are not the usual suspects, like San Francisco, New York or Boston. They are small to mid-sized cities that may have similarities to Portland in some cases, and in others, could not be more different. A lot of these are very unglamorous cities, which makes it kind of fun,” says Robert Liberty.

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