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Barbara Deutsch is the Executive Director at the Landscape Architecture Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to research, scholarship, and advocacy.

She and her small team are trying to advance the landscape architecture perspective by quantifying the benefits provided by landscape elements like plants and water. For the past six years they’ve been building a collection of over 100 case studies from projects across the United States. Each case study evaluates the landscape’s contributions in three areas: social, environmental, and economic. 

The purpose of the case studies is to arm designers and policy makers with persuasive, research-driven evidence of the value of the landscape to achieve sustainable urban design. By measuring the performance of landscapes, they’re creating tools in the movement to change minds and policies – and, ultimately, the places we live. 

This podcast is a production of DeepRoot Green Infrastructure, LLC (www.deeproot.com).
For more information about Landscape Architecture Foundation, visit www.lafoundation.org.

Music:
Dave Depper, “Picturebook”
Podington Bear, “Lilywhite” and “Nature Kid”

Quantifying the Landscape

Robert Goo loves water – we mean LOVES it. And he’s devoted nearly thirty years of his professional career to improving the health of our water resources. Robert works in the Office of Water for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; he focuses on how we develop and design our cities and infrastructure to preserve water quality.

How do we reduce the amount of pollutants that get discharged into our waterways? And how can we alter our design and construction methods to create more nature-based development patterns that protect this invaluable resource?

These are some of the questions Robert is trying to answer. One solution that he sees as elemental to this effort is green streets – a design paradigm he hopes will become the new normal. 

This podcast is a production of DeepRoot Green Infrastructure, LLC 
(www.deeproot.com).

Music: “Springtime,” “Dramamine” (Podington Bear)

The Mighty Green Street

Cities are, almost by definition, slow-moving entities. But a playful design form known as the parklet has changed that, allowing everyday citizens to participate in making their neighborhoods more friendly, walkable, and generous. 

Robin Abad Ocubillo is the urban designer and lead policy planner for the San Francisco parklets program, and he has led the effort within the city of taking the unusual step of actually incorporating parklets into city code, thereby formalizing the important role they can play in the urban landscape.

This podcast is a production of DeepRoot Green Infrastructure, LLC (www.deeproot.com).

For more information about parklets in San Francisco, follow their work on Twitter @sfplanning, @pavement2parks, and online at parklets.org.

Music:
“Light Touch,” “Trickledown” (Podington Bear)
“Only Knows” (Broke for Free)

Hacking the City

A podcast about the intersection of nature and urban design.

Quantifying the Landscape

Remarkable Objects