Today I’m very excited to introduce a new feature on the blog called Ask Jim Urban. Jim Urban, FASLA is an expert on urban trees and soils and his recent book, Up By Roots, is the industry bible on these topics. Jim was also involved in the development and design of the Silva Cell system…. More
We are often asked for research results documenting the measurable benefits of using Silva Cells to manage stormwater on site, so we are thrilled to announce that two Silva Cell systems were installed for this purpose during the summer of 2012 in Wilmington, NC. They are being monitored by an excellent research team at Dr…. More
In 2011, CMG Landscape Architecture was approached by a tech company to design the courtyard of their new headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. The project was on a very fast track. In addition to the accelerated timeline, CMG’s proposed design for the site had the total impervious surface area increasing from 40 percent to 60… More
Today’s guest post is from Nathalie Shanstrom, a sustainable landscape architect with the Kestrel Design Group. It’s a little science-y, but still very readable. If you’re not a stormwater geek, don’t be deterred – there’s a lot of great information in here. -LM Parts 1 and 2 of this blog series looked at how plants… More
Today’s guest post is from Nathalie Shanstrom, a sustainable landscape architect with the Kestrel Design Group. It’s a little science-y, but still very readable. If you’re not a stormwater geek, don’t be deterred – there’s a lot of great information in here. -LM This series of blogs examines how plants contribute to nutrient reduction in… More
Today’s guest post is from Nathalie Shanstrom, a sustainable landscape architect with the Kestrel Design Group. It’s a little science-y, but still very readable. If you’re not a stormwater geek, don’t be deterred – there’s a lot of great information in here. -LM While bioretention has been shown to be very effective for removing total… More
I’ve been reading Chip & Dan Heath’s Made to Stick, a book about why some ideas succeed and others fail. It’s fascinating. It’s also very, very funny. And it’s made me think a lot about how we communicate about green infrastructure and the importance of trees, soil and stormwater in our cities and towns. Fundamentally, everyone’s… More
Development necessarily creates giant swaths of constructed areas that have no unifying ecosystem. It also disturbs existing natural areas that are part of the natural cycling of water, minerals, chemicals, plants and animals. Yet despite these complications, density is valuable in terms of impact mitigation on a per-person basis, as least as far as pollutant… More
Man, those Torontonians! They continue to impress us with their aggressive green infrastructure policies. Back in January of 2010, Toronto became the first North American city to make installing green roofs on new commercial, institutional, and multifamily residential developments compulsory – now that requirements will apply to industrial developments as well.
A combined sewer overflow (CSO) – the “the discharge of wastewater and stormwater from a combined sewer system directly into a river, stream, lake or ocean” – sounds bad enough. But have you ever seen one?
Phytoremediation is the use of green plants and their associated microorganisms to stabilize or reduce inorganic and organic contamination in soils and surfacewater or groundwater. In other words, the process of using trees and other plants as biological filters. It is also a key component of what we mean when we talk about ecosystem services… More
Last month’s Landscape Architecture Magazine had an interesting feature by Mike Singer. The article, titled “Are We Done Yet? Measuring for a project’s success is keeping clients and designers engaged well after installation,” explores an emerging trend in the field: extended contract periods to address the long-term success and performance of the site’s landscape.
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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