Storm surge tool

New Jersey could use this tool this weekend.

Garden State Greeways

Sometimes it feels like New Jersey is so built out that trail connections are either improbable or impossible.  But the NJ Conservation Foundation teamed up with the NJ Green Acres program and CRSSA to create a statewide map that combines existing trails with potential future greenways in an interactive map called the Garden State Greenways. 

As governments fall...

With the changing political winds in Libya, Google Maps has changed the name of Tripoli's central public space from Green Square to Martyr's Square.  That is as close as you get to the official recognition of change today.  Or so it seems.

Was that really there?

In 1880, this aero-perspective representation of New Brunswick was drawn, with incredible detail of buildings and features that still holds up today (Click on the image to see more detail). But an interesting twist is the promenade on the Highland Park side of the Raritan. There is no ruins or remnants today that would indicate that this really existed. And I've never seen a photo. But it would serve as a much needed connection for 2 county parks if it hadn't been developed. 

How many pedestrian linkages have we lost over the years?

Is your lawn evil?

Mapping the London Riots and rioters

Much of the recent rioting in London appears to have occurred in large cluster with a couple of outlying occurrences, not a terribly spatially complex problem.  While I am sure the police needed maps of these, it didn't seem like it would make a compelling interactive map.  But someone at The Guardian added in points for the home addresses of "suspects" in the riots.  And then they overlaid all of that on a layer they called Indices of Multiple deprivation.  That turns out to be compelling.  And if you zoom out you can compare the pattern in London with the patterns in other areas like Liverpool or Manchester.

(H/T Amann) 

Parks quote

Parks are volatile places.  They tend to run to extremes of popularity and unpopularity.  Their behavior is far from simple.  They can be delightful features of city districts, and economic assets to their surroundings as well, but pitifully few are.  They can grow more beloved and valuable with the years, but pitifully few show this staying power.  Foe every Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, or Rockefeller Plaza or Washington Square in New York, or Boston Common, or their loved equivalents in other cities, there are dozens of dispirited city vacuums called parks, eaten around with decay, little used, unloved.

-Jane Jacobs

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

University Websites

XKCD offers a comic perspective on the horrible front pages of most universities.

Human Geography position

School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy
University College Dublin
Lecturer in Human Geography
(5 year post)
Salary Scale: €35,355 - €81,452 per annum
2011 Salary Scale: €31,820 - €73,307 per annum
(Subject to all new entrants to public sector as of 01 January 2011)
Applications are invited for the position of Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy (GPEP). Applications are sought from outstanding scholars with substantive research interests in any area of human geography that would enhance the School's research profile. Candidates with interests in quantitative methods, spatial analysis or geographical information systems (GIS) applications would be particularly encouraged.
The successful applicant will contribute significantly to the quality expansion of research in the School by undertaking and publishing high quality research and scholarship in her/his field of expertise within human geography. In addition, the successful candidate will participate effectively in the School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.
University College Dublin (UCD) is a large and diverse University whose origin dates back to 1854. There are over 22,000 students including 2,500 international students from more than 80 countries. The University is situated on a large modern campus about 4km to the south of the centre of

While I know many of our readers around the world can't easily attend a workshop in Southern California, this one seemed worth mention as a representation of different directions in GIS.  Next month's Geomorphometry Tools Workshop is shows how far some of the technical tools have come in advancing our abilities to measure and describe the Earth's surface.

Community gardens at risk

The News and Observer has a nice article on community gardens.  In particular they quote national expert, Rutgers' chair of Landscape Architecture Laura Lawson, who explained potential threats to the community garden movement.

UPDATE:  And up in Newark, the Star-Ledger reports that even successful actors are getting into competitive gardening.

Is the a 60 year old fork?

"The profession of landscape architecture and the schools perpetuating it stand at a critical fork in the road.  One fork leads to a significant field of endeavor contributing to the betterment of human environment, while the other points to a subordinate field of superficial embellishment.  The question the profession and the schools must answer i s which road shall be followed and what adjustments may be made adequately to prepare landscape architects to solve the rising problems.  The need for comprehensive landscape architectural planning is not diminishing; on the contrary it is increasing.  The expansion of population and increase in complexity of environmental organization make the need greater today than ever before in history."

Hideo Sasaki, 1950

"Thoughts on education in landscape architecture"

in Landscape Architecture Magazine

A more dynamic approach to public art

This video provides a different way to look at public art.


MÖBIUS from ENESS on Vimeo.

The double crossover diamond

Traffic designers are excited about a new traffic interchange/intersection called the diverging diamond or double crossover diamond interchange.  For a short distance of a major road, it switches the left and right sides, but then switches them back again.  It is advertised as preventing dangerous left turns that cross oncoming traffic.

This weekend one is being implemented in Lexington KY. Check out the plans for it. And here is one from Missouri that has been implemented long enough to be photographed:


View Larger Map


While I don't know how well these really work, they make me wonder how many other daily urban and suburban problems we encounter that deserve create spatial solutions to lesson the conflict.

Happy birthday PC!

Celebrate the 30th birthday of the PC with Wired, TIME, and ZDNET.

But PC Magazine asks if it is already dying.Can't we just enjoy this moment and worry about that on Monday?

Can you ID benthic macroinvertebrates?

For those of you that took a little extra ecology, this part-time job might be interesting...

StreamWatch Program Coordinator

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is seeking applicants for our StreamWatch Program Coordinator. The StreamWatch Program was started 1992; through this program, dedicated volunteers assess and document water quality in the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed.

The Coordinator manages the biological, bacterial, chemical, and river assessment volunteer teams. The Coordinator also provides volunteer training, database management, distribution of volunteer supplies, and organization of monthly monitoring events. In addition, the Coordinator writes the StreamWatcher newsletter which is distributed several times a year. Finally, the Coordinator provides support to the Science Department through assistance with grant proposal writing, field work, protocol development, etc.. Experience with benthic macroinvertebrate identification is required. The position is part-time without benefits.

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to Dr. Amy Soli, Watershed Science Director, via e-mail to asoli@thewatershed.org or by e-mail to the SBMWA, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534. The Watershed Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Getting Ready For School

School is almost here.  Are you ready?  The stores already have their back to school sales going.

You should double check your class schedule.  If you don't want to get your books on campus, you can look into alternative online sources, but you should plan ahead.  Don't forget your basic supplies. And remember to brush up on your honor code.

See this beautiful old burr oak? At 300 years old, it is older than the state it grows in.



View Larger Map


So you'll be shocked to hear that this tree that is now hemmed in by development may be dying. Zoom out and check it out. According to the article, the developer was required to save the tree as a condition of getting to develop the property. But now, if it dies, do they have to undevelop the property? Or do they at least have to rename the homeowners association to the Blackford Dead Oaks Homeowners Association? No, there is probably nothing that happens if this half white, half burr oak dies. Although maybe someone will plant a dogwood in that nice sunny spot that it leaves.

Slate looks at Jannette Sadik-Khan

Does NYC's biking guru have ideas that work for the rest of America?

Old+New

London's historic King Cross station is getting a makeover that has implications for outdoor spaces.

Federal LA job

HURRY: The GSA is looking for a Landscape Architect to join the staff of the Office of the Chief Architect until 8/17.

(Details after the jump)

Food deserts in NJ

The federal government has identified 134 food deserts in NJ, reports the Star-Ledger.  Not only do these neighborhoods, lacking sufficient healthy food availability, increase a risk for malnourishment but they also increase the risk for obesity.  The article does a really good job of showing how dependent some residents are on external help for getting access to food.  But solutions like community gardens and better planning need their day too.

More on Kundra's exit

Outgoing CIO Vivek Kundra warns against the IT cartel. (Computerworld)

New CIO for US Government

Vivek Kundra has been great in jumpstarting the movement of federal government's antiquated IT efforts in to the 21st Century, but he is leaving for a fellowship at Harvard.  His parting quote is telling: "Focus coupled with ruthless execution delivers results - that's the most powerful lesson I've learned."   His replacement is Steven VanRoekel, Bill Gates former assistant and most recently the managing director of the FCC.  This could impact everything from Net Neutrality to open government to integration of geospatial into IT at all agencies.  Even though Congress gutted the Electronic Government Fund by more than 75% last year the Post quotes VanRoekel explaining why we have to move ahead with this, “The productivity gap between where the private sector has gone over the last two decades and where government has gone is ever-widening.”

Urbanism

Landscape + Urbanism has a good post looking back and asking whatever happened to urbanism. I particularly liked the Koolhass quote:

"For urbanists, the belated rediscovery of the virtues of the classical city at the moment of their definitive impossibility many have been the point of no return, [the] fatal moment of disconnection, disqualification."

Another award for Steven Handel

Dr. Steven Handel, Honorary ASLA, is being honored by the Society for Ecological Restoration International with the Theodore Sperry Award.

Solar Decathlon is moving ahead

With several folks from Environmental Planning and Design participating, it is great to see that the solar decathlon project is moving ahead.  The Star-Ledger just wrote up the project, with photos of the concrete solar house being constructed, and there is both a video walk-through and a Facebook page so you can learn more.

Something new every day

Learned this from LifeHacker. Did you know that "if you middle-click the refresh button on your browser window, it'll clone the current tab so you have a copy."

A new AT record!

Places and Spaces is a fan of the Appalachian Trail and is excited to report that a through hiker has set a new AT speed record of 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes.  Her blog details the journey and the help she received.

One less municipality?

Princeton Borough and Princeton Township are considering merging into a single municipality. Can NJ live with only 565 municipalities?  What new map will I have to make for my lecture on municipalities in NJ?  What will the voters decide?

Household wealth

The latest income numbers from the Census are pretty amazing.  They show that white households have, on average, 20 times as much wealth as black or Hispanic households.  That is clearly more than just a result of predatory lending.  What does it mean for planning?

GIS Assistant job

GIS Assistant
Roux Associates
West Deptford, NJ

Job Description
GIS and Access Database assistant to work under direct management with Geologists, Environmental Scientists and Engineers assisting in data analysis.

This position has a 6 month probationary period as a part time employee (32-36 hours/week). Full time and benefits may be discussed upon completion of this period.

Qualifications:
6 months to 1 year of experience in editing and designing ESRI personal geodatabases, spatial analysis and 3D. 1 year experience in data management using Microsoft Access, with integration to ArcGIS. A degree in Environmental Science or Engineering with a certificate in GIS is preferred.

Application Information:
Please submit your resume and cover letter to Sara Taylor at staylor@rouxinc.com. No phone calls please. The estimated start date is September 2011. Applications will be accepted through August 31st, 2011.

Organization Web Site:  www.rouxinc.com

Third places

In a new essay online, Chuck Wolfe opens with a seemingly odd sentence: "Last week, while the Seattle City Council gave final approval to more street food vendors in public places, Borders Group Inc. began its liquidation of most remaining Borders bookstores, including locations in destination American downtowns."  Huh?

But if you see the title, Assuring Sustainable Third Places in the City, you'll probably realize that he is worrying about the loss of what Oldenburg called Third Places.  These are those places that aren't home (1st place) and aren't work (2nd place), but give people a (third) place to gather and interact in a neutral setting.  Starbucks has been cited lately as the new place for the exchange of ideas, but in many places it was Borders or is a good local bookstore.  But he raises a fascinating question, if these places are key to a healthy social life for our cities, should our cities be doing more to secure them as continuing venues for discussion and debate?

Maybe we should meet up at the corner coffeehouse to sort this out?

Why isn't the East River more like the Hudson?

That's the question some residents are asking, according to the NY Times.  And landscape architects are helping them try to change it.

GIS in the humanities

Now that the humanities have discovered GIS, as reported in the paper of record, we can stop making things up about our past.  Did General Lee have a better view at Gettysburg than we previously thought?  Can you trust that eyewitness testmony from Auschwitz-Birkenau after you compared it with the 3d map of the camp during construction?  Did witchcraft really spread like a disease in communities around Salem, MA?

h/t MRK

Lights from space

By now you've surely seen the standard image of the Earth showing all the lights of earth on.  But here is a set of real photos of the Earth at night taken from the International Space Station.

Landscape architectural examples from China

I feel like I have been hearing a lot about China this summer.  One of my colleagues visited at the start of the summer.  And the news stories I keep seeing make it seem more and more compelling.  And now I stumble into  these great photos of two major new parks in China:

The Garden of 10,000 Bridges by West 8
and
Turenscape's Shanghai Houtan Park

 Both are great examples from Landezine's master collection of searchable landscapes from around the world.  And if their photos don't work for you, maybe you should try Slate's beautiful photos of China's horrible algae problem.

Natalie Jeremijenko

I am glad to see that NYU professor Natalie Jeremijenko is starting to get some real attention with a TED (Partner) Talk.

I am a sucker for a Wendell Berry quote

"WE ARE DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY - I mean our country itself, our land. This is a terrible thing to know, but it is not a reason for despair unless we decide to continue the destruction. If we decide to continue the destruction, that will not be because we have no other choice. This destruction is not necessary. It is not inevitable, except that by our submissiveness we make it so."

- Wendell Berry, "Compromise, Hell!", 2004

Mapnificent goes mainstream

Mapnificent must have really arrived now that it is being featured in major political blogs.  (Of course, access and walkability are pretty political topics)

July Hazards map

According to NOAA's Climate Predication Center, July looks like it will continue to be a rough month for plants and people just about everywhere.

Photo essay on New Zealand

Friend of the blog, Ken McCown, has published a fantastic photo essay called "Point of Astonishment" from New Zealand through Places Journal.  The short introduction he offers raises an interesting comparison between California and New Zealand, but it isn't as fascinating as some of the photos.

The new reading in the new academe

First Monday has a great paper by a Canadian librarian that will get you thinking about how the Internet and eBooks are changing reading patterns and knowledge acquisition:

Information access does not equal knowledge gained. Thanks to our information technology, the former is becoming relatively easy, while the latter continues to be difficult. It continues to take time. The power of reading, whether of print or online text, continues to lie in this power of time — time to digest words, time to read between the lines, time to reflect on ideas, and time to think beyond one’s self, one’s place, and one’s time in the pursuit of knowledge.

Is reading online intentionally changing us?  Or should be intentionally changing to adjust to it?  And what does it mean for an author or publisher trying to get out in front of those changes?

Planning is moving in NJ

According to The Record, the governor is moving the Office of Smart Growth and the State Planning Commission under the control of Lt Gov Kim Guadagno unless the legislature intervenes.  It is being described by some critics as a power grab, and others as a way to help businesses get around those pesky planning rules and regulations (or both). Will non-profits have to take over the state plan?

The NY Times interviews Jack Dangermond

It is amazing to see an interview with the President of ESRI in which he doesn't talk about GIS, cloud computing or new apps.  Instead, the NY Times got him to open up about his management style, his willingness to do whatever is necessary, and the importance of hiring people with good writing skills.

Now that summer is here and the oppressive heat has set in, the floods of the spring are a distant memory.  Well, for you maybe.  But in several areas around the US there remain significant problems with flood waters.  Where?  Just check ESRI's High Water map to find out.  (It looks like at least 15 states as of this posting)

And, since it is a dynamic map, we'll probably be connecting to it the next time Places and Spaces writes about flooding.

ESRI Plenary videos

ESRI's Plenary Sessions from the opening day of the User Conference are online now.  You can watch it yourself without going all the way to San Diego.  Or, you can read James Fee's version of it.

Housing report

A new report from John Hasse at Rowan is being reported on in different ways that show how hard it is to decipher the media message on an academic report.

The Star-Ledger reports that it finds that affordable housing rules in New Jersey are keeping sprawl from being worse than it already is: "It found that although it’s not a catch-all, court-ordered affordable housing efforts were effective in some areas, and sprawl would be significantly worse without them."  It takes an interesting look at how towns appear to be over-zoning their land for commercial and industrial, which doesn't add a burden to local schools, but would create traffic nightmares if developers built these lands to their legal maximum density.  But, phillyBurbs.com quotes the report about the flip side of the problem:

“By consuming practically all remaining residentially zoned land, large lot subdivisions are locking in a residential land-use pattern that excludes many New Jersey households that cannot afford a large-lot single-family home that ability to live near their jobs,” the report said.

The Cherry Hill Courier Post (and other Gannet papers) reports it as "Looking for affordable housing in N.J.? Good luck, report says". They interview Dr. Hasse (a Rutgers and CRSSA alum) who pointed a finger at Home Rule:

"What led New Jersey to the Mount Laurel rulings was a very strong home rule approach to housing and planning. If you leave the choices to the towns themselves, they're going to zone to their advantage and there are other built-in biases that will drive large-lot zoning and other exclusionary measures," Hasse said.The release of the report came a week after Gov. Chris Christie submitted a plan to the state Legislature to abolish the state Council on Affordable Housing.

Does this mean that affordable housing rules are hurting affordable housing availability?  Since no one seems to know where things stand with affordable housing in NJ right now, a report that offers a serious, nuanced description of the current situation will simultaneously be seen as a call for refining the parts that aren't working so well and for dismantling the whole requirement.

If you think this is obscure stuff about which no one cares, read some of the comments on the NJ.com link. Whether or not they understand the deeper issues, commenters clearly saw this as a topic worth writing about.

Fitting in

The NY Times had a feature on a cottage in Nova Scotia that is trying to respond to it site/location. Even if the design weren't sensitive enough, I completely bought in when I saw the hallway of maps.

GPS and privacy

A NJ Appellate Court judge has ruled that, under certain circumstances, planting a GPS tracking device in a car does not violate that driver's privacy. This case is about a cheating spouse where both spouses have an ownership interest in the car, so they could be arguing that they are just keeping track of their own car.

While the long-term implications of the ruling may still take some time to play out, the media attention this case has gotten this week, added to the recent iPhone privacy issues, is another demonstration of the level of interest people have in the link between GPS and privacy. 

You could just click on this little logo to see how we are tracking you RIGHT NOW!

Powered byIP2Location.com

Why NJ doesn't have more parks

The story of Triangle Park in Newark is instructive.  You'll notice that the many consultants listed do not include landscape architects.

Friday Fun Photos: Rainbow City

On a recent visit to see Phase II of the High Line, we were pleasantly surprised with a sight that one writer describes as a "psychedelic amusement park".  Sponsored by Aol, Rainbow City is a temporary installation by the artists collective known as Friends With You.  As if the High Line didn't get enough attention anyway, this installation at the food court helped get plenty of people to the new northernmost entrance to the High Line.

 

But you will have to wait to see the pictures of the High Line in another post. 

Dangerous plants

The local media have been enjoying the hype this week over the Giant Hogweed. Don't touch the 12' high weed our you could suffer blisters or blindness, they say.

International readership is up

Well, really, I suppose our US readership is down.  But over this last weekend (a holiday weekend in the US) our international readership level surged to 49%.  In contrast, during the Spring semester we were averaging about 38%.

So, Bienvenido! Velkommen! Welcome!

Chicago's plan for climate change

Chicago is getting serious about planning for climate change.  The NYTimes reports on their new plan, "Climate scientists have told city planners that based on current trends, Chicago will feel more like Baton Rouge than a Northern metropolis before the end of this century."  All that without the benefit of boiled crawfish?

Lots of green roof projects (they are already a leader).  And check out the diagram of the street of the future.  It seems like it requires an equal mix of planning and design.   (h/t Bognar)

And a fine fellow he will be...

Proud Rutgers alum Bob Snieckus is making us proud.  ASLA has announced that he will become a fellow this fall. Despite his important work serving the nation in DC, Bob has been a regular participant in all sorts of activities on campus as a Cook alum and LA alum.  Check out his bio from the Fellow announcement:

Robert E. Snieckus, ASLA
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Washington, D.C.

Robert Snieckus was nominated by the Potomac Chapter in the Leadership/Management Category. Throughout his career, he has showcased the creative problem-solving acumen of landscape architects to the many multi-discipline professionals in the agencies in which he has worked. Be it gravel pit stabilization, a flood detention basin, or the USDA building on the National Mall, he has consistently introduced long-term, visionary aesthetic solutions. His creativity and enthusiasm are as astonishing as he is unique. Despite his administrative responsibilities, he still leads design teams in the execution of creative and sustainable solutions to very difficult land and water management problems all across the country. Perhaps the most challenging and rewarding was the landscape regeneration plan he implemented following the eruption of Mount St. Helens. His BLA is from Rutgers University.

Who's next?

Flight 93 Memorial

A while back I posted some photos from the future site of the Flight 93 Memorial. Now the National Park Service has this video showing what they are working towards:




I don't know when it will be finished, but the NPS says they will be dedicating this year on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The new memorial in NYC will get more attention, but because of its unusual location, this one may turn out to be gratifying to visitors. (Mapped)

Very, very small green roofs

The DIRT shows how Philly is trying out very small green roofs. And Philly has a website to sow off more too.

A Dismal Swamp story

The Home News and Tribune has rediscovered the Dismal Swamp and the people trying to protect it.

Millenium Park

I can't believe how long it took me to get there.  But here it is.

Three Way Street

Here is a great video from ronconcocacola illustrating what happens when we start adding bike lanes in a city where not everyone is ready. Make sure you watch through to the Sysco truck.

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

The added graphics are part Terminator, part Frogger.

Great idea and execution.

Flooding photos

The newest photos of the flooding along the Missouri River are prety impressive, but they seem like old hat these days.  With all the flooding, fires, tornados and even an annual Icelandic eruption, maybe we should keep NOAA. FEMA  or USGS as our new home page.

Entry level job

For LAs in Ohio.

Aging Baby Boomers may not have good access to transit

Maybe the higher cost of real estate is part of the problem, but a report shows that the aging Baby Boomers (some of whom are now retirement age) may have limited access to mass transit in 2015.  The Star-Ledger includes some town-specific reporting.

NJ train hubs are valuable

Train hubs in New Jersey help real estate.

New blog to watch

You can add another landscape architecture blog to your watch list: Praxis Landscape Architecture from Margeret Bryant at SUNY-ESF.  Since it is new, it is hard to describe an overriding theme, yet, but her posts on the economic recovery and jobs show how she is tapping her personal experiences as a faculty member while another bemoans the fact that she had the only paper on climate at CELA this year. 

My only complaint at this point is that you can't hear her gentle Southern drawl when you read it.  Maybe she could post mp3 files of each post being read.  In any case, watch it as it takes off.

van der Goot

This past weekend included Rose Day at the Rudolf W. van der Goot Gardens in Somerset County's Colonial Park and the Home News and Tribune has a photo gallery.  If the name seems familiar, you should check our scholarship list: we are fortunate to give a van der Goot scholarship every year.  I wonder if the student-recipients make that connection?

Paisajismo

With Barack Obama in Puerto Rico, we should hear more in the news about the conflicted nature of PR.  It is American (there are no Puerto Rican immigrants, but lots of displaced Puerto Ricans) but doesn't get a vote and is independent minded.  The United Nations has looked upon PR as one of the last colonies in the world.
 

I got the chance recently to meet some landscape architects from  Puerto Rico who are working to get the profession there up and running.  Until recently, most landscape architectural work on the island (and in the Caribbean) has been performed by firms on the mainland. There are something like 36 licensed landscape architects on the island but there will soon be more since a new MLA program has started at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. But soon, most of the landscape architects on the island could be recent grads of PUPR, freshly licensed, with minimal experience.  How do you develop a new profession with so little experience?  This will make it easier for them to break from mainland traditions and develop their own professional culture of practice.


They use the Spanish term Paisajismo (or Arquitectura Paisajista) which is more about landscape painting than design. It comes from the French for Paysagisme which is a landscape painter. It is a beautiful metaphor for what we do, and a cultural .  There is even a landscape magazine called Paisajismo.

I didn't get many photos of landscape architecture in PR, but this fence at the Botanic Garden was supposed to be designed by Field Operations. 

Not that you can tell from these tiny photos, but the student work was great.

150th Anniversary of the Sanitary Commission

This is the 150th Anniversary of the Sanitary Commission, one of the important innovations developed to help cope with the unique problems of the Civil War.  On June 25, 1861 the NY Times offered this explanation of why it was important:

Whether or no we are going to have any great battles during the Summer in Virginia or elsewhere, with their immense rolls of killed, wounded and missing, is still in the hands of fate and Gen. SCOTT; but certain it is that the grand volunteer army we have in camp and in the field is now subject to the most imminent peril from the ravages of an enemy far more to be feared than the fiercest of mortal fees.

Why is this on Places and Spaces?  Before becoming a full-blown landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted served as the General Secretary of the Commission. It was an important moment in his life in which we was able to begin thinking about larger spatial issues in a public realm (as opposed to his scientific farming efforts).  Minnesota's Architecture Dean Thomas Fisher wrote a great piece explaining the significance of this last year for Places.

I posted this without waiting to see their offerings, but I assume that the NY Times will have something around now in their incredible Civil War blog, Disunion.

Mapping Ancient Egypt

The BBC has a new show following Alabama's Dr. Sarah Parcak as she uses NASA near infrared imagery to discover potential buried ruins from ancient Egypt. Discovery reports that the research team found 17 possible buried pyramids.

But if you want to see how easy or hard it is, look at the images from Ogle Earth.

High Line Part 2

New York has unveiled High Line Part 2.  The NY Daily News writes about the lawn panel and Fox News gives an overview of the High Line's "secrets".    National Geographic just ran a feature on Part 1.

There are already photo galleries of Part 2 online from:
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Garden Design Magazine


And the New York Times has given the High Line its own Topic Page.  Presumably their big splash on Part 2 will appear there when it is ready.

Tornado mapping

I know it is a bit late, but the tornadoes of this spring are getting mapped in different ways.

Here is a basic overview map that shows the locations of 670 different tornadoes from a single day.  But close up photos are what you need to see the real deal.  Here is an interactive map that maps out countless air photos from right after the tornadoes.  Just click on a box to download the individual high-res photos.  The shape formed by the boxes clearly illustrate the paths of the killer tornadoes while the closeups (like this one below) make it very easy to see the path wile zoomed out and the damage when zoomed in.

And one site has a frightening set of before and after photos.

They're back

An old environmental issue in New Jersey is coming back in a way that threatens to be the biggest fight of the new decade: sewer service areas. Here is a quote from the Star-Ledger:

Jeff Tittel, the executive director of the state’s chapter of the Sierra Club, said the plans carry the furthest-reaching environmental impact in years.

"It’s probably the biggest battle since the Highlands Act," he said.

iPhone plants app

"Sorry, I can't tell if that is a cherry or crabapple because my phone is low on batteries."  Yes, that's what you could soon be hearing from your local nurserymen if they start relying too heavily on the  free Leafsnap app for the iPhone from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution.

(h/t Peter M)

Taking a break from Brownfields

The Star-Ledger reports that NJ is putting its program for cleaning up contaminate brownfield sites on hold. 

Fire up this grill

What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than with the World BBQ.

Is 3D printing good for landscape architecture?

Does quick literal production help us create? Or are we better off using our imagination? Is this somehow different than larger models?

New things to see at NYBG

The New York Botanical Gardens has filled the Haupt Conservatory with "a modest reproduction" of what the original gardens at the Alhambra might have been like, according to the NY Times.  And, as ArtDaily points out, the museum at the NYBG has an accompanying display.  If you go, you should remember to check out Darrel Morrison's new designs for the areas around the Old Snuff Mill.

Reading suggestions from NJCF

In her weekly column, The State We're In, NJCF's Executive Director Michelle Byers offers some great suggestions for summer reading.  The column offers more than just a list, but it also links readers with a virtual book club so you stay engaged.

Creative bike maps win award

Simon Parker has created a creative set of bike maps for London that look like the belong on the wall next to a map of the underground. The maps were one of the winning entries in the GeoVation competition.  They aren't just cool looking maps, they are representative of a small trend I am seeing of producing many more bike maps as a serious activity,

DVR Alert!

Tonight at 9pm NJN viewers will get to see the story of Atlantic Crossing.

The connection between health and design

The Home News and Tribune talks to St Peter's Hospital's architect about how design is being used to help the patients.

Flood map

ESRI has created a dynamic map of flooding impacts along the Lower Mississippi River.  I am afraid that pretty soon you will have to zoom in on Louisiana to see the points clearly.

Congrats to Class of 2011

Congratulations to all of our new grads.  The new tradition is still settling in.  Just because the ceremonies are over doesn't mean you can't keep reading Places and Spaces.

Battle over the D&R is ramping up

Should the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission remain an independent state agency or become part of the NJ DEP?  It looks like the answer to that question won't be answered without a fight. 

NEW JERSEY COLLEGIATE CAREER DAY

48th semi-annual NEW JERSEY COLLEGIATE CAREER DAY - ALL STUDENTS

Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 9:30 - 3:30, RSC & Brower Commons. 

Over 130 employers with full-time jobs and internships!

Open to the public - bring your friends.

Check our website for parking instructions.

Details, resume submittal, and a list of employers at

http://careerservices.rutgers.edu beginning May 1.

Look for the link at the top of the page. 

Email njccd@echo.rutgers.edu with questions.

Note to readers:  Unlike job fairs, career days can be useful for more than just job seekers, because they give you a chance to find out what the different fields are like and what employers would like to eventually see on your resume.  While there probably won't be any boutique LA firms, there may be a few massive corporations or agencies, like the EPA, whose hiring practices will teach you a lot even as a sophomore.  BTW, Geomatics students might want to check out the UPS Information Services group as well as the FBI.

Before you leave campus

Check out the Honeycomb at Blake...

I can't wait to see it in person.

Atchafalaya and Bonnet Carre

NOLA.com is providing some great coverage of the potential flooding headed towards Louisiana.  To keep the river from spilling over the levees in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the Corps is throwing open the floodgates to release as much water as possible down both the Atchafalaya and the Bonnet Carre.  They hope to use the wetlands to absorb the impact.  Anyway, check the photos and videos and keep checking back.  And, in the meantime, read the essay on the Atchafalaya control structure in John McPhee's Control of Nature.

Explore the Meadowlands

MERI (The Meadowlands Education and Research Institute) has created a great set of online maps. Ii'd be a good way to explore the Meadowlands if you've never been.

Slope maps

Here is a basic slope map.
I had never seen a slope map quite like this one of some ski slopes.
Since a slope map doesn't show much by itself, here is a way to combine it with something else.

New urbanism revisted

As you wrap yup the semester, you might fin an interesting difference between the official look of new urbanism at CNU.org and Witold Rybczynski's critical look at Celebration after 10 years.

Plant Stewardship Index Class

Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Using the Plant Stewardship Index

Leslie Sauer Founding Partner, Andropogon Associates, Ltd.

Friday May 20 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Fee: $125 (includes lunch)

Restoring and managing degraded natural areas is of growing importance to sustaining our environment. This workshop focuses on using the Plant Stewardship Index (PSI) Program as a working tool for documenting and guiding our management efforts. This method is scientifically-based and comparable over time. Using the PSI webpage and illustrated with case studies, workshop topics include baseline monitoring, management monitoring, choosing appropriate species for restoration, evaluating exclosures, trail siting and planting monitoring.

PSI is also useful for municipal and agency applications such as evaluating land exchanges, protocols for mitigation and easement maintenance. Special attention will be given to contracting opportunities for management applications. Leslie has been instrumental in developing the Plant Stewardship Index Program at Bowmans Hill Wildflower Preserve.

This course carries 5.5 CEU’s for ISA arborists.

To register online: www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/ed_arboriculture.shtml

or call the Morris Arboretum at 215-247-5777 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            215-247-5777      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, ext. 125 or 156

Visit us on the web: www.morrisarboretum.org

Mapping the Buffalo Commons

Planning Studio Presentation: Mapping the Buffalo Commons
Tuesday, May 10
3:30 p.m., Room 369

There will be an informal presentation by this semester's Buffalo Commons graduate planning studio, Mapping the Buffalo Commons, on Tuesday, May10, in Room 369 at 3:30 PM. All are welcome to attend!

Azalea Garden at NYBG

The new Azalea Garden is opening at the New york Botanic Garden and is getting warm reviews.

Summer Internship

With only a week until the deadline, students interested in an Our Earth internship should get it in gear.

Cinco de Mayo

Celebrate Cinco de mayo by looking over a few ASLA award winning projects in Mexico. 

Grupo De Diseño Urbano SC highlight an part what might be the oldest park in the Americas with their design of the Fountain Promenade at Chapultepec Park, Mexico City, Mexico. They also designed a great residential landscape at the Malinalco House. DIRT tried to revision part of the Mexico City basin.

Brownfields

In the final minutes of the final lecture, I mentioned brownfields as a trendy topic in environmental planning.  Here are a few extra resources on that:

• The NJ DEP FAQ on Brownfields
• The EPA Brownfields program 
• Dr. Wolfram Hoefer had his students redesign the old Hackensack Waterworks
• Rutgers' National Center for Brownfields and Neighborhood Redevelopment
• Or look at my photos of the Duisburg Nord Landscape Park

Couple pushes for vast nature preserve in the midwest

I can't post every story that is published about the Poppers, but this seemed like a nice local piece from Iowa.

SCOTUS cases

While we talked about a number of takings cases in class, we didn't have a reading to supplement those lectures.  To help I've rushed to slap together some links, although I can't claim to have read them all.  Which also means that I cannot vouch for their quality or usefulness other than in the most indirect ways.

From Wikipedia/SOTUSWiki:

• Euclid v. Ambler
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolan_v._City_of_Tigard
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Central_Transportation_Co._v._New_York_City
• Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Commission
• Nollan v. CCC
  
• Stop the Beach Renourishment Vs. Florida DEP
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London

Cornell Law School has pulled up some of the SCOTUS texts:

• Penn Central - http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0438_0104_ZS.html
• Dolan - http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-518.ZD.html
• Nollan - http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0483_0825_ZS.html
• Kelo - http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-108.ZO.html

The APA's policy blog delves a little deeper into state responses to Kelo.

Trees to watch

From The Onion.  And, no, this will not be on the exam.