In Phase 1 of the Metropolitan Design Center’s work with Peavey Park in Minneapolis, we found that a busy park is a safe park – that is, planning community events and activities in a park year-round can alleviate crime in the area. Phase 2 expanded upon this work and explored how the existing park could be programmed in the cold, dark winter months, when most people are tempted to spend their time indoors. I spent several months thinking about how we could encourage the community to activate their public space in the winter.

Research

First I looked to the past – what is the relationship between Minnesotans and the season for which their state is so infamous?  Exploring the history of winter sports and festivals in Minnesota led me to understand that Minnesotans didn’t always appreciate the snow and ice – early winter festivals in the 1880s introduced winter sports and made being outside in winter a fun community celebration.

Then I looked for inspiration around the world – how do the other winter cultures and cities around the world celebrate winter? I was inspired by the beautiful and outrageous celebrations, which embrace and tame the unique qualities of winter to bring people outside for fun and excitement.

This exploration also allowed us to catalogue more possible recreational opportunities for Peavey Park. We discovered many new activities utilizing snow and ice, such as ice trails and toboggan slides (both of which are common in communities in Canada) that would attract people of all ages day or night throughout the winter.

This research allowed us to develop an approach for embracing winter and transforming Peavey Park into a winter wonderland of beauty, fun, and community.

Analysis

At a neighborhood workshop we shared our research findings with community leaders and residents. They were excited by the potential for Peavey Park to become a regional winter attraction and the implications this could have for revitalizing the neighborhood. Their feedback on what types of activities they wanted to see in the park gave us an idea of how to move forward with the design.

I mapped the existing winter recreational opportunities in the city and discovered that winter activities at Peavey Park would fill a service gap within the Minneapolis park system. This also gave me a better idea of what recreational types might be needed in the area. Next I conducted case studies and examined standard regulations to determine the spatial requirements for the desired winter activities.

During an afternoon at Peavey Park on a bright sunny January day, I photographed the site, took measurements, and made notes about the site’s opportunities and constraints. With this information, I put together a series of analysis maps exploring the park’s existing structures, programming, vegetation, views, and topography, and then synthesized this information to create an analysis map that I would work off of for the final designs for the park’s winter programming.

Design

Based on our discussion with the neighborhood, we developed two designs for winter programming within the existing layout of the park. The abundant open space within the existing park allowed for many different activities to take place within both designs. Both designs focused on winter beauty, fun, and community celebration.

Lighting, while not specifically designed in the aerial plans, was indicated as a key programming aspect, which would draw visitors during the long dark hours of winter. Many types of lighting could be displayed at Peavey Park, such as holiday lighting shows, artist-designed sculptures and projections, and large bonfires that would also provide warmth and communal gathering.

Space and infrastructure for recreation was well-provided for, including ice skating on ice rinks and ice trails, as well as hockey rinks, sledding on toboggan slides (due to the lack of hills in Peavey Park), and ski trails around the perimeter of the park. Visitors who wish to people watch or take part in the activities without putting on ice skates can walk along the boardwalk trail adjacent to the ice trail – here, bonfires and warming shelters take the edge off the cold and winter wind.

Food and gathering space was introduced to the park, especially on the north entrance near busy Franklin Avenue, with food trucks and booths for an outdoor winter market. Space for a sculpture park along Franklin would also serve to draw visitors into the park. A stage and open space within the center of the park would serve any winter festivals or events the neighborhood might want to hold in the park.

Connecting Neighborhoods to the River with Greenways

In 2012, the Metropolitan Design Center worked with the University District Alliance, a partnership between the University of Minnesota and the four surrounding neighborhoods, to plan a network of greenways and open space that could connect to the Mississippi River. My work on the project focused on planning and conducting a series of neighborhood workshops regarding mobility to the river, researching historic waterways and the benefits of green infrastructure, and creating graphics that communicated our research and design.

Neighborhood Workshops

In order to understand how neighborhoods currently connect to the river, we met with each of the four neighborhoods (Como, Marcy-Holmes, Cedar-Riverside, and Prospect Park) and asked them to draw on maps the routes they currently take on foot and on bike through their neighborhood, as well as those paths they would like to take. I digitized and layered this data for each neighborhood, which allowed us to clearly understand how people move and how they would like to move. Then by layering all of the data on a map of the entire district, we were able to create a composite mobility map from which we could start to plan the new greenway connections.

Analysis & Mapping

Our understanding of the landscape of the University District was focused on water. I worked with the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization to map how the wetlands, springs, streams, and waterfalls that once graced the area were tamed and often demolished as the city of Minneapolis was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  I mapped the topography of the University District, identifying the river terraces and discovering how the river shaped the landscape.

Research into the locations of regional parks and trails allowed us to see how a new greenway framework could fit into the existing network. We found that a 20-mile radius from the University district, there are 104 square miles of open space – by linking the four University District neighborhoods to this system, we could allow inner Metro residents greater access to this priceless amenity.

Research

Working from what we learned from the MWMO about the former river features in the area, I researched the history of the Mississippi River in the University District. I found historic images of lost waterfalls and maps that told the history of industry and culture along the river.

Green infrastructure became an important feature in the design of the greenway network. I researched the benefits of implementing green infrastructure, such as reducing construction costs, providing habitat, and improving quality of life.

In my capstone project, I experimented with the design process to investigate how a highly-layered urban riverfront site with a rich historic past could be encountered via a trail system based on experiential qualities and historical narrative.

St. Anthony Falls is the birthplace of Minneapolis. In its former glory, the cataract had a magnetic power that drew spiritual seekers and pioneering industry men alike. On the site of the former eastern portion of these falls, we find the overgrown bluffs, murky waterways, and mill ruins of Pillsbury Park. Adjacent to the park is Hennepin Island, the epicenter of river industries that have significantly altered the landscape as they sought to harness the physical power of St. Anthony Falls.

The site’s historical and cultural significance makes it an important landscape within the heritage district of downtown Minneapolis. It offers unique views of historic structures along the river, the downtown skyline, active industry on the river, and St. Anthony Falls. However current access to this important landscape is limited and the physical remains of its industry and ecology have been neglected. Tensions between movement and connection, access and restriction, historic uses and current uses, and abandonment and care make this an extremely complex site. With its layers of new and old infrastructure, Hennepin Island and Pillsbury Park are physical records of our historic exploration, use, and understanding of the power of water. As a unique site on a historic riverfront, they offer an opportunity to experience the many forms of the power of the river, as witnessed in the landscape itself.

My analysis process focused on understanding the history and the experiential qualities of the site. I developed a process of analyzing the site composition in terms of landscape features and layers, as well as the experiential qualities and movement through the site. My design process worked off this analysis, and included defining a sense of place, discovering new experiential typologies, outlining spatial and experiential concepts, and constructing a path system typology.

My vision for this site is that Pillsbury Park + Hennepin Island will be part of a larger East Bank experience in which the power of the Mississippi River is celebrated. Visitors will explore the site through exciting paths that provide a variety of experiences of the river and the river’s history.

In the final plan, an abandoned power plant becomes the Water Power Museum, which serves as an anchor to the east bank. The Pillsbury ‘A’ Mill re-opens the abandoned mill races under Main Street to provide hydroelectric and hydrothermal power to the new complex of buildings. Some of the water from this tailrace is rerouted into the park to reintroduce water to the location of the former east falls. A Highlights Loop trail off the park’s main entrance provides a quick look at the most interesting features in the park. The Water Power Heritage Loop, connecting to the Heritage Trail, provides an experience of all features of the site, stopping at points that provide views of the river and historic features. Several underground tailraces and historic tunnels are opened up for tours offered through the Water Power Museum. Hennepin Island is made accessible not only for picnicking and hiking, but would also function as flexible space for temporary exhibitions related to Xcel, the Stream Lab, or more artistic expressions related to the river.

In this urban design studio project, site performance was offered as a “premise for restructuring both site- and regional-scale systems”. Working with this concept, I explored how new municipal waste management practices could transform three underutilized parking lots in downtown Minneapolis into multiuse public spaces dedicated to reuse and production.

Current municipal waste management practices are based on the idea that waste is composed of materials that have a beginning and an end. In this mindset, our waste is collected, sorted, and disposed of in various locations, such as incinerator and landfills. As we progress in our understanding and implementation of sustainable waste management practices in the future, we will discover that that waste is a resource that can be used, reused, and modified to make other materials. Materials will be reused as many times as possible and then transformed into something else after they are no longer usable, rather than being buried or burned. With this view of the future in mind, I analyzed the flow, distribution, and lifecycle of materials that take place in the system as it currently exists and then imagined how these practices could change in the future. I proposed three phases of waste management, in which the site provides the facilities and processes to manage waste for all of the residents the neighborhood of Downtown Minneapolis East.

Using a flexible modular unit, a 40-yard dumpster, allowed me to work directly with the metrics of waste management by calculating how much waste my site could handle. It also allowed me to explore different typologies of use: how many different ways can a dumpster be modified to accommodate different uses as my site changes over time?

In the first phase of transforming the site, the parking lots cease to function for parking and become neighborhood-scale waste drop-off and transfer stations. Rows of dumpsters separate and store waste, which is dropped off by neighborhood residents. Waste trucks arrive every week on Trash Day to parade the waste down Nicollet Mall. Waste is then delivered to appropriate destination (incinerator, landfill, or a recycling center) in keeping with the current waste management practices.

In the second phase, the waste drop-off and transfer stations increasingly become site of reuse and production. The rows of dumpsters, fitted with air pipes, become an aerated static pile compost system. Between the rows of compost, access corridors allow both recreation and vehicular access for the composting process, and linear parks with native plantings form beautiful gardens that manage stormwater and mitigate urban heat island effect. Some dumpsters are modified as booths for an Exchange Market or covered bike parking.

By the third and final phase, waste levels are greatly reduced due to reuse, recycling, and new consumer practices. The site is now used for production of food, energy, and materials. Open space on site allows for recreation and transportation areas, infused with new civic spaces. An anaerobic digestor is concealed and integrated within a four-story retail/office building, treating biodegradable waste and generating compost, heat, fuel, and electricity. The building houses services related to reusing and repairing unwanted items, and renting items. Dumpsters become seating decks in front of the Minneapolis Public Library, artificial rock surfaces for outdoor rock climbing park, edges for a skate park, or in-ground planters for community gardens. Others get stacked up to create the walls of the transportation and recreation buildings.

As a design assistant at the Metropolitan Design Center in the summer of 2009, I was asked to analyze design alternatives for a small urban park in downtown Minneapolis. Triangle Park is a small wedge of land located between the on- and off-ramps for Highway 35W, and serves as both a visual gateway for vehicles entering downtown and also as a small greenspace for the neighborhood. Architect Ralph Rapson’s original 1975 design for the park has been altered and the park is in a state of deterioration.

Working with designers from CLOSE Landscape Architecture+, I analyzed the park to understand the complex layers of the site and the current experience of the park. We formed a design thinking process to analyze the existing opportunities and limitations of the park and put together a series of design options to transform the park’s conditions. Two final conceptual design options were offered. In one plan, the existing site design is enhanced through additional seating along the street and allee paths that led to an upper lawn. The second plan focuses on creating a connection to the street and providing a visible downtown gateway; a series of raised terraces draw visitors into the park, and lighted walls and an iconic sculpture create a dramatic entrance to the city.

In July of 2009, I presented our analysis, design options, and conceptual design plans to the Friends of Triangle Park, a non-profit neighborhood group invested in the revitalization of Triangle Park as a neighborhood amenity. The project has since been moving forward through presentations to various interested political parties.

In 2011, the Ventura Village neighborhood in Minneapolis approached the Metropolitan Design Center to help them reduce crime in their neighborhood park, which had developed a reputation for guns, drugs, and gang-related violence. The situation had gotten so bad that many local families did not allow their children to play in the park. The Center worked with a large stakeholder group, including neighborhood groups, the Minneapolis Police Department, and local business owners, to research key issues, conduct neighborhood workshops, and ultimately design a park that would greater meet the needs of the community.

My work with the project focused on research and analysis, graphics and layout, streetscape design, workshop development, and report production.

Working with crime statistics provided by the Minneapolis Police Department, I designed graphs illustrating the nature of crime in and around the park. To understand how crime increases and decreases in the “lifecycle” of parks and how neighborhoods can fight back, I conducted a literature review and case studies. This research revealed that busy parks are safe parks and that neighborhoods need to “take back” their parks by making their presence known and programming the space for all types of people in all times of the year.

I assisted in planning and directing a workshop to find out what neighborhood children would like in a park. To get some ideas for how to design a playground to meet the needs determined by the workshop, I developed a series of playground typologies from case studies from around the world. I also created a graphic depicting how Peavey Park could become a “cosmic garden”, introducing children to the wonders of the natural world.

To provide increased access to the park for pedestrians and bicyclists, I developed two streetscape redesign options.

Our research on the lifecycle of parks also revealed that public/private partnerships could be a potentially powerful source of park funding and programming. I conducted case studies of successful partnerships as models for the community as they moved forward with the project.

I was also responsible for doing much of the writing and layout for the final project report.

Since our work on the project, the neighborhood has started a non-profit dedicated to Peavey Park and has programmed weekly events in the park. The Minneapolis Park Board is working to set aside part of their budget for improvements to Peavey Park. Crime is reported to have greatly diminished in the area in the last couple years.

Project Description

Vermillion Highlands is a 2800 acre future regional park. In our group I designed the trailhead and interpretive center, which were to be located on the top of a large hill. I explored how the spaces would interact with topography and circulation. By siting the interpretive center on the southern side of the hill and the trailhead on the top – featuring expansive views – it became the perfect place to become oriented to the landscape and learn about the historic and scientific significance of the park. I designed the road to curve around the topography, giving visitors varying views around the hill and injecting the drive to the interpretive center with mystery and a sense of destination. Pathways through the parking lots lead visitors through different landscapes on their way to the center. At the trailhead, skiers, equestrians, and hikers find amenities and an interpretive viewing platform.

The interpretive viewing platform, Lone Rock Lookout, at the trailhead informs visitors of the cultural history of the site, both literally and representationally. From the platform one can see across the landscape toward the park’s main geological feature: Lone Rock. A ramp allows accessibility to all visitors. Around the platform are materials that function both as climbing and sitting areas, and as material representations of one of the historical residents of the site. The grass-covered terraces represent the farming traditions. The boulder cascade represents the Dakota tribe because of its reference to Lone Rock which was a sacred site to them. This also provides an alternate climbing area since there is no climbing on the real feature. The metal wall “cutout” on the end of the platform represents the history of industry, and functions as a physical form of displacement.

Project Description

The Southeast courtyard outside of Rapson Hall on the University campus is designed to provide seasonal interest to those in the space, those looking into the space, and those walking by the space. Because the largest population of people use the campus in the fall, winter, and spring, plants were chosen not only for their form but also for their fall color, blooming time (spring or fall), long-lasting seedhead, and winter form and color.

The sunny inner space within the courtyard was designed to accommodate about 25 people, with the intent of using the space for both educational and recreational (relaxation) purposes.

In an urban design studio focused on community service learning, we worked closely with a local arts organization for children, Juxtaposition Arts, to discover the needs and desires of the vibrant but underprivileged Broadway neighborhood in north Minneapolis. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Mississippi River but has no destination to draw residents there. I designed a site along the river that would provide a unique family-friendly, arts-activated destination for the residents of the Broadway neighborhood.

The Gateway Arts Village and Broadway Beach are for families in the Broadway neighborhood. Located on an under-utilized 2 acre site along the river with views of downtown Minneapolis, it brings together multi-use development, arts education, urban food production, recreation, ecological restoration, and family fun. The site features a river-side sculpture garden, terraced community gardens, sunning decks along the shoreline, restored native grasslands, an art gallery and studios, local cafe with community kitchen, and live-work residential units for local artists.

Using the concepts championed by New Urbanism, I designed a 120-acre planned unit development with a focus on inter-generational living and alternative transportation. My goal was to create a successful retail area integrated with a light rail station, along with dense and attractive housing options for all incomes and generations. To do this I situated the larger retail stores near the highly-visible northeast corner. Above the retail are apartments and office space. The light rail station is close to the main road for park-and-ride options. Surrounding the retail are blocks of townhouses, arranged with attractive shared open space in the center. A central common space features a library, which is situated across from a senior housing area. Thirty percent of the land, featuring rolling topography, was preserved as open space. Linear parks surrounding the dense retail core provide additional green space.

Project Description

The Lake Sarita project is an on-going University venture involving exploring new drainage solutions impacting a small wetland area which collects water from the entire St. Paul campus. The University wishes to transform the polluted lake into a recreational area, educational laboratory, and full-functioning ecosystem.

We worked in groups, researching and mapping the existing area, then proposing a full master plan. Our group focused on creating a waterfowl scanctuary by expanding the wetland area, ensuring wildlife breeding areas, and controlling storm water levels.

Individually I designed an entrance terrace which daylights incoming stormwater, allowing visitors to follow the path of the water along a walkway as it moves toward the wetland. The water flows into raised “flumes” that slow the force, thus controlling the bounce after rain events. Phytoremediation plants along the channel uptake harmful pollutants in the water.

Project Description

On a 61 acre agricultural site near Rosemount, MN, I designed a traditional residential development. We were given a specific density requirement, along with park area and drainage specifications. The centeral feature of Vermillion Commons is a long park that creates two separate “neighborhoods” within the development, preserves the open feeling of the site, and functions as a recreational corridor. It is equally accessible throughout the entire site and serves as a community “commons” for the whole development. Houses along the park face into the park to provide views and safety. Blocks are kept small, with all lots having access to an alley. I attempted to follow the existing topography to keep both the natural drainage and the agricultural feel of the site. The density of the development requires gutters and storm sewers, all of which drain to any of three stormwater retention ponds.

For a final project, we were asked to design an interactive space at the Walker Art Center site. My experiential landscape consisted of five curving corten steel walls sunk into the hill at various angles to create a variety of shady and sunny spaces. Together the walls form thresholds and rooms for visitors travelling up and down the slope to explore. Views of the city are hidden and exposed as visitors move through the space. My process began with the form of the shelters as small rooms or caves with areas of repose on the north and south sides. When I pulled the form along the slope, it created a wall-like form that formed interesting shadows, which added visual interest. In my analysis of the site (shown at right) I studied the direction of the sun and wind in different seasons to help me decide the placement of the walls. I enjoyed exploring the placement of different forms in this project, and learning how to keep pushing a design to find new solutions.

Project Description

In our very first design project we were charged with designing the long narrow south room of the Walker conservatory. We began our process by choosing three words from a reading and two spatial concepts from which to design. I chose the words time, gravity, and erosion, and the concepts of repetition and depressed planes. The words I chose inspired an exploration of the erosive effects water has over time in the environment. I began to explore the visual forms of past and current styles of irrigation, such as ditches and pipes, and also the forms created by erosion such as rivulets and exposed rock. My final design consisted of a series of depressed planes separated by ditches. Water drips from faucets, through small cuts  in the surface of the  planes, and into these ditches. The path of bridges leads from one plane to another where vegetation is planted in either rows or circular forms bringing to mind agricultural practices dictated by irrigation techniques.