Foreclosures map

The Times had a great looking (but sad) map of foreclosures. (Make sure you click on the Graphic)

Foreclosures shaing the landscape

USA Today writes about foreclosures in Denver in a way that emphasizes how quickly the burden could shift to communities who may be left with half vacant neighborhoods and rising rates of homelessness.

NJ State Plan

This week we talked about the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan as an example of Testing Planning Concepts through Design. If you follow the link you'll see that the State Plan is overseen by the NJ Office of Smart Growth which is part of the NJ Department of Community Affairs.

In a strong home rule state like New Jersey, the plan has to represent a strong vision is the communities are going to participate. And, it has have a fair degree of buy-in, which is one reason they take the cross-acceptance process so seriously.

The Targum on Campus Beautification

A hile back we talked in class about how local papers cover issues of planning and design. This past week, The Daily Targum had a column bemoaning the current state of the campus and its facilities. Rather than focusing on a string of budget crises or questioning financial emphases, the author turned to sociology to begin asking where to begin:

Others may say that the students at Rutgers are inherently more prone to debauchery than Princeton students. I say it's because people at Rutgers see other people at Rutgers not caring. The environment dictates what people do. This all reminded me of New York City and how it got cleaned up. New York went from one of the most dangerous cities in the United States to one of the safest in a span of about a decade. The most prevalent theory on how New York cut its crime and filth so dramatically was the broken windows theory. This theory essentially states that when people see that nothing is done about a small infraction, they are more likely to do it themselves. This leads to greater and greater infractions until it is out of control. If someone sees that a window is broken and it stays that way, that person assumes that no one cares about that building, so why should he or she?

The folks at Scarlet Nation piled on too.

Journal Square

An urban hub can be pretty expensive, even for a larger city like Jersey City. That is why Jersey City is trying to use a "revenue allocation district" (a variation on tax incremental financing) as a way of focusing investment in infrastructure for Journal Square as a way of rebuilding it. As an older urban hub, Journal Square is going to require a different treatment to bounce back. Compare how different the normal view is than how Journal Square is seen by the wonderful photographer at Fading Ads blog. You can also see the future plans from the New Journal Square, but you might want to turn down your speakers.

The Frames in Spain

When we were in Madrid we saw a slightly similar public art exhibit of Phillip Plisson's Living Sea exhibit. Now it seems like everyone I know is working on something a little like this. Anyway, Maybe these photos will help some of them. They just make me miss Spain.








This last one really shows how they are arranged in patterns more complex than might first be apparent. I wish I had been able to slow down and watched people more. But when you travel with kids, you have to pick your spots.

Suitability Analysis Notes

So, when some of you asked for a little more on suitability analysis, I'll admit that I didn't know what I was going to find. After some digging, I found an incredible treat. I found the old handwritten Suitability Analysis notes from when Steve Strom used these techniques in his studio. This four page set of Suitability Analysis notes is online now as a PDF. His description of weighted analysis lacks a graphic, so I created a digital version of both some of his graphics and a new Weight and Rate graphic that should help you work through it all as you look ahead to Monday's exam:To be clear, each grid shows the very same piece of land but being rated for a different issue (soils, slope, vegetation). Presumably that is fairly objective. But each individual criterion is then weighted based on relative importance. In this case, Slope has rather subjectively been weighted as 5 times more important that Vegetation. If you click on my graphic it will enlarge and be more readable.

Job: Assistant Environmental Scientist

Here is a position with Parsons Brinckerhoff in Princeton:

TITLE: ASSISTANT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST

LOCATION: Princeton, NJ

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Entry level Environmental Scientist to provide environmental planning and permitting support for highway and other transportation projects. Seeking a candidate who is team-oriented, highly motivated, and with strong communication skills. This position is ideal for scientists who are seeking an opportunity for career development, mentoring and creative challenges with one of the world's premier engineering firms. PB offers very competitive compensation and benefits packages.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

General background in applied aquatic science/biology, water quality sampling, fisheries, in-water habitat assessment/restoration, and/or freshwater ecology is preferred. Familiarity with several different methods of collecting aquatic samples, ability to identify local aquatic fauna and identify aquatic algae, plants, inverts, and fish is required. Analysis of technical data using spreadsheet, database, statistical, graphics, and other computer program tools is a plus.

B.S. in aquatic science/biology, freshwater ecology, fisheries biology, environmental science, or natural resource related field

Please send or e-mail resumes to:
Darren Stanker
stanker@pbworld.com
506 Carnegie Center Blvd., 2^nd Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-734-6938

cool sounding class

Since the schedules go live this weekend, this is a fun time to look for unexpected course offerings. Here is one I stumbled onto at Art History that is focusing on New Jersey as a state, not just a loose collection of historic sites and places:

441. (SPECIAL TOPICS IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION)
Index: 12466
CAC W67 VH104, Hewitt

Architectural historians have generally written about the human-made environment as a story of individuals constructing individual buildings during discrete and separate historical moments. More recently the discipline has turned to a more holistic methodology that emphasizes the cultural and geographical locus or “site” as essential to the understanding of how buildings are designed and constructed. This seminar will explore how the entire “state” of New Jersey,with its diverse landscape and multiple ethnic and cultural actors, has evolved over three centuries. Rather than looking only at individual buildings, we will explore the vernacular and designed environment as a web of human and natural artifacts changing and growing over the course of decades.

Flooding from Sea Level Rise

There is a web hack online that simulates different levels of sea level rise overlaid on Google Maps. It doesn't integrate sophisticated modeling or describe how each scenario would work, but as a fairly simple graphic tool for exploring an idea, it works great. And it is probably the same basic logic idea that the Star-Ledger used in their map. I tried out a few different places and levels, the blue shading :

Newark Airport at 7 metersLouisiana Coastal Wetlands at 1m


Jakarta at 3m

East London at 2m

Denver looks pretty safe.

RotDs, Part II

Here are our Resources of the Day since the first exam:

11. US Census (TIGER and Social Explorer)
12. Claritas Prizm Groups
13. Newspapers
14. Citizen's Guides to Planning and Zoning
15. Municipal Master Plan (e.g., Bloomington, MN)
16. Ordinance.com
17. E-government

Lecture: Tom Donnelly

THis is a liveblog for today's lecture by RU alum Tom Donnelly. Tom is President and Chief Operating Officer of ValleyCrest Landscape Development and spoke a little about his career path and how he got from here to there. He describes his path as going from landscape architecture to landscape contracting. ValleyCrest is a 10,000 employee firm that specializes in Commercial Landscaping and tries to remain in control of its destiny by hiring specialists instead of subcontracting services.

He works with landscape architects to help make their ideas real. Projects included work at the Georgia International Horse Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Celebration, the Getty Center (pictured above), the new Census Bureau building, and Millennium Park.

A few years ago they acquired 5 landscape architecture studios around the country. A mantra for them is to "narrow down the variability" which makes it easier to address uncertainty.
And VC uses an Iterative Design Process for working from the studio to the project. VC makes new plans for the company all the time, so he challenged our students to make a plan for themselves and where they are going.

Lecture: Growing Grass

The Plant Biology Seminar Series *Special Seminar*

Gary Curl, President of Specialty Products Consultants, Mendham, NJ.

The Business of Growing Grass: A Strategic Analysis of the
U. S. Professional Turf & Ornamental Pesticide Market

*Monday* April 7, 2008 *4:00 p.m.*

Room 138A, Foran Hall Cook Campus

Abstract: This presentation will profile selected turf markets in the US with respect to pesticide usage and major issues confronting professional turf managers. An analysis of disease, insect and weed problems affecting the golf, landscape, sports field and sod industries, and the pesticide use trends in different regions of the country will be addressed. The question of how public/customer demands for more 'environmentally friendly' or 'green' products is shaping the turf and ornamental product markets will also be discussed.

Gary Curl has more than 30 years of experience in product development, marketing and business management in the specialty pesticide industry. He has completed a number of proprietary market assessments in the pest control, turf and ornamental, animal health and aquatic weed management markets. He has also conducted syndicated studies of the U. S. structural pest control market and the professional turf and ornamental market annually since forming Specialty Products Consultants in 2000.

Planning Quote

"Liberal governments can not plan. Planning requires the authoritative use of authority. Planning requires law, choice, priorities, moralities. Liberalism replaces planning with bargaining."

Ted Lowi

The End of Liberalism, 1969

Closing State Parks

The Star-Ledger has reported on the latest fallout from the budget crisis. New Jersey is talking about closing 9 state parks and laying off 80 employees. Presumably, some of this is about making us all very aware of the severity of the cuts. But you really have to wonder, with billions of dollars on the line, if a handful of jobs at the battlefield bathrooms or a few lifeguards at Round Valley will really help balance the budget.

From the Star-Ledger:

The list of nine state parks that would close:

-- Monmouth Battlefield State Park, 2,928 acres, Monmouth County. Visitor center, restrooms, closed.

-- Stephens State Park, 805 acres, Warren County. Camping area closed.

-- High Point State Park, 15,827 acres, Sussex County. Swimming, camping, interpretive center, office, closed. Trail access limited.

-- Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest), 36,647 acres, Burlington County. Camping, group picnic area, Indian King Tavern, office, closed. Trail access limited.

-- Round Valley Recreation Area, 3,684 acres, Hunterdon County. Swimming, camping, Wallace House, office, closed.

-- Parvin State Park, 1,952 acres, Salem County. Swimming, camping, interpretive center, office, closed.

-- Jenny Jump State Forest, 4,288 acres, Warren County. Camping and office, closed. Trail access limited.

-- Worthington State Forest, 6,584 acres, Warren County. Camping and office, closed. Trail access limited.

-- Fort Mott State Park, 104 acres, Salem County. Hancock House, historic sites, office, closed. Access to ferry service, open.

Career Night 2008

Thursday April 3

5:30-7:30
Room 202 Cook Campus Center

Over 20 firms will be joining us to share information about careers in
Landscape Architecture and Landscape Industry. This is a great opportunity for students considering these fields to learn more about them from practitioners.

Food will be served. Bring your resume, some questions and your appetite!

Great talk, no joke!

Tom Donnelly, ASLA
Outstanding Alumnae in Landscape Architecture
Notes From The Field
4PM Wednesday, April 2
Room 110, Cook Douglass

Tomorrow's lecture will be given by another Outstanding Alumnae of the Landscape Architecture Program. Thomas C. Donnelly, ASLA, is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of Valley Crest Landscape Development, where he oversees the operations of a national branch network that forms the only landscape development company with the capability to serve customers from coast to coast. Tom is a member of American Society Landscape Architects and the Urban Land Institute, and sits on the Board of Governors for ULI Foundation. Tom will discuss the building of his career and the work of Valley Crest.

April Garden Guide

The New York Botanical Garden has posted their list of garden duties for April. Dig in.

Landscape Architecture Month

April is here! Happy Landscape Architecture Month.

Project Virgle

Google and Virgin Airlines have teamed up on a new effort, called Project Virgle, to develop the first human settlement on Mars. They have a video made by the project team leaders that helps capture the excitement of the project. As the ultimate start-up project, you know it is going to fill quickly, so hurry up and complete the survey for potential participants.

It is pretty amazing when you compare it with their more mundane efforts like wireless broadband in every home and the Google Calender Wake-up Kit.