New York’s Lower East Side may soon be home to The Low Line – yes you guessed it and underground version of The highly successful High Line and a great way to utilise disused rail tracks. Sitting beneath Delancey Street & Essex Street subways there’s approximately 2 acres of abandoned trolley terminal that has not … Continue reading
Not to be outdone by the Big Apple, London’s mayor, Boris Johnson finally sees sense and throws down the gauntlet for a High Line for London. The competition run in conjunction with the Landscape Institute and Garden Museum is a call to extend the capital’s green infrastructure which could also involve transport links and can … Continue reading
I’ve just stumbled across the most amazing bijou artworks from The Pothole Gardener, artist, Steve Wheen. He takes guerilla gardening to a different level with these beautiful installations. He recently exhibited at the Chelsea Fringe, or more accurately, the Eastern Fringe which was Hackney’s very own version and hopefully will do so again next year. … Continue reading
The World Health Organisation recommends 12 square metres of green space per capita. Beirut has less than one, which prompted locals to spend Saturday in whatever little bit of green they can find (or create) in protest to the continued closure of their local park, Horsh Beirut. Closed over twenty years ago, they were promised … Continue reading
Linkoping, Sweden will be the first city to house a vertical greenhouse, some 17 storeys high, sufficient to grow enough fruit and vegetables to feed the city. Scheduled to be up and running by the end of 2013, this seemingly obviously innovation has been devised by Swedish company, Plantagon as a response to the United Nations prediction that by 2050, … Continue reading
Finnish artist, Jaakko Pernu has been working in willow for some years, creating the most amazing sculptures. A childhood spent helping his father build boats put him in good stead for his future bending wood for more creative purposes. He says of his evocative pieces, “My theme is the influence of humans on nature … Continue reading
Acclaimed US landscape architect and erstwhile Harvard lecturer, Martha Schwartz made a rare public appearance in the UK the other night at The Garden Museum. Her main topic for discussion which is also covered in her new book was sustainability, how cities function and how people value their environments. The importance of advocacy – the … Continue reading
I’ve just stumbled across this rather enlightening video by Rebecca Messner, assistant editor to Urbanite Magazine, which explores the evolution of urban parks in America. Beginning with the granddaddy of American landscape architects, the man behind New York’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. In her article at Grist.org, Rebecca raises the thorny subject of his … Continue reading
After having spent the last few hours researching the best trees to withstand pollution and remain relatively compact of habit for one of my clients, I thought it might be the kind of thing other landscape architects and designers may find useful. Acer campestre ‘Streetwise’ – Field MapleA very versatile tree that tolerates compaction, pollution and drought. Also serves … Continue reading
There seems to be two ways in which to cope with the increasing urban population – to build up, and to build down. By the end of 2012 Milan will be home to the world’s first truly vertical urban forest. With a budget of 65 million Euros, this will hopefully be a blueprint for the … Continue reading
Christina Odell 