Articles
The Master Planning Mindset
Whether a master-planning idea emerges from public-outreach efforts, community initiatives, or common needs, an idea takes hold and exploration ensues. These flashes of brilliance may have significant impacts on the built environment, but where to begin?
Creating Budget-Friendly Sustainability Plans
Sustainability has become an urgent issue in the nation’s parks departments, as officials manage wildfire-altered landscapes, rising sea levels, and threatened species, among several other issues.
“A” For Effort
Go for a walk between neighborhood subdivisions in Colesville, Md., and you’ll stumble upon a unique urban oasis. Maydale Conservation Park, managed by Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), features an idyllic stream, a meadow, trails, wetlands, and woodlands across 24 acres.
Aligning Infrastructure And Environmental Priorities
By 2050, the population in California is expected to increase to 50-million people, while rainfall is projected to decrease by 10 to 15 percent due to climate change. With Californians using the equivalent volume of water of Shasta Lake—the state’s largest reservoir—every 40 days, a new model for urban-water use is being considered at every level of government.
Designing For Wildfires
Year after year, wildfires have become a more important factor in our lives, and this impacts how we think about building design. The industry has always prioritized safety and endurance, but the size of the fires has prompted me to make choices that can help prevent or mitigate damage.
LPA Earns AIA National COTE Award
Design for Environmental Nature Center and Preschool receives COTE Top Ten Award, the industry’s most prestigious award for environmentally sensitive, high-performance design
From Sustainable To Net Zero
Evolving design strategies and technologies have moved the needle on net-zero energy (NZE) buildings that produce as much energy on-site as they consume and are paving the way for advancing a more
A Living, Breathing Inspiration
Finding the ideal site to construct a “living building” was no easy task. In 2001, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) opened the Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Md., to educate the public
Building In The Wild
Oregon State Parks was handed a gift: an 8,000-acre private property, tucked in the deepest part of Cottonwood Canyon. The site offered golden, rolling hills, river access, and a historic farm—but little else.
A Green Way To Play
The trees that children used to climb freely in the woods a generation ago have since been replaced by manufactured playgrounds.
Endless Possibilities
Parks and recreation professionals have the opportunity to be at the forefront of implementing green infrastructure within parkland and recreational complexes. While this infrastructure has been increasingly
Going Green On The Rooftop!
Visitors to Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, Ill., have been seeing plenty of green—not on the ground—but on the roof. Construction of a 4,300-square-foot green-roof garden at the conservatory
Knock It Down, Build It Again
The original maintenance yard facility, located in Rock Creek Regional Park in Derwood, Md., was built in the 1960s and served the park for decades. However, over time, the facility had deteriorated and needed
Pretty And Purposeful
Through cross-departmental coordination, a thoughtful design process, and visionary engineering, a former concrete retention pond has been transformed into the Morse Park Rain Garden—a xeriscape
A Natural Fit
In the densely populated Boston suburb of Somerville, Mass., open space is at a premium. Residents gravitate to natural areas, even if those spaces are undeveloped city lots on side
The Quest For Net Zero
Setting the green standard for parks across the nation, Evelyn’s Park, near Houston, Texas, is set to become one of the most sustainable parks in the United States. Five acres of historic
Mega Complex Saves Mega Bucks
When the Rockford Park District in Rockford, Ill., opened its Indoor Sports Center on Mercyhealth Sportscore Two campus in May 2017, it became one of the largest sports facilities
Green Infrastructure
Although “green” and “sustainability” have been buzzwords for more than a decade, the concepts have recently gained significant interest for public infrastructure projects, both large and small.
“Roughing It”
Nestled into a hillside in Whitetail Woods Regional Park, a new park within the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, are three new camper cabins in a pine forest.
Lean And Green
The Snohomish County Parks and Recreation Department in Washington is the largest land steward in the county, and its parks, trails, and open spaces contribute to the clean water, clean air, healthy forests, and great beaches residents enjoy.