SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKLET FOR: Re(create) Flux: The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area as Park Prototype
CORNELL UNIVERSITY’S ENTRY IN THE PARKS FOR THE PEOPLE COMPETITION FOR THE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NATIONAL RECREATION AREA SITE
i TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
The National Park Service Analyzed via Six Topics
Matrix for Site Selection
Round-One Proposal: Disruptive Technologies
Five Initial Strategies
History and Context of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Examples of Process
Mid-Term Review
Site Visit
Proposal Summaries
Conclusions Preface
The Parks for the People competition, announced in the Summer of 2011 by the Van Alen Institute in collaboration with the National Park Service, aims to “reimagine America’s most spectacular public places — its national parks — by using design as a catalyst to creatively rethink their connections to people and their role as revered natural, social, and cultural destinations” (Van Alen Website). The Van Alen Institute, an independent nonprofit architectural organization, promotes innovative thinking about the role of architecture and design in civic life through activities such as design competitions, lectures and symposia, exhibitions, publications, research and advocacy (Van Alen Website). Five students from Cornell University’s Landscape Architecture Department, under the supervision of Marc Miller, decided to enter Van Alen’s competition in September of 2011, with the dual aim of completing the masters thesis and exploring the themes suggested by the competition, which were of great interest to each student. Before the first group meeting, each student considered the stated design principles on the competition website, which read: “reverence for place, engagement of all people, expansion beyond traditional boundaries, advancement of sustainability, informed decision-making, and an integrated research, planning, design, and review process” (Van Alen Website). These design principles guided the group throughout the following months of group and individual work.
The five students, Bryan Harrison, Erik Jones, Chelsea Miller, Rebecca Montross and Christina Twomey, along with advisor Marc Miller, began the process in the Fall semester by reading and discussing texts related to the history of the National Park Service, the historic and contemporary role of “large parks” in the United States, and the role of landscape architects in shaping and imagining open space in the United States. The discussion of these more general themes, outlined in the following section, were fundamental to the conception of the first-round competition entry, entitled “Disruptive Technologies,” also included in this booklet. The Van Alen Institute and the National Park Service had identified seven sites nationwide which would be the focus of semester-long work by the chosen schools. Instead of selecting one of the seven sites based solely on geographic convenience, the Cornell students considered each site’s relevance to the themes they had identified as most significant, i.e. the thesis topics. The site which proved most robust in terms of applicability to the project themes was the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, Georgia. After being selected as one of the nine studios nationwide to continue on in the Van Alen’s “Parks for the People” competition, each student read and analyzed studies related to his or her chosen thesis topic. A group trip to the Chattahoochee River in March 2012 deepened the group’s understanding of conditions on the ground, and led each student to the selection of part of the park to be recommended for programming and design.
Each student’s contribution to the design proposal seeks to address issues facing current or future users of the National Parks, and suggests that the National Park Service will benefit by privileging topics such as the role of technology in the park, the site’s cultural history, and the health and well-being of park users. The projects attempt to address the concerns of multiple organizations, including the National Park Service, the Van Alen Institute, and the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. Included in this supplementary booklet are summaries of the themes explored, discussed and debated throughout the year (and written by individual members), experiences of the team at Cornell and on the road, and several conclusions drawn. Each student’s individual thesis project is here presented in a protracted form for the purposes of this competition entry. The team is extremely grateful for the support and time of the Cornell Landscape Architecture Department, the Van Alen Institute and the National Park Service.
1 Fall Semester 2011 - The National Park System via Six Topics
-Park as Curation: What is the role of the park and what determines its legibility?
-Park as Lab: Can the park be seen as an experimental space, a field in flux and/or painterly space?
-The Emergent Park: How are uncertainty and adaptive management incorporated into park planning?
-Park as Economic Incubator: Can the park be a revenue generating entity and/or self-sustaining?
-Park as Network: How does the park incorporate technology and create social, infrastructural, and natural networks?
-Parkitecture: How does architecture influence park experience, legibility, and identity? Is it the sole means to designate place?
-Park as Curation: What is the role of the park and what determines its legibility?
Topic Summaries:
Park as Curation One of the goals of the National Parks Service is to provide visitors with a memorable experience though image. The aesthetic inspiration provided by natural systems is extremely important for a park’s success and popularity and, like the technical workings of a park, is a primarily anthropocentric system. Within the context of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, what imaged experience should the Parks Service seek to provide? How should the vernacular qualities of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area be expressed and exposed through design, in terms of landscape architecture and architecture? Can virtual interfaces create effective methods of experiencing the site?
The concept of the Park as a work of “curation” evokes certain qualities that parks share with places more traditionally associated with “curation”: museums. Both parks and museums are inventions of a romantic age, places which display the mark of the human hand upon a variety of materials, from canvas to clay to soil to concrete. Both parks and museums have significant societal implications, both positive (as democratic, accessible sites of recreation and education) and negative (as exclusive, classist, elite institutions, at times stifling or stifled by rules). While some parks and museums face crowd-control problems (ie Yellowstone National Park or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City), others are essentially unknown and almost irrelevant. As a result of their association with relatively antiquated ways of living (read: pre-internet) both parks and museums today find themselves in something of an identity crisis. Though loved by many, the challenge before parks and museums is to reach out to and connect with a generation of potential visitors who understand “artifice” and “virtual realities” in a way that past generations never have. The challenge is therefore to integrate the active, participatory aspects of “virtual reality” with the park experience. Park “curation” must be “adaptive,” and responsive to the needs and desires of a growing generation of urban visitors. Landscape architects are now charged with the task of curating potential uses, or flexible park “programming.” Open space must be more open than ever, while maintaining qualities traditionally associated with parks: safety, tranquility, and ecology.
One advantage of designers and planners is the prevalence of ideas of “sustainability” and “green-ness” in popular culture and educational curricula. This means that even if the romantic ideal of sublimity or inspiration via contemplation of the wilderness is less popular, young people are still interested in visiting parks for contact with vibrant ecologies, as well as for exercise and recreation. Curation now deals with the selection and juxtaposition not only of materials, but with the organization of experiences and programs, as well as the “curation” of ecological systems and cultural references. Of course, these various systems have always been considered, or at least documented, in park design. But the opportunity before landscape architects is to reveal and share the “curation” of these systems, thus making park design more coherent and engaging.
Park as Lab To discuss the Park as a Laboratory the fall class looked at two landscapes that exemplify the park as a place of research. Parks, as manipulated and changed environments, allow humans to exert a level of control which allows for experimental methodology to be expressed. There is a need for data collection in order for the work of remediation in the future, and to understand natural/man-made ecological systems. Also critical is the understanding that large parks do not behave in the same manner even within cities.
“Experimental landscapes” or experimental landscape interventions go beyond the idea of designer ecology, which has its place as an educational component and which can result in a paradigm shift in society. However, in thinking 2 of a park as a “lab,” large-scale parks have the potential for great effect (both positive and negative). The amount of space in a large park allows for variation and experimentation on a grand scale. Large parks can be utilized to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in ecology, restoration, and human impacts on the environment, while serving the needs of the public in the land’s capacity as park. There is a need for analysis of the interventions that designers make upon the land. This knowledge will add to our ability to create adaptive ecological designs, which can be resilient to the changes that are both natural and human-induced.
Two of the projects reviewed in the Fall semester were the ART@AMD park and the Pontine Marshes project. ART@ AMD refers to Acid Mine Drainage. A multidisciplinary team of scientists and artists, led by Julie Bargmann of DIRT Studio, came together and self-defined as a “sustainable partnership.” The design is fairly simple train of treatment ponds. Volunteers test water quality, making it is a “working art park.” The park is successful in engaging the community and treating an ecological concern. The second project, a work in progress of Alan Berger, is the Pontine Marshes just outside of Rome. The site is host to a long history of human intervention in attempts to drain and reclaim marshland for agricultural production. Much of the 1500 year attempts ended in failure and death by malaria. This changed during Mussolini’s era of rule and the development of a modern undertaking of resource mobilization to alter a landscape. The present day condition is that of mass pollutants entering into the waterways from the nearby urban areas and ultimately into the Tyrrhennian Sea, where the water quality along the coast is severely degraded. The plan for the region is to build a massive “wetland machine” which is intended to clean the upstream water before it enters into the system of channels. There is anticipation of creating a recreational aspect within the park, however its primary function will be to restore ecological function and services.
Questions have arisen regarding the sustainability of experimental parks. Consideration for the degree of inputs required for the parks’ continuing existence as well as the social sustainability or viability of the park’s existence.
Emergent Park The emergent park can be described as a master plan which reclaims or repurposes a previously underutilized site. A combination of uncertainty and adaptive management are incorporated into this park strategy in such a way that the park appears to “emerge”. The “Emergent” Park typically exists on a site without a specific plan until someone seizes the often oddly-developed property and tailors a very specific plan based on the amenities the “park” is perceived as possessing.
An example of the “emergent park” is Park Downsview Park (PDP) in Toronto, Ontario. Formerly Downsview Airport, site of Canadian Forces base Downsview, this site has been largely converted into an urban park known as Downsview Park. PDP is a self-financing community (no governmental or tax-payer money funds construction, maintenance or programming), self-owned by a few small partnerships and is declared to be a prototype for sustainable communities. PDP proclaims that the Park is first (in priority) and that all other lands exist to support the Park. This project was first brought to attention through a design competition, which was won by the group OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture).
Another example of an “emergent park” is Freshkills, a former landfill site near New York City. The landfill was shut down long ago and re-opened to hold debris from the wreckage of the twin towers after September 11th. Nearly a decade ago, the designer James Corner re-envisioned the site as a reclamation park. Though still a work in progress, Freshkills is now the foremost example of a reclaimed landfill, heralded as an example for generations to come.
Economic Incubator Parks have long been known as economic generators for their communities. The most famous example, Central Park in New York City, caused realty prices in the surrounding neighborhoods to skyrocket. On a smaller scale, all parks are linked to housing prices in neighborhoods. Even trends associated with open space, such as the diversity of bird populations, can be an indicator of urban home prices (Farmer et al. 2011).
The National Parks have been a case study in the economic benefit of public lands. For every tax dollar invested in National Parks, they generate more than four dollars in value. Some individual parks have been shown to generate as much as fourteen times the invested amount. This gain includes direct sales, personal income, job creation, and value-added benefits, much of which is outside of the impact of tourism alone (NPCA Report, 2006). Other nations such as Sweden have considered the U.S. National Park model in terms of the economic benefits it provides (Lundmark et al., 2010).
Local parks can also be seen as investment opportunities for communities. The city of Greenville, South Carolina 3 recently continued with a downtown park development project even through the depths of the 2008 economic recession. At a cost of $13 million, the park generated $100 million in investment within two years of its creation (Rose, 2011).
For large scale park planning efforts, economic considerations can be built into the master plan of a site. Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture “TREE CITY” plan for Parc Downsview included a strong real estate and leased concessions element which would fund the construction of the remainder of the park. Presumably, the presence of the park will also elevate market prices in the vicinity of the park and provide an economic return to the city in the form of attracted business.
The National Park Service can take greater advantage of these types of seeding opportunities for economic growth and for funding the construction of new public amenities with public-private partnerships. This approach could provide a more sustainable approach to park creation than relying on tax dollars and budgetary funding alone.
Park as Network As a network, the park extends beyond the boundary of a specific site and beyond material dimensions. The park and its users become a piece of information infrastructure/architecture. Information, data, and social exchanges take place within the park and across its borders. The users and the park together communicate information about the park itself, activities sanctioned within, its maintenance, the public’s perception, as well as social interactions, quotidian tidbits and gossip, information about wildlife activity and seasonal changes to vegetation.
The question arises, how does the park incorporate technology and create social, infrastructural, and natural networks? Within the park the network should create communication between the immediate users and the maintainers/facilitators of what is happening within the park. The network of the National Parks should extend beyond the property boundary and into the surrounding community. This community includes current users, which can facilitate and recruit more members of the outside community. Everyone is part of the network. Technology should be considered in order to engage people from outside the community, community members and should be integrated into the network of communication within the park. This technology might appear as a live video feed pointed toward an active area of the park, via the park’s website. One step further could be interactions within the park that could directly affect online media or other users in other points of the park.
Parkitecture How does architecture influence park experience, legibility, and identity and is it the sole means to designate place? To answer these questions the group had to determine what Parkitecture was and what it means to the National Park System. Parkitecture is a type of architecture that is usually associated with the National Park Service, such as an early vernacular architecture known as “rustic,” designed to blend with the landscape as much as possible. The architects, landscape architects, and engineers of the “rustic” parkitecture used local materials for construction. Many of the early lodges of the National Parks were built in this style, including Old Faithful Inn, Glacier Park Lodge, and the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. This “rustic” style is what most visitors associate with the National Park Service. Many visitors know they are in a National Park when they see a traditional large log and stone structure or the stone welcome sign.
However, this early rustic style is not necessarily the only type of parkitecture employed by the National Park Service. With the completion of Mission 66 by Conrad Wirth, the National Park Service radically changed their traditional “rustic” style to include much more modern architecture. Examples include the Jackson Lake Lodge, Gettysburg National Military Park, and a whole new architectural feature, the visitor center. These new additions to the Park Service image were constructed using modern materials including concrete, steel, and large rectangular glass windows. There are also even more contemporary versions of parkitecture that are beginning to replace the modern architecture of Mission 66 including the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park.
4 Matrix for Site Selection
Park as Lab
Park as Curation
Park as Economic Incubator
The Emergent Park Nicodemus NHS
Park as Network San Juan Islands NHP San Juan Islands Biscayne National Park Biscayne National Hopewell Furnace NHS Chattahoochee River NRA
Parkitecture Preserve Valles Caldera National Civil War Defences of Washington Civil War Defences
Score
5 Round-One Proposal: Disruptive Technologies
Disruptive Technologies: The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area as National Park Model
Studio Thesis Over the course of the past fifteen years public parks have garnered increasing interest by design professionals. This can be attributed to the tangible impacts of rapid development that has manifested itself through economic opportunities in the form of public, private and shared landscape-scaled initiatives. Despite growing interest surrounding large parks in particular, the National Parks of America have been overlooked and in some cases are in jeopardy of losing relevance to the contemporary American public. As an example, during the current economic decline, the parks system has seen a decrease in overall attendance. This is inconsistent with their conventional model, which shows that attendance increases during times of economic downturn.
Socially and economically, the development of open space has resulted in unique partnerships, spatial hybrids and design strategies that leverage time as well as context. Contemporary parks have developed in parallel with the transformation of ecological thought from a science that embraces steady state logic to one that accepts change as an integral part of ecological fitness. Typically applied within urban contexts, these new design frameworks such as landscape and ecological urbanism elevate open space to the level of importance of the architectural object with respect to both spatial and performative qualities.
It is important to note that these contemporary conceptions of landscape and urbanism build on the foundation of significantly older agendas attempting to describe ecological sustainability. These ideas exemplify an evolving land ethic born out of the mid 20th century writings of visionaries such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, and were concerned with the protection of natural areas and wildlife for the benefit of people. The core principles of the National Park Service were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a similar set of values. This approach to treating the American Landscape as something that requires protection has become an almost sacrosanct part of the National Park Service mission, and continues to be a theme central to the National Parks’ role as a public amenity. However, this strategy is not in alignment with many aspects of contemporary park practices, social attitudes towards sustainability and the federal park system, as well as realities of financial operations, nor does it address many of the sites acquired by the National Park Service during the last 40 years.
Arguably, the National Recreation Areas are the most problematic of the National Parks sites. Typically these sites embody the Park principals of engagement and expansion, but do not visibly support sustainability, research, and reverence for place. “Reverence” in particular demonstrates the disconnect between the intended role of the National Park Service and the public’s perceived role of recreation areas. This asynchronous relationship of a park site relative to a park paradigm is demonstrated in sites such as the Presidio of San Francisco, Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, near Atlanta, Georgia. All three of these sites exhibit urban adjacencies, operational issues, site development patterns, and public usage that would be more in alignment with contemporary large parks than with the historic mission statement of the National Park Service.
Therefore, understanding the historic uses and contemporary imperatives of the National Recreation Area including sustainability, economic viability, regional demographics, user groups, materiality and network legibility is of value to the entire system as it presents an opportunity to create landscapes that engage the public in a dynamic manner. Our research and design process will investigate the following questions: “What is a National Park today?” “What distinguishes a National Park from a National Recreation Area?” and “How will National Parks be interpreted in the future?” Through this investigation we will address the needs of present and future generations.
Most importantly, we will consider the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area as a test bed to address and update the core values and initiatives of the Parks Service through strategies that are designed to enhance future site operations, land management, and planning while maintaining active public interfaces. We seek to create a dynamic model, or set of adaptable rules that can be used in a variety of contexts and settings to create both relevant and successful parks. Van Alen Parks for the People | Cornell Landscape Architecture Thesis Studio Spring 2012 Page 1 1 November 2011
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Therefore, we will not approach the park as an object, but as a dynamic system with multiple connections and networks. We will address the park at multiple scales both in its surrounding region and beyond. We will consider the park not as an amenity but as disruptive technology. Typically used to describe innovative business models or products, disruptive technologies are those that create landscapes with emergent social and economic benefits. Relative to the National Recreation Areas, the term is applied to describe a physical landscape capable of transforming how park visitors perceive the National Park system, the role of sustainability in contemporary land management practice, and how multiple user groups may engage the landscape and have shared experiences. We intend to create a transformative platform in a manner that creates new social networks based on how people engage the site.
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Thesis Studio Description The Design Thesis Studio is a collaborative studio in which students will share a common project site to investigate individual thesis topics. This studio environment will differ from other studios as participants have created their own design topics through research and discussion during the fall semester. The site will be investigated from multiple perspectives versus that of a single agenda described in a standard studio brief. The strength of this approach lies in the production of multiple solutions that will initiate new dialogues regarding the future of the National Park. In this manner the thesis studio emulates the goals of the thesis, creating a platform in which hybrid ideas emerge that will transform the manner in which a park is perceived and used.
The Site: The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Located north of Atlanta, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is one of twenty National Recreation Areas managed by the National Park Service. The Chattahoochee serves the region as a recreation site, historic landscape, infrastructural network, and green corridor that connects Atlanta to three suburban communities and Lake Sidney Lanier. The differences between these three juxtaposed conditions are amplified by the lack of legibility of the site as part of the National Park system. Having become federally managed in the 1970s the site predates contemporary Atlanta. This designation, prior to Atlanta’s development boom and its proximity to the growing city made it a territory ideal for occupation by relatively affluent suburbanites while those persons with lower incomes remained in the city proper. As a result, the site hosts a series of programmed activities that are place-based, serving the needs of certain user groups while ignoring the needs of others.
The park is a byproduct of efforts by the US Army Corps of Engineers to manage floodwaters to protect Atlanta. Built in the 1950s, the dam itself has multiple public, infrastructural and revenue-generating programs embedded in its use and operations, which may potentially serve as a precedent for future management of the Recreation Area. The resulting landscape that is the National Recreation Area benefits from a level of control extending 50 miles south to Atlanta from the dam. This site is a very active landscape, existing within flood control systems located at multiple points. The hydrological landscape is one that is under constant observation, with data reported in the form of water level mapping at the flood control locations and data sent by phone reports to ensure boater safety.
The river and reservoir also serve as the water supply for Atlanta, transforming what is seen as a passive amenity into an active resource. The layered and sometimes conflicting uses of the river and surrounding landscape presents an ideal test bed to explore the role of contemporary National Park sites in urban areas and to create transitions across urban mosaics and gradients.
Goals and Intentions 1. Create a problematic in which thesis students may evaluate individual topics related to the same project site. Multiple strategies will be engaged to analyze and design the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area. The designs generated by each student will be layered to create a park strategy that is functional using a variety of metrics. This collaborative process will generate opportunities for cross-fertilization of projects, and for hybrid solutions to manifest themselves across multiple thesis topics.
2. Create a platform in which the design principles of the Parks Service may be critically examined. The studio will initially approach the design of the park space using the six design principles set forth by Designing The Parks: reverence for place; engagement of all people; expansion beyond traditional boundaries; sustainability; informed decision-making; an integrated research, planning, design, and review process. The six topics discussed in the fall semester will serve as an overlay to evaluate these principles.
3. Create a context in which thesis students and advisors have the opportunity to discuss issues across multiple projects. Typically the thesis project is an isolated process, wherein a small set of advisors play a specific role in the development of a single project. It is hoped that the open reviews and dialogue between students will engender discussions between individual advisors and thesis groups, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary discourse across the campus that may have not happened without the studio.
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Thesis Investigations With an understanding of the problematic role of the National Recreation Area and the Chattahoochee River Recreation Area serving as a foundation, each student will address thesis questions they have generated during the research phase of the project. The thesis topics are as follows:
1) The National Park Service is recognized for its ability to attract diverse groups of visitors from all over the country, and the world, to a select number of iconic parks. These prominent parks, while popular with “tourists” are often not utilized heavily by the local or regional community. In contrast, recreation areas tend to be more for use by locals. How can a recreation area such as the Chattahoochee Recreation Area become perceived as more of a destination for national and international tourists, while remaining a point of interest for the local and regional users? What are the social spaces that need to be constructed on-site in order to engage these multiple user types?
2) The National Park Service is typically seen as a public amenity serving the needs of the people by providing protected open space. However, if revenue is dependent on visitorship and federal funding, a consistent economic stream for necessary operations is uncertain. The Chattahoochee River, Buford Dam, and Lake Sidney Lanier already generate revenue in the form of electricity and water for the residents of Atlanta. Would it be possible to create new economic opportunities related to not only the river, but also to the recreation area as a whole, independent of visitorship? In essence, can the park be designed to be economically sustainable regardless of visitor volume?
3) In the past, parks that are considered to have historic significance have monumentalized historic elements and thus have frozen the park in a specific moment in time, keeping it isolated from the contemporary context. This limits park identity, therefore excluding a range of uses and users. A recreation area responds to the changing desires of its user population and therefore is constantly evolving, potentially erasing any historic significance. How can history be leveraged to create a model for recreation areas that is dynamic, but grounded in the historic events that define it as a place? How is it that multiple periods of time and types of use may be overlapped in order to create a vibrant landscape? How can the historic legacy of the Chattahoochee Recreation Area be incorporated into the visitor experience while responding to the current desired uses of the site?
4) The viability and vibrancy of recreation in any waterbody is directly dependent upon the ecological health of the system. Urban rivers can provide functions in the form of nutrient cycling, migratory bird stops, and fish habitat, as well as services such as flood attenuation, water quality enhancement, recreational opportunity, urban cooling, and water supply. Surrounding development can have an impact on the health of that system, and there is a need to investigate the interrelationship with adjacent conditions and across the urban mosaic. How can enhanced legibility engage local stakeholders and the greater Atlanta community in the environmental health of its waterway? How can public engagement fuel ongoing stewardship efforts? How can the ecological services of the Chattahoochee be enhanced through design for greater user safety, economic output and long-term sustainability for the City of Atlanta?
5) The Chattahoochee River is a natural transect that connects Atlanta to its greater regional context. This is an important connection to register, enabling area residents to make social connections with adjacent communities in a regional setting. Would it be possible to enhance the role of the river as a network corridor and create opportunities for greater social interactions? Can the recreation area itself serve as a node in a larger corridor network? What role will technology play in facilitating networking opportunities and how can it enhance user safety?
6) One of the goals of the National Parks Service is to provide visitors with a memorable experience though image. The aesthetic inspiration provided by natural systems is extremely important for a park's success and popularity and, like the technical workings of a park, is a primarily anthropocentric system. Within the context of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, what imaged experience should the Parks Service seek to provide? How should the vernacular qualities of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area be expressed and exposed through design, in terms of landscape architecture and architecture? Can virtual interfaces create effective methods of experiencing the site?
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Phases: The studio is structured around six phases. Phases one and two occur prior to the beginning of the spring 2012 semester, allowing students time to develop their topics and collect relevant content. Thesis students will identify their own methods of investigation based on the deliverables described in the schedule. The following phases are intended to serve as a framework for the development of their projects.
1- Competition/Thesis Preparation: Students shall develop thesis topics related to their personal interests and the Van Alen competition and developed within a seminar to discuss the National Park. We will use six topics, which are as follows:
-Park as Curation: What is the role of the park and what determines its legibility? -Park as Lab: Can the park be seen as an experimental space, a field in flux and/or painterly space? -The Emergent Park: How are uncertainty and adaptive management incorporated into park planning? -Park as Economic Incubator: Can the park be a revenue generating entity and/or self-sustaining? -Park as Network: How does the park incorporate technology and create social, infrastructural, and natural networks? -Parkitecture: How does architecture influence park experience, legibility, and identity and is it the sole means to designate place?
As part of the preparation course, the students will have identified the site through discussion and consensus. Finally, students shall identify the members of their thesis committee. Ideally, at least one committee member shall be a person outside of the student’s home department. Deliverables: preliminary site maps, pre-thesis summary reports, revised thesis questions
2- Thesis Prep/Remote Mapping and Site research: Students shall continue to develop their thesis topics and research. In addition, students will be revising their investigations based on comments from members of the committee to include preliminary metrics. Deliverables: preliminary site maps, thesis questions, preliminary research metrics and/or matrix
3- Mapping/Investigations: Thesis students shall be responsible for mapping and representation methods that best convey the nature of the problematic embedded in their respective topic. As the first phase within the spring semester, students shall be required to respond to their research in a manner that generates agendas to be investigated once on site. Deliverables: research metrics and matrix applied site to generate site mapping and analysis.
4- Investigations/Preliminary Strategies: This is the testing phase of thesis projects. Students shall be responsible for identifying methods of representation that present opportunities for design solutions. Once this is complete, students shall present a set of potential scenarios that may be further developed. Deliverables: initial site strategies and proposals applied to sites as identified through the matrix
5- Strategies/Proposals: During this phase one of the scenarios from phase four is developed as a design proposal. The scenario selected for further proposal shall be chosen based on its ability to best reveal the problem embedded in the thesis proposal. Deliverables: revised site strategies and proposals with one site addressed in detail.
6- Findings and Documentation: Open reviews will be announced within the home departments of participating students and all departments within their respective graduate fields of study. Copies of the thesis shall be made available in the home departments, and within the Cornell Library System. A round table will be scheduled with faculty members who also served as thesis advisors, to support continued collaborative projects across the Cornell Campus. Finally, a document shall be prepared for the Van Alen Institute, and all other presentation materials as requested. Deliverables: compiled drawings and text to accurately document the projects. Van Alen Parks for the People | Cornell Landscape Architecture Thesis Studio Spring 2012 Page 5 1 November 2011
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Lodge, Camp, Park Historically, the lodge was served as the genius loci for the National Parks. It was the point for wayfinding, discovery and sublime views of the surrounds. The relationships were very intentionally staged through the placement of the lodge and how the architecture “style” chosen to represent these spaces as cultural and historical precedents. The timber and stone construction methods chosen then have had a profound impact on the history of the Park Service, becoming a form of branding that has been copied throughout nationally, and was not questioned significantly until Mission 66.
What is not as evident is the impact on the user of these buildings and subsequent landscapes. The early lodges were designed as long-term destinations serving a affluent segment of the American population, creating a socio-cultural image of who the architecture- and by association, landscape, was to serve. The building became a message about who granted access to these public landscapes.
Since these early constructions, access to National Park Service units has changed drastically given the transformation of road, rail and air networks across the United States. The Park Service itself has also changed, increasing in size and diversity relative to the types of landscapes being preserved in these units. This has allowed for a far greater range of persons to engage the parks, but is still in a state of flux. Arguably, the peak of the major national park units was the mid to late 20th century in during which travel across the United States was still more feasible than travelling overseas. This was also a period of steady economic growth, the exception being the recession during the early 70’s. Even that had a positive effect on the Park Service, as visitorship increased during that period of time as well. These trends became part of the assumptions of how the NPS performed economically.
However, during this recent period of economic stagnation, the model was proven to be inaccurate, showing a decrease in visitors. How does the NPS respond to this change in the model during the era of the “staycation?” My proposal will explore how the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area can be made to accommodate short- terms stays for a wider range of user types and modes of travel to the park. I propose these not as properties that are to be managed by the staff, but as opportunities for to expand the economic model, allowing vendors to manage the facilities on behalf of the Park System.
Ebb, Flow, Energize: The image of the National Parks Service is one that is associated with picturesque images of the Yosemite, Yellowstone, and other esthetically monumental landscapes. As cultural representations, images and imaginations regard the units is deeply rooted in landscape painting schools of the 19th century. Images of the sublime landscapes have come to represent the intentions on the Organic and the early role of the National Park Service.
Over the past 100 plus years, the reality of this image has been drastically altered based on the increasing number of Park units being managed by the NPS and the diversity embedded within those landscapes. The changing demographics and cultural associations have also had significant impacts on how the American Landscape is being “consumed” by the public at large. These changing factors call into question whether the original image of the sublime still holds true as a model that best represents the role of the NPS, the role of Landscape, and how people make associations between these things.
In particular, the designation of the National Recreation Area challenges all of the aspects. The recreation area is in conflict with many of the tenets of the Organic act, being a mandate that enables the accession of landscape that have been drastically altered by infrastructure. Given this, are these landscape to be treated as sublime images as well? Would an anti-sublime aesthetic be more appropriate given barely visible connections between the landscape, how it was transformed and how it is being used as part of a larger infrastructural mandate? In my proposal, I will explore the role of the technology, its impacts on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and how the landscape may be changed to reveal these connections to a public that uses the river as a playground as much as a source of electricity and drinking water.
11 Pulse of the River Pulse of the Chattahoochee is structured as a design thesis. It started with research into urban ecology as an area of inquiry and practice which spans disciplines of both design and sciences. As the science of urban ecology is holistic in its approach so too had to be the engagement of my research. I sought advisors in multiple departments within Cornell University’s faculty as well as in the Baltimore, Maryland area to learn more about the Long Term Ecological Research happening within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. This involved two trips to that area to see first-hand the types of investigations being conducted. With a focused topic of the Chattahoochee River and urban Atlanta, a better portion of the semester was devoted to understanding how urban river systems function as ecological entities both in terms of habitat and of water quality.
Parallel to this research into urban ecology was a semester long inquiry into large urban parks. Along with the team members for the Van Alen proposal I investigated the six topics which make parks a form of Disruptive Technology. I chose to focus on Park as Lab- aligning the research science with the idea of implementing an architecture of experimentation within the park system. I also supplemented my independent research with course work in restoration ecology and forest ecology in order to have a firm scientific grounding as a designer and to be able to communicate across the traditional silos that can hinder truly integrative design process.
In the design investigation of the Chattahoochee River I looked at how the river functions as a hydrological unit to drive the placement of critical intervention points. In choosing from the many units of CRNRA and the forty- eight mile stretch of river they occupy several factors needed to be considered which I divided into categories of ecological impact and social impact. Following site selection a design was developed which would best resolve the driving questions of this design thesis in a way most appropriate to the context of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
Ecological: Does the park unit occupy a “pinch point” within the sub-watersheds of the Chattahoochee? Is there an opportunity to reconnect a floodplain at the site? Are there areas that can mitigate runoff from impervious surfaces? Social: What can this unit expect or accommodate when considering visitorship? Are there connections to other nearby parks? How are the surrounding neighborhoods connected to the park parcel
A Fluid Relic: The National Park System is in need of an image alteration. Although the National Parks still attract millions of visitors each year, the experience has largely been the same for 50 years. The historical paradigm of the National Parks has been somewhat limited the contemporary usage while the idea of modern interpretation seems antithetical to the purpose of a “traditional” National Park and its potential for historic integrity. Between the history and the present usage exists a perceived boundary. In response to a call for a modern interpretation and conversation about the future of the National Park System based on the Parks for the People Van Alen Competition, new exploration and possibilities for the parks are encouraged.
My thesis aims to blur the line between this perceived boundary in favor of a landscape integrated with its relic bits of history. The site chosen for my thesis presents an additional dilemma: Is a National Recreation Area different from a National Park? The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) is more than the land which the NPS owns; it is also a platform to interpret the rich culture suspended within its boundaries. The park builds the platform which extends an offer for people to share its resources and experience the amenities.
For this study the CRNRA will be analyzed with an emphasis on historical components, their evolution throughout CRNRA history and their modern-day context. My thesis aims to discover the physical historical context of the CRNRA and what a dynamic history of the CRNRA looks like. Most importantly, how can this dynamic history engage a variety of present-day user groups?
Unit 16 Two “epidemics,” one quite visible and the other coined an “invisible epidemic,” plague portions of the adolescent population of Atlanta, Georgia. These are childhood obesity, and the inability to swim. The children at greatest risk of being overweight or obese, or of drowning because they cannot swim fall overwhelmingly into categories based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic class. Considering the health complications and risks facing Atlanta’s youth, it is fitting that organizations like the National Park Service become active agents in the physical education of young people in specific outdoor “survival skills.” The Van Alen Institute and National Park Service’s design competition entitled “Parks for the People,” asked student teams across the United States to “reimagine America’s Parks.” This 12 project is one contribution to the proposal for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, Georgia.
Outstanding burgeoning efforts are being made across the country to promote “active living,” some of which are analyzed in my project. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area contains ample opportunities for active recreation, but these opportunities may by trumped by fear of an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous landscape. Atlanta residents may be physically unprepared to navigate a landscape such as the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, based on historic exclusion from recreation areas, geographic isolation, and cultural discouragement. Recognizing the complex reality of a park within a large, diverse urban area is a first step in imagining a more equitable culture of active recreation. Everyone, from policy-makers to educators to designers, should be cognisant of the fact that until relatively recently, portions of the population in the United States were legally banned from certain open spaces. Overcoming the disillusionment, anger, fear, resentment and guilt created by past policies will need to start with small yet tangible steps.
My project suggests the continued expansion of recreation opportunities for underprivileged youth, such as the learn-to-swim program “Make a Splash.” The second idea promoted in my project is the creation of “training grounds” in downtown Atlanta, or alternative recreation facilities where young people can prepare to navigate the elements found in a wildnerness area. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area can become a destination for those who may have previously been discouraged due to fear of water-related accidents, among other reasons. Physical education and exposure to natural elements could encourage and facilitate first-time and continued visitation by groups currently absent from the Recreation Area.
History and Context of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
The Chattahoochee River begins at Chattahoochee Gap in Union County, Georgia up in the Blue Ridge mountains. The Chattahoochee flows, generally, southward until it is forced to turn southwest at the Brevard Fault Zone near Clarksville, Georgia, approximately 90 miles northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the Brevard Fault Zone that essentially “locks” the Chattahoochee River in place, making it one of the oldest and most stable rivers in the world, and most importantly, prevents the river from meandering. This also informs the character of the oldest remaining section of the ancient riverbed the section that is the Chattahoochee National recreation Area: narrow floodplain and steep upland slopes.
The Chattahoochee National Recreation Area (CRNRA) was established on August 15, 1978 when President Jimmy Carter signed the authoritative legislation located in northwest Georgia. This unit was an extension of a former National Park Service management policy from 1964 which called for an extension of the National Park System into perceive “gaps and inadequacies which must be remedied while opportunities still exist.” The 1978 expansion set aside a 48-mile segment of the Chattahoochee River, the boundaries of the CRNRA are recognized as Buford Dam to Peachtree Creek in northwest Atlanta. This includes the parklands along the river. In October 1984 the original legislation was amended to include a 2,000 foot wide corridor of (or 1000 foot buffer on either side of) the river (public Law 98-568). This law authorized Federal support of the CRNRA. By 1999 congressional amendments had increased the total authorized acreage to 10,000 acres.
In many areas along the CRNRA, the Chattahoochee River serves as a county line for the four bordering counties: Forsyth, Gwinnett, Cobb and Fulton. The multilane highway, Georgia 400, was opened in 1969 and promoted the suburban sprawl of metropolitan Atlanta that is now rampant along the river corridor east and west of the highway, northward of the city. There are 15 separate NPS units within the authorized boundary of the CRNRA: Bowmans Island, Orrs Ferry, Settles Bridge, McGinnis Ferry, Suwanee Creek, Abbotts Bridge, Medlock bridge, Jones bridge, Holcomb Bridge, Island Ford, Vickery Creek, Gold branch, Johnson Ferry, Cochran Shoals and Palisades. Within these units lie 5,000 acres of Federal ownership, only about half of the 10,000 acres authorized for the park to acquire. Many of the parcels currently withheld from the CRNRA belong to private owners, however, utility companies and local governments retain easements in many of the Federally owned and privately owned lands.
Culture and Disparity Inherent in any discussion of contemporary health/recreation trends is the social and cultural history which created current practices. In many ways, historic practices live on in altered and (somewhat) mediated expressions. Many events impacted the various uses of the land now called the “Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.” Scholars including Fabiola Lopez-Duran have written in-depth explorations of culture, race, and space. Lopez- Duran’s 2009 dissertation, “Eugenics in the Garden: Architecture, Medicine, and Landscape from France to Latin America in the Early Twentieth Century” describes the influence of French medical theories on the development of Latin American cities. Under the pretense of the then-accepted field of “eugenics,” a pseudoscience which claimed 13 to seek the “betterment” of the human race through biological and racial determinism, landscape architecture and city planning sought to exist at the confluence of science and aesthetics: “...in striving to create a new ‘human ideal,’ (eugenics) found in science, medical science in particular, a moral guidepost in which urbanism, architecture, and landscape design became its primary instruments.” (Lopez Duran 2009)
Today, as at the turn of the 20th century, one hears discussions of the “degeneration” of today’s youth and, subsequently, the degeneration of society. The goal in examining the historic development patterns of Atlanta, which also occurred at the confluence of science and aesthetics, is to acknowledge (and discard) language or theories which were used as “justification” for inequality in land use and planning Additionally, it is not only personal experience which guides our actions, but collective memory and cultural habits developed over many years.
For hundreds of years, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has provided the literal “stomping grounds” upon which humans have attempted to organize and distribute natural resources, labor, leisure and health opportunities. Today’s circumstances are one iteration of the relationship between humans’ well-being and the land. A long, complex and still-debated series of events still form only one, dominant narrative of Atlanta’s history. Some “major events” in the predominant narrative are:
-The removal of Native Americans from the territory -Periods of economy based on slavery and farming -The Civil War battles fought in and around Atlanta -Large-scale municipal works projects at the turn of the 20th Century -The 1930s “Recreation Facility Era” when recreational amenities and programming took priority over aesthetic and environmental concerns -Legal desegregation of public spaces and recreation areas in the 1950s (Holmes vs. Atlanta, 1955) -The reclamation of public space through demonstrations and public art works in the 1960s and 70s -The inconceivably rapid spread of the city’s suburbs in the 1980s and 90s -Today’s renewed investment in designing “active living” spaces and the utilization of spaces such as train tracks for redevelopment into parks (Atlanta’s BeltLine Park). (Starkey 2005, Burk 2011, Lau 2011, Galishoff 1985, Frumkin)
Each of these events changed the way Atlanta’s population used and interacted with the land. For the purposes of this project and design competition, it is not possible to undertake a complete analysis of all of the literature on Atlanta’s development and public health policies. Alternatively, a focus on the types of outdoor recreation which continue to take place at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and their development through time, is in order. Attempts to understand contemporary recreation culture should, inevitably, turn to social history. However, history is not always evoked, but rather erased in commentary on trends in recreation. A study issued in 1998 by the Army Corps of Engineers describes,
African-Americans were significantly less likely than whites to participate in three categories of recreation behavior: rural and wildland activities (hiking, tent camping); activities involving water, ice, or snow (e.g., swimming, water-skiing, motor boating, sailing, canoeing, downhill skiing, ice skating, cross-country skiing); and activities that are expensive for participants (e.g., golf). African- Americans were significantly more likely to take part in many outdoor team sports, such as outdoor basketball and softball. (Dunn 1998 p.2)
The explanation provided for the above-noted racial disparity in the utilization of outdoor recreation areas focuses on personal experience but does not account for history:
Many African-Americans have either personally experienced racist attacks when they visited ‘white’ beaches, playgrounds, pools, or parks or have been told of these experiences by others. As a result, many blacks are still reluctant to visit recreation areas where they feel that there is a chance they will not be welcome. (Dunn 1998 p.3)
Recognizing this history is a first step in beginning to imagine a more equitable culture of active recreation. Everyone, from policy-makers to educators to designers, should be cognisant of the fact that until relatively recently, portions of the population in the United States were legally and culturally banned from certain open spaces. Plans for the built environment together coupled with social initiatives and policy must insist upon equality. Overcoming the disillusionment, anger, fear, resentment and guilt created by past policies may need to start with small yet tangible steps. 14 Infrastructure and Technology The Chattahoochee national recreation area is a complex public amenity that provides the residents of Atlanta with access to public space that supports a variety of recreational activities. While the river appears as a naturally occurring condition it is inaccurate for it to be perceived as a sliver of pristine wilderness cutting through the highly urbanized area of Atlanta. It is in fact a highly controlled, monitored machine that is carefully calibrated to ensure certain outputs. These outputs are directly tied to the needs of the city including availability of clean drinking water and cheap electricity. Like a domino effect, a multitude of secondary conditions that are directly linked to the river’s role as a public amenity emerge as a result of the river’s role as a major piece of infrastructure. Looking at the hydro electric dams and how they function reveals these conditions as well as a complex relationship between the river and the larger context to which it belongs.
Two dams within the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area boundary control the flow of the river. The dams have a profound impact on the river and adjacent land area, creating new wetland habitats, recreation opportunities, and regulating water flows and temperature, all of which are fundamental to how the river performs and what kind of natural habitats and recreation opportunities it supports.
The first dam to be constructed along the Chattahoochee was completed in 1903 between mile markers 313 and 312. Owned by Georgia Power, The Morgan Falls hydro-electric dam was significant to the modernization and growth of the metropolitan Atlanta area as it provided electricity to power the city’s streetcars. The small dam im- pounds the scenic Bull Sluice Lake. The construction of the dam at Morgan Falls created a 673 acre reservoir where there had previously been a narrow river corridor with rapids and shoals, creating large areas of lacustrine and wetland environments that are characteristically different from the naturally occurring riverine system. Following the construction of Buford dam in the mid fifties, Morgan Falls Dam was raised to accommodate the elevated water levels created by releases thirty six miles upstream from Lake Sidney Lanier and provide water to Atlanta’s residents during hours of highest demand.
Buford Dam was constructed in the 1950’s by the US Army Corp of Engineers, in turn creating Lake Sidney Lanier that sits Just North of the CNRA boundary. Despite the earlier construction at Morgan Falls the Chattahoochee River remained an unpredictable force. Heavy rains brought devastation to communities and agricultural fields along the river. Conversely, during times of drought water use was severely limited and major power plants that depended on cooling water from the river were forced to shut down. The construction of Buford dam was intended to control flow levels on the river, increasing navigability and protecting against flood conditions, while ensuring water avail- ability during drought. The dam also created the opportunity to provide the region with cheap electricity.
Buford dam operates as a peak demand power plant, meaning that it will make power when there is high demand from the grid. According to the Georgia Power Company the highest demand for electricity in the metropolitan Atlanta area occurs on weekdays in the mid afternoon and early evenings when there is the most overlap between energy needs for both commercial and residential buildings. Summer months bring a spike in energy demand that is attributed to air conditioner use due to the high temperatures. Release times are most consistent in the summer, and typically occur Monday through Friday beginning at two fifteen in the afternoon and lasting until approximately seven in the evening.
The dams maintains a minimum flow of approximately six hundred and forty cubic feet of flow per second at all times to ensure water quality standards, however during a release event discharge rates jump to between six thou- sand and ten thousand cubic feet per second, releasing close to half a million gallons of water into the river channel. As a result of the carefully controlled minimum flow rates the river remains relatively stable and water level and speed is conducive to multiple kinds of water recreation, including fishing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. The function of the dam as a generator of power is directly tied to larger climate trends. Although minimum flow levels are maintained at all times power production in response to peak demand can only occur if the lake level is at or above an elevation of 1071 feet. Therefore the frequency of dam releases is dependent on precipitation events that feed the Lake Sidney Lanier Reservoir. Ironically, while the dams create a stable system that maintains water levels that allow for these forms of recreation, the dam releases that occur for energy production create dangerous conditions that can put users in harms way. Safety is a major issue for park officials who want to allow visitors to continue using the river for recreation but struggle with making individuals aware of changing river conditions due to dam releases. On average there are 1-2 drowning deaths on the river and countless water rescues every year. According to the Army Corp of Engineers the area of the river that experiences the most pronounced fluctuation in water level from the dam releases is the first 2 miles of channel downstream from the dam. The recognized bound- ary after which risk is officially considered to diminish is where Georgia Route 20 crosses the Chattahoochee river. 15 Efforts to warn the public of danger associated with rising water are concentrated in the first few miles of river downstream of the dam. Signs warn visitors of dangers associated with rising water and encourage anyone recreat- ing on the river to call a toll free number to hear that day’s scheduled releases. There are also warning sirens that are placed every few miles and start going off fifteen minutes before water is released, and continue sounding for thirty eight minutes. The Chattahoochee River is well known as one of the best locations for trout fishing. In fact, it was named by Trout Unlimited Magazine as one of the top 100 most popular streams in the United States and it attracts thousands of anglers every year. It is not a coincidence that Georgia’s prime trout waters are found in the river channel between Buford Dam and Morgan Falls. Before the construction and operation of Buford Dam and Lake Lanier this portion of the river was a warm water fishery, dominated by native Large Mouth and Shoal Bass. Trout require cooler water temperatures than are naturally occurring in this part of Georgia, however the Chatta- hoochee River South of Buford Dam remains at an average temperature of 53 degrees year round. The water that is pulled through the dam to maintain minimum flow levels as well as during larger release events is drawn from the lower depths of Lake Lanier, where water temperatures remain cool.
In 1976, two years before President Jimmy Carter designated the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, the Bu- ford Hatchery was constructed under the operation of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for the express purpose of raising Rainbow and Brown Trout to be used for stocking the river. According to Bill Couch, a Fisheries Biologist with the Buford Hatchery, 450,000 - 500,000 fish are produced for stocking the Chattahoochee River every year. Of these, only 53,000 are released above Buford Dam where the water temperatures are warmer. The major- ity of trout are reserved for the stretch of river between Buford and Morgan Falls where 60% - 70% of all fishing on the Chattahoochee occurs (Trout Fishing of North Georgia, Jimmy Jacobs). In a study conducted in 1998 it was ob- served that the Brown Trout population seemed to be self sustaining the hatchery changed it’s operation, and today stocks only rainbow trout.
Interim Review On March 16th 2012 a panel of reviewers visited Cornell’s Landscape Architecture studio to evaluate the progress of the competition. These panel members were Neti Compton of NYC Parks Department, Bill Morrish a professor and contemporary designer at _UPENN?_, Shaun Eyring of NPS, and Olypia Okazi of the Van Alen Institute. Each group member for the competition presented their individual research that they had conducted during the semester up to that point. The project titles were as follows: Erik “CRNRA Tourism as a Disruptive Technology”, Rebecca “Generation Next and the CRNRA”, Christina “Technology Experience at the Chattahoochee River”, Chelsea “A Fluid Relic: An Exploration of the Dynamic History of the CRNRA”, Bryan “Implementing an Architecture of Experimentation in the National Parks.”
Erik’s project looked at demographic trends in visitors and park unit uses. He broke down the data into user groups and proposed potential new user groups to attract as well as different modes of using the park and changes in programming and infrastructure. Rebecca looked at demographic information too, but in terms of Atlanta’s regional health and youth engagement of outdoor spaces. Her proposal included partnerships with local schools and increasing youth involvement within the park. Christina’s research explored the Chattahoochee as a strongly controlled piece of infrastructure linked to community needs and with impacts on the ecology of the fishing waters. She proposed interactive technology to engage park users with subtle phenomena in the park and increase user safety. An historic investigation into the Chattahoochee’s cultural past was the focus of Chelsea’s research. Her proposal has park users engaged with the many artifacts along the river and with an understanding of the living history of this ancient river in a modern city. Lastly Bryan presented research on the unique characteristics and function of the river’s watersheds which drive the quality and quantity of water in this river which is Atlanta’s water source. By engaging a citizen science and community college research approach his proposal seeks to take the pulse of the Chattahoochee as well as connect people to the their home within the river environment.
The panel’s chief concern was a lack of unity among the projects and felt that more information and especially more design work could have been presented. Generally the narrative of the river’s sense of place could have been more strongly told and they encouraged a greater understanding of what the park was already doing and cautioned about catering only to the existing demographic of users and experiences. Following the mid-review the five team members convened to structure the new park proposal as a joint project. A portion of the project would be the unifying story of the park. Additionally, each member would take their unique thesis proposal and integrate it into a holistic plan for the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area choosing specific sites within the park to execute and test their design theory.
16 Site Visit The visit to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) was an integral part of our design process. Before the trip to the CRNRA, we spent a great deal of time analyzing what site information was made available to us. Based on the analysis of the park and surrounding area, each of us came up with general schematic designs that we believed could be applied. The intention was to visit as much of the park as possible and to test whether or not our initial schemes could be applicable and if not, how might they change.
The visit to the park consisted of a travel day on March 19th from Ithaca, NY, site visits, meetings, and discussions, on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd with our return on the 23rd. The morning of the 20th we met with park staff to help orient ourselves with the site. This included general operations, how the park is used by visitors, and determining a hierarchy of locations to see and experience both for our own interests and the park’s. We then set out on a tour with park rangers as guides to bring us to various park units. We observed, photographed, sketched, and generated questions from each location for later discussion in the evening. We spent the evening reviewing photos and discussing our observations. This set up a pattern for the next two days as well where we met with park officials in the morning, spent the afternoon touring park units, and discussed our findings in the evenings with each other. Our evening discussions were used to analyze our initial schematic designs and to determine which areas of the park still needed to be visited or returned to.
The meeting on the morning of the 21st was used to present to the park officials our initial schematic designs. They gave us valuable feedback and helped us determine the sites that were of highest priority for design consideration to the park. We were then able to experience the park from the water. They arranged to have boat tours of along the river so we could experience in another fashion. The final day, the 22nd, we had a brief meeting in the morning followed by more tours of unvisited sites. That afternoon they treated us to a raft trip down one of the more popular sections of the river. That evening we determined that we had gathered all the information we needed and returned to Ithaca the next day. The perspectives we gained from the site visit were quite valuable and eye-opening. One of the most interesting discoveries about the park was it’s relationship with it’s surroundings. The encroachment of suburbia on the park has been extreme and this has caused identity issues for the park. Visitors must use local suburban roads to access certain park units which can and does cause tension with local residents. The discontiguous nature of the park was also not very apparent until after the visit. Few of the park’s units are connected to each other and the dominant form of traveling to and from the units are personal vehicles.
Selected Focus Sites within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: CREEC/Jones Bridge Bull Sluice Vickery Creek Sope Creek Atlanta Metro
17 Proposal Summaries
Lodge, Camp, Park The National Park Service (NPS) is recognized for its ability to attract diverse groups of visitors from all over the country and the world to a select number of iconic parks. These prominent parks, while popular with “tourists,” are often underutilized by the local or regional community. In contrast, recreation areas tend to be used more by locals. How can a recreation area such as the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area (CNRA) become perceived as more of a destination for national and international tourists, while remaining a point of interest for the local and regional users? What are the social spaces that need to be constructed on-site in order to engage these multiple user types?
With the recent economic downturn, the NPS, like many other government agencies, has had to face budget cuts. This reduces funding for parks and in particular NRAs. Less money also means less revenue generation for the park. Visitorship to various National Park properties has also been on a steady decline. This could be attributed to a number of factors including rising travel costs or loss of interest/appreciation in the parks.
My thesis attempts to address the issues stated above by creating opportunities to increase visitorship and revenue generation. For the CRNRA I focused on the 2010 Visitor Study to determine the current types of users in the park, what they do while in the park, and also to discover underserved or unaddressed user types. I then studied the various units of the park to determine which unit might best serve the user types I wanted to address. From the visitor study I generated a list of current users:
The Sportsman - fisherman The Fitness Minded – walkers, joggers The Hiker – trail walker/day hiker The Nature Lover – bird nerd, plant geek, animal lover The Buffoonery Generators – weekend rafters/canoers The Young Leaders – local school children I also created a list of potential users that could be drawn to the park including:
The Snowbirds – retirees from the north The Hipsters – young Atlanta urbanites
I chose the CREEC and Jones Bridge units for a number of reasons. It was centrally located, relatively undeveloped, and offered the most opportunities for diverse user group interactions. At the southern end of the unit, the exiting CREEC facility served as a model for the creation of a new Education/Camping/RV Center. This new building will replace the current CREEC structure. It is modeled after the geology of the region and the folded angular rock formations found in the river creating the beautiful shoals. It will include new educational opportunities for the Young Leaders and Nature Lovers about the CRNRA. The Hipsters will be able to take advantage of camping rental facilities located closer to the river for a quick weekend get-a-way. The small lake will become the backdrop for the new Snowbird Paradise RV Park. Here Snowbirds from the north, currently an underserved user group in the park, will be able to stop off for a quick refresher before heading further south or even renting for the season. This facility will also serve as the headquarters for the new CRNRA River Trail or CRT for short, a new contiguous hiking trail from the southern end of the park all the way to the northern end. Here the Hiker will be able to rent a reserve a tent for the night. The northern end of the unit, there will be a new lodging facility in the vicinity of Jones Bridge. The lodge will be able to accommodate the Sportsman for a weekend fishing trip with one of the CRNRA outfitters. The outfitter will be able to pick up the Sportsman at a new exclusive launch for a day on the river without having to travel to other units of the park. The Sportsman will have the option of staying in one of the several tree house lodges nestled into the forest around the lodge. Each tree house will have it’s own character while still blending into the forest. Jones Bridge will be converted into a Hiker Hotel with hanging tents for rent. Finally the central portion of the unit will remain open to the public. At the current boat launch facility will be enhanced to accommodate more users.
In conclusion, this design should address decreasing visitorship and in turn increase revenue. These new opportunities for current CRNRA users and new user groups will allow the park to remain enticing to visit.
18 Ebb, Flow, Energize Traditionally national parks have celebrated monumental landscapes and the esthetic value of nature. Embodied in our National Park System is our culture’s value for the unique and majestic natural features. Places such as the canyons of Yosemite, natural hot springs of Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon are ubiquitous cultural symbols of our nations greatness. America’s most iconic national parks, Yellowstone, Yosemite, persist not only as a testament to the power of nature’s beauty, but to the perception of separation between mankind and nature. While tourism has always been central to the mission of the parks the experience of these majestic landscapes has been confined to a passive viewing of them. Preserved almost as grand outdoor museums park visitors could imagine a time and place untouched by mankind, remnants of the wild landscapes of the frontier.
Central to the mission of the national parks to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” is the phi- losophy that nature should be preserved for it’s intrinsic value, and not for the material benefit of man. National Recreation Areas, often designated on reservoirs and waterways resulting from or related to man made impound- ments are seemingly in conflict with this objective. This proposal explores how the presence and impact of major infrastructure in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area can be revealed and leveraged to create a new park experience that cultivate an awareness of the relationship between the river and its urban context.
Buford Dam, Located at the northernmost boundary of the park is a peak power demand hydroelectric plant that supplies electricity to the Atlanta Region. Because of minimum flows maintained by both the Buford and Morgan Falls Dams (a smaller hydroelectric dam located fifty miles down river) water levels along the Chattahoochee river remains relatively stable even during times of drought. Buford Dam’s ability to respond to peak power demands is directly dependent on water availability, and only when Lake Sidney Lanier is at an elevation of 1071 feet will the dam release water to produce power. These dam releases cause intermittent increases in water elevation along the river corridor. These fluctuating water levels create “tidal” flats on the edges of the impoundment known as Bull Sluice Lake. Water levels rise and fall in relationship to the frequency of dam releases, and therefor communicate water availability and the whether or not the dam is creating electricity.
The proposed design strategy manipulates the groundplane of these tidal flats so that they clearly register the changes in water elevation associated with times of normal water levels that support power production, versus low water levels when the dams are only maintaining minimum flow. Changing water elevations is visually evident as geometrically shaped channels and areas are submerged and revealed, at times accessible, at other times inacces- sible.
Pulse of the River Pulse of the Chattahoochee will engage the greater Chattahoochee community in the health of the river through monitoring, experimenting, and interpretation. This will be accomplished at multiple park locations through the creation of green infrastructure demonstration projects, reconnection of floodplain areas to the river, and the innovative use of technology to collect, analyze, and interpret data in meaningful ways. At its core the question driving this strategy is “Can the park system serve as a disruptive technology by physically mitigating the harmful effects of intense development while engaging the public to create a sense of ownership and respect for place within the Chattahoochee watershed?” Within this broad question are the considerations of “What methodologies are best for improving water quality and habitat within the park system?” and “How can the park expand beyond its physical boundaries to include the neighborhoods surrounding the park in an understanding of the ecological system of the river?”
Ultimately the agenda of the project is to improve the health of the river and create a mental connection between river and daily life. If parts of the Chattahoochee cannot serve their primary designation either for fishing, recreation, or drinking water then the park is hindered in its mission to provide those opportunities and services. The metaphor of the pulse refers to the cyclic rise and fall of the river- which can be visually expressed by graphing water levels from USGS monitoring stations. As the body has multiple pulses within its circulatory system, the Chattahoochee also has multiple pulses, influenced by the control structures of Buford Dam and Morgan Falls Dam. These create different rhythms within the river. The river is the lifeblood of this ecological and hydrological system and its many tributaries are its arteries and capillaries. It both brings life to the body of the watershed and carries 19 its waste and toxins.
The National Park Service has an opportunity to serve as a model for an engaged and activated community around a shared public infrastructure and resource. It has a long history of engendering an attitude of public resource protection and attitudes of conservation and ecological stewardship. In our 21st century the Park Service as a National entity can step up to the challenge of going beyond this role into one of active regeneration of the ecological services provided to us by our natural areas. Through incorporation of ecological monitoring and experimentation the park system can model a critical need for understanding our linked human and natural systems. The many urban National Parks are especially well suited to conduct the research needed for our expanding and ever increasing urban population. By virtue of their size National Parks can conduct robust experiments within their jurisdiction, and as a national network across a range of habitats and urban and natural conditions while maintaining a managed rigor of an overseeing management agency. The image of the park service can be transformed and transformational. The park system also has an opportunity to engage with the existing research community and with citizen scientists in line with its ideal of stewardship among the people. Large amounts of data can be collected by trained volunteers- by a public of activated and stewardship-minded individuals and communities.
The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area as a unit of the National Park Service system has a unique opportunity to leverage the location of its properties in order to facilitate river health. The park can serve as the critical infrastructure in a network of public green space along the river capable of engaging the community while improving the health of the river. The research network along the park system can engage with Atlanta’s community colleges, its primary education institutions, and with non-governmental organizations like the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to engage the water and the people. The potential impact of this collaboration can be a model for other National Park units and other urban national parks.
In this capacity the park becomes disruptive technology. The multiple designations overlaid on the river corridor: National Recreation Area, First National Water Trail, and listing on the National Rivers Inventory, as well as several state management plans provide a designation as a protected waterway. As a corridor of multiple ecologies and intensive land uses, informed decision making and management strategies can mitigate adverse impacts on the river. Within the park three sites were chosen to best test the implementation of this strategy. Suwanee Creek is located at a major intersection of the Chattahoochee River and the Suwanee Creek watershed. On site is a meandering channel with potential to reconnect to the floodplain and treat a large suburban watershed before it enters the waters of the Chattahoochee. The site is undeveloped at present, and thus has a lot of potential to serve multiple purposes for the park service. Its undeveloped state is also problematic when considering potential visitorship impact. For an initial proposal a site which is located closer to Atlanta and already receives large numbers of visitors is preferable. Johnson Ferry by contrast has a potential to accommodate large numbers of users. In its heyday it was one of the busier parks of the CRNRA. Its large size and linear corridor along the river make it ideal for establishing habitat connectivity with the river close to the urban condition. Much of the park is situated within the floodplain and has overflow parking in this area as well. The site is well suited for floodplain reconnection and for creating visible demonstrations of green infrastructure and best management practices. However the site is not on a pinch point to intercept a local watersheds before it enters the Chattahoochee.
The Vickery Creek site has the potential to serve the largest number of purposes set forth by the initial design and research questions of this design thesis. It is located at a major intersection of the large Big Creek watershed and the Chattahoochee - able to intercept a drainage area of 103 square miles. It is adjacent to several highly used local parks and is connected by a system of multi-use trails. This gives this park a potential large visibility by local residents within the Big Creek watershed and to tap into that connection within the community. On site are some unique opportunities to mitigate water quality issues. The nearby bridges can have their downspouts channeled into a vegetative system to remove particulates and a host of urban runoff pollutants. Within the stream channel of Big Creek and of the Chattahoochee in-line systems can monitor water conditions and potentially intercept effluent from a local wastewater treatment substation.
The park also has two areas within the floodplain which it can reconnect to the river providing for wildlife habitat and educational experiences. An existing multi-use trail and boardwalk traverses through this floodplain area and passes by the wastewater treatment facility and under one of the bridges with a view to the second one. In this way a narrative can be told which will engage park users in their local impacts and its direct connection to the waters of the Chattahoochee.
Through the implementation of this design proposal and strategy the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area will 20 become a leader in the realm of urban ecological research. The intense use of the lands around the park can be mitigated by the infrastructure of the park itself and the Park will be able to engage with its public to further its mission to serve the people as a recreation area in clean waters. It will engender stewardship in local communities across political boundaries by providing demonstration installations of green infrastructure and best management of urban runoff and confirming in the public’s mind their connection to their River. In these ways the CRNRA can be a model for the rest of the National Park System to follow.
Fluid Relic “We value dynamic conversations that enhance public engagement.” –National Park Service My thesis explores the Historical Context of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Located along the Brevard Fault Zone it has essentially been “locked in place, never to meander. Throughout prehistoric man’s inhabitance of the site through present National Recreation Area: the presence of the Chattahoochee River has remained constant. The site’s status as a “National Recreation Area” acts as a catalyst (or agent of change) by which the history of the site must be leveraged. This living system is constantly changing to the site’s advantage. It helps the site to remain relevant while the site history offers depth and meaning to Atlanta residents. However, the site itself is very stratified. Only 15 sections of land are developed along a 48 mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River, which leaves gaps in the cohesion of the NRA and valuable historical areas as “off limits.” Furthermore, this site makes up 70% of Atlanta’s green space but is not read from the ground as a complete green space system. The only reliable, absolute connection is the Chattahoochee River. While it is a popular site, only certain user groups utilize this resource, often from adjacent neighborhoods as opposed to the entire city of Atlanta. This is just one of the many interesting challenges of the site. The most pertinent question is: “How can the historic legacy of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area be incorporated into the visitor experience while responding to the current desired uses of the site?”
This study postulates that the answer will lie in rethinking and reimagining the historic remnants of the site and documenting present-day usage of the site. However, the traditional methods of Historic Preservation Documentation and the traditional Landscape Design approach will not be sufficient as stand-alone methods. Traditionally, one documents History according to the objects (architectural fragments and historical remnants) as they are placed in the landscape and their relation to important events or persons of that site. These objects are regarded as stationary and stagnant: relics, if you will. However, other conceptions of the landscape can be different. At one point the landscape was seen as an object, but through time we have come to realize that it is a dynamic system with multiple connections and networks. Often geographers use the term “landscape” interchangeably with “ecologies”. This approach is viewed as seeing the landscape as constantly in flux, or as a dynamic system.
My interest lies in the combination of these two approaches. A new approach will be formed by, first, thoroughly
21 documenting the past and present of the site. Second, by taking this information and creating a series of drawings which visually describe the morphology, I will create documents which will help the visitor to understand this changing paradigm. I will consider the park as a disruptive technology. Typically used to describe innovative business models or products, disruptive technologies are those that create landscapes with emergent social and economic benefits. Relative to the National Recreation Areas, the term is applied to describe a physical landscape capable of transforming how park visitors perceive the National Park System, the role of sustainability in contemporary land management practice, and how multiple user groups may engage the landscape and have shared experiences. I intend to create a transformative platform in a manner that creates new social networks based on how people engage the site.
The history of the site, or any site, is in a state of constant flux. Physical structures have been created at different times throughout the site’s evolution. I think the challenge of this site lies in documenting this change in a new way: Create drawings and conduct research based on dynamic history. I believe that this involves the creation of drawings in a highly symbolic method: these drawings truly capture the site at a moment in time. In a sense they are photographic and a symbol of the site. But most importantly they are informative and factual. Fluid relics.
In the past, parks considered to have historic significance have highlighted and monumentalized historic elements and thus have frozen the park in a specific moment in time, keeping it isolated from the contemporary context. This limits park identity, therefore excluding a range of uses and users. A recreation area responds to the changing desires of its user population and therefore is constantly evolving, potentially erasing site of historic significance. How can history be leveraged by a National Recreation Area to create a model that is dynamic, but grounded in the historic events that define it as a place? How is it that multiple periods of time and types of uses may be overlapped in order to create a vibrant landscape? How can the historic legacy of the Chattahoochee Recreation Area be incorporated into the visitor experience while responding to the current desired uses of the site?”
“…preservation constructs a story of the past through the lens of the present…” – Julie Riesenweber, “Landscape Preservation and Cultural Geography.” Cultural Landscapes pp. 32
In selecting sites, I asked What is the physical historical context of a [National Recreation Area] and what does a dynamic history of the site look like? How can this engage a variety of present-day user groups? Therefore, I chose three sites where I could highlight historical remnants, proximity to non-park land and lack of development (or lack of a developed master plan). These sites all contained those things: ruins, situated on the CRNRA border and they all have the potential to engage beyond the park boundary. They also have the potential to more effectively engage within the Recreation Area, itself.
The sites that I chose are: Sope Creek: a former industrial mill site Hyde Farm: a vernacular landscape and farm heritage site Jones Bridge to Medlock Bridge: National Waterway and structural ruins
In the following section I will discuss Sope Creek including design intentions, interventions and results. A. SOPE CREEK The Sope Creek site is a unique location due to the following: industrial ruins, accessibility issues, visibility challenges, and proximity to high-end homeowners. The site provides interesting attracting features which can further engage the larger community while providing a buffer between private and public lives.
SITE DESCRIPTION The Sope Creek Site (also spelled Soap Creek) was the former home of the Marietta Paper Company, the second Paper mill in the state of Georgia. Located in the town of Marietta, the mill ruin site is situated on the Sope Creek Site’s northwest border, and on park property between the CRNRA and the surrounding neighborhood. Adjacent properties are a private lot to the Northwest, that contains a mansion built circa 2007, and a golf course community along the East side of the park, on the other side of the small woods buffer. It is an interesting juxtaposition of wealthy 1%, industrial ruin and CRNRA space.
The current site ruins are extensive. Along the West bank of the creek, just below the current bridge, is the former pulp mill ruin from which the Paper mill was supplied. As you cross the bridge eastward you might notice a remnant pier from the former covered bridge, located exactly where the contemporary concrete bridges is now. Across this bridge is the main site entrance which contains a road blocked by a CRNRA gate. This gate leads to an extensive retaining wall created to support the historic road bed. This piece of infrastructure is an intact piece of history which 22 leads southward, along the east creek bank, past the crumbling stone construction that was a storage shed ruin. The last quarter of the road transitions at the stone foundation of the dam ruins from stone retaining wall to stone raceway piers, left over from the raceway that fed the water-powered mill. This leads to the actual Marietta mill ruin structure which stretches nearly 200’ long and 30’ wide along the creek bank to the Caney Branch, a small stream. East of the road bed and somewhat raised are a Boiler room and oil room ruins. Looking south again, across Caney Branch, one can see wall ruins and the deteriorating office ruins, partially covered in vegetation.
Existing vegetation has been previously documented in the Sope Creek Cultural Landscape Report of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area. They listed the temperate plant community as supporting of: white oak, red oak, yellow poplars, beech, river birch, sycamore, red maple, dogwood, ironwood, hornbeam, holly, ash, sourwood, black gum, magnolia, hickory, and loblolly pine. The oldest trees along the creek include mature oaks, poplar and loblolly. some troublesome and exotic species includes the Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa), poison ivy (Taxicodendron radicans) and some additional invasive vines. (Byrd, Beth Wheeler. Chattahoochee National Recreation Area: Sope Creek Cultural Landscape Report. December 2009. National Park Service, Southeast Regional Office).
I would argue that one of the biggest obstacles to the National Park Service is the bordering neighborhood of wealthy elite homeowners which border the park. The reality of these expensive properties present an issue regarding park entrance visibility and incorporation of common property. Often a visitor experiences an unwelcoming climate when searching for park entrances. Private land owners are in very close proximity and often entrances are not visibly accessible. A solution to address this situation would include mutual agreements on an acceptable park entrance. Sope Creek is in a unique location for such an intervention. This solution would cause no discomfort for nearby homeowners and would provide users with a more inviting entrance. A buffer would also alleviate concerns of homeowners.
No parking currently exists, except for a couple of spaces for CRNRA vehicles. However, the head of the ruin’s trail is directly across the creek from an existing network of park trails. This Paper mill is isolated from this network, but could provide an exciting and engaging gateway to the National Recreation area, as well as facilitate the private-to- public space transition.
FINDINGS Analyzing information from the site visit, I determined where current circulation existed, current obstacles and current opportunities might be. The next step was to create diagrams highlighting optimal circulation suggestions, suggestions for new programming and phased park growth. Thorough photo documentation combined with physical experience of the site enhanced my understanding of how to move through the space. These analyses also identified current limitations of the CRNRA.
These limitations include: a dated and obstructed entrance, which gives the impression that the site is poorly maintained and unwelcoming to visitors. Lack of connectivity is another issue. The site does not physically connect to the adjacent CRNRA trail system. The vehicular bridge which spans Sope Creek does not have a designated pedestrian crossing and is unattractive. Other issues include the presence of poison ivy and general lack of site programming. Furthermore, signage does not exist for orienting visitors. There is a sign in front of the ruins that says “Area closed to public: no climbing on or entering historic mill ruins.” This sign is located within the old Storage building ruins. A second sign exists at the start of the trail that says “Do not block gate.”Thus any parking is prohibited at the trail entrance.
INTERVENTION One of the most important issues with the site is the lack of connectivity to the rest of the Park’s trail system. I feel as though this ruinous site is a missing link to the current trail system. A simple pedestrian crossing near the current bridge on Paper Mill road would be a throwback to the covered bridge which used to sit where the current bridge sits. I second crossing closer to the ruin, possibly near the dam remnants, would be a logical extensions to close a loop. Thus, we extend the trail but do not necessitate new parking, which is not possible given the limited space at the head of the trail.
To further support my claim for a contemporary “covered” bridge the Atlanta Journal once said of the area: “Sope Creek, particularly in the springtime, is a place of unusual beauty. A quaint old covered bridge spans the stream just below where the log dam used to be. The stream is strewn with great boulders and the water dashes over these in a series of cascades, causing such masses of foam that they look like soapsuds.” (Atlanta Journal, 1933). 23
I think the best approach to creating the pedestrian bridge would be to create it adjacent to the current concrete bridge on the south side. While this placement might suggest blocking one of the best views I think the use of a steel material to create an open structure would allow for a transparency to the bridge. it would evoke the traditional form of the historic covered bridge but in a contemporary manor. I imagine it somewhat similar to Delftse Poort by Cor Kraat or The Franklin house by Robert Venturi. Both are considered “ghost structures” as they do not recreate the structures they replicate verbatim but rather give the essence of what may have existed.
Furthermore, I think the aesthetic of the intervention should enhance the ruinous state of the mill and road. Installing a more permanent stone dust-like material which follows the historic cart-tracks of the road would provide a pre-determined path for the visitor. Furthermore, planting a softer variety of grass down the middle and on the sides of the trail would create the same aesthetic and feel of an overgrown road. To prevent cars from entering at the top of the trail, simple stone columns could be constructed, perhaps at 3’ high, which would delineate an entrance and create a permanent border. Or perhaps, a removable barrier. Regardless, only a fire truck should be allowed to pass through, in dire circumstances.
The Storage building and Paper mill ruin have a lot of potential. I would argue that the storage building is a great platform for viewing the creek and to picnic. A small staircase would allow safe access as well as control over where pedestrians are directed to walk. Perhaps some simple plantings would enhance the natural beauty of the area.
The Marietta Paper Mill ruin itself has a lot of potential. I would like to propose a sunken garden concept that incorporates green roof technology to both protect the ruin from further degradation and for easier maintenance. There are a number of “room” with intact exterior walls. There are even doorways which could provide for framed entrances and exits to the garden complex. Furthermore, I think repairing current breaks in the foundation with mortar and stone patching of a slightly different color will juxtapose the historic with the new. In areas with broken and crumbling tops of walls, I think to repair them with this new aesthetic will make the space safer and appealing.
Plant species I would consider are native Georgian shrubs, perennials and grasses (see existing species list). Anything native and small will have less maintenance associated with it as well as water requirements. I think it would be simple to create a water drainage channel that double as a water feature through the garden. There is both an entry point (on the south side of the ruin) and an exit point on the North side of the ruin that would be appropriate. (see diagram no. __) The mill grounds already naturally slope from up-creek to down-creek. Also, with the re-instatement of the raceway (as a trail) a smaller, day lit water feature could potentially run along the raceway, promoting the knowledge of the olden tradition of water-powered mills. Furthermore, this water feature could be used to irrigate the garden or to at least provide an interesting water feature. Another phase would be to replace the wooden posts protecting the ruin with a more permanent fence system that is also previous to viewing. I would consider a cable fence or other wood fencing system.
I wish to structure the gardens in such a way that there is a possibility for picnicking and group gathering. This would support my secondary idea for a place for events. Ideas include; a film festival which projects images onto the two-story remnant wall structures, cafe space, wedding photo shoots, theater, art classes and much more.
At the risk of sounding too prescriptive I believe that adding a clear entrance to the park in addition to connecting the residential sidewalk to the park trail nearby neighbors might become more engaged in the park. I cannot predict but I can say with absolutely certainty that they will not become more involved by remaining passive. This design plan I propose is intended to give dignity and aesthetic appeal to the nearby community asset. I would imagine a clearly marked trail, doggie bags and clean, clear trails would increase its perceived value to the nearby community. I would hope that it became an extension of the community. Instead of turning their backs on a “public” park perhaps these residents could see potential in spending time there.
Additionally I believe there is ample space to 3-4 parking spaces. The presence of a few cars would signify that this is not a populous landscape, or an area for large groups but a small parking lot for individuals and small groups. For larger events I propose them as a “hike to” destination or for a shuttle to be created from the beginning of the Sope Creek trails to this historic mill ruin.
A few more inventive ideas I thought of where to put a seasonal cafe within the old storage building or perhaps within the Mill ruin itself. I think logistics would enable a single truck to deliver supplies to either location. It is more a matter to providing the infrastructure. Additionally, I imagined some more surreal art-like spaces throughout the site that hearken back even further, before the mill. Stands of forest in manicured plots (a la Mattress Factory’s 24 garden) and some sort of Native American site intervention involving the rock outcropping they likely used for shelter during hunting trips. I like the idea of sparking folks’ curiosity through an incongruous (to their perception) installation. A visitor might be walking along a seemingly typical park path and find a stand of pine trees in an open field. Or perhaps beneath the rock outcroppings are a campfire encased in bronze.
CONCLUSION I found this to be a very exciting site. The ruins are quite intact and the trail unfolds the various site components in such a way that a narrative is easy to imagine. I hoped to find a way to re-imagine the existing remnants with their inherent properties in mind. However, these materials can be used in a present-day version of themselves. A version that still preserves the qualities that make these things so unique but in a less than literal way. A covered bridge that helps one cross but also makes one stop and think about what it is and why it might be there. A road-like trail that evokes imagery of the past and a green-roof factory that produces memories.
Unit 16 My project seeks to underline the critical nature of two health-related barriers to park visitation by young people: childhood obesity and the inability to swim. There are many other obstacles to park visitation, including historic and cultural discouragement, financial constraints, and lack of transportation, to name a few. The process of identifying obstacles and potential solutions to park visitation led to a focus on the physical-health related barriers to park visitation, and to my suggestion that the ability to swim could be the first way to connect the Chattahoochee River National Recreation area to existing recreation programs in Atlanta.
In Atlanta, Georgia, the childhood obesity dilemma is especially prominent, given that Georgia has the country’s second-highest rate of childhood obesity and recently engaged in an emotional and intense debate in response to series of anti-obesity advertisements produced by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Inc. called the “Strong4Life” campaign. The “Strong4Life” campaign featured billboards and online videos of overweight and obese children with captions such as, “It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not” (Strong4Life Website). Though the campaign has since shifted to a more positive message in response to public outcry over the advertisements’ use of “shock” and “shame” tactics, the conversation about childhood obesity was initiated (Rubin 2012, Lohr). Similarly, studies published by the University of Memphis in 2008 and 2010 regarding the (in)ability of children in the United States to swim catalyzed conversations in the media and prompted organizations such as USA Swimming to focus on outreach to a more diverse constituency (USA Swimming Website). The results of the study illustrated an incredibly high number of youth with little or no swimming ability. A disproportionate number of those unable to swim were African American (70% low to no ability) and Hispanic/Latino children (58% low to no ability). “Low ability” meant the interviewees were able to “splash around in the shallow end,” while a further 12% said they could swim but had “taught themselves” (Irwin et al. 2010, Rohrer 2010). Other startling statistics included the approximate 3,500 drowning deaths per year, or almost ten a day, making drowning the second highest cause of accidental death among children ages 5-17. Among white children, 42% possessed little or no swimming ability. While a high percentage, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the fatal drowning rate of African- American children aged five-14 is three times that of white children. Though the exact statistics on the number of Atlanta’s children who have learned or are learning to swim are not available, the city was part of the six-city survey which found that children of minority groups, children from families with lower incomes, and children from inner cities are largely excluded from the world of swimming lessons.
In the case of both childhood obesity and swimming (in)ability, the children at highest risk fall within demographic categories which, in Atlanta, are concentrated geographically. The children living in the center and south of downtown Atlanta are, therefore, statistically less likely to know how to swim, and less likely to visit a park which is defined as a “Water Trail.” And, as explained in a document produced by the US Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, and the Pacific Southwest Research Station called “Serving Culturally Diverse Visitors to Forests in California: A Resource Guide”:
More than 45 years of research continues to show that people from culturally diverse backgrounds are not using the national forests and other public lands in numbers representative of the populations within the market areas. Not all people feel comfortable and safe in, have access to, maintain strong and positive ties with, or have knowledge about these natural areas and what to do on them. We must continue to understand what people care about and why, as well as how forests are viewed, valued, and being used by a changing public. (Roberts et al. p.1)
Certainly, many factors affect the likelihood of one child visiting the park versus any other. “Obstacles” to park 25 visitation are numerous, and the physical condition of a child is only one among them. However, the obstacle of physical preparedness can be removed through physical education, and the number and diversity of park users from “generation next” can certainly be increased.
Shared alarm and anxiety regarding these ‘epidemics,’ particularly childhood obesity, has led to efforts on the part of doctors, social scientists, educators, community organizers, entertainers, politicians, designers, and many others to understand the possible sources of this trend, its implications for society and the economy, and potential methods for reducing and preventing cases of obesity. Childhood obesity provokes in many an especially strong sense of concern, guilt, urgency and sadness. Regardless of political stance, it is universally assumed that children are, to some degree, still the responsibility of society, and that it is our duty to protect young people from harm, and to allow them to learn and grow without fear of abuse or neglect. If we as a society wish to assure children a level of ‘protection’ and education, it is also our responsibility to provide children with access to sources of health, including space for recreation, nutritious food, and engaging activities. While many consider these resources to be indispensable for children, these basic resources are by no means guaranteed for all children in the United States. For the purposes of this project, focused on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, Georgia, the focus is on the possibility of design to catalyze and support greater nourishment, health, self-reliance and capacity in young people.
Extensive work has proven the connection between time spent outdoors and one’s physical, mental and emotional health. The experience of the outdoors may not be a “cure all” as suggested by some contemporary theories such as “Nature Deficit Disorder” and by historic, romantic appeals to nature’s “sublime” to ensure health. However, the health benefits of outdoor recreation are substantial and multiple. In addition to physical strengthening and disease prevention, spending time outdoors in a “wilderness” setting can enrich and diversify one’s life experiences. Alexander Brash quotes the writer Joseph Sax on “revelatory moments” in nature: ‘It is the function of culture to preserve a link to forces and experiences outside of the daily routine of life. Such experiences provide a perspective- in time and space- against which we can test the value, as well as the immediate efficacy, of what we are doing” (Gateway 2011 p.83) If nothing else, a trip down the Chattahoochee River is unique and memorable, and a way to break from the daily routine of life.
Regardless of current physical health or abilities, all children are capable of enjoying the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Some young people are better equipped than others to visit the river, and this project’s principal goal is to increase the number of young people who are prepared and knowledgeable enough to enjoy this unique landscape. The gap between being “capable” and being “prepared” to experience the Chattahoochee River is greater for some children than for others. This gap can be reduced, but the process cannot happen within the ten minutes of arriving at a park unit and “putting in” a raft, tube or boat. A cultural change within the National Park Service must resonate beyond park entrances and into those communities served by the park. Physical education offered both off-site within communities and on-site at the park can prepare young people for the types of physical and mental knowledge they will need to be able to successfully interact and perform there, as well as expose them to the unique qualities of the landscape they will be navigating.
The proposal’s primary objectives include: teaching kids how to navigate the landscape of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, increasing accessibility to the park, introducing kids to natural elements found within the park, creating a training facility within the city of Atlanta focused on water recreation, and increasing school engagement and the involvement of the community. Rather than focusing on the construction of new recreation facilities on Park grounds, this project suggests “connecting the dots” between existing recreation spaces, existing outdoor education programming, and the National Park Service. A focus on “mobile” and “temporary” installations of the National Park Service in the city would allow for easy and convenient access by a more diverse community in a recognizable setting.
An explanation of the proposal starts with the first phase of identifying the locations of existing schools and pools in the Atlanta Metropolitan region. Connecting the schools which may have a large percentage of children unable to swim with existing swim programs would be the first step. The children and staff at interested schools would participate in the planning of a learn-to-swim program as part of the school curriculum. Given that “lack of time” is a commonly reported barrier to increased recreation and leisure participation, and that “culturally diverse people are more likely to report ‘lack of time’ and other time-related constraints as barriers to increased participation in outdoor recreation and leisure” (Roberts et al. p.9), integrating learn-to-swim in the school curriculum would save busy parents the anxiety of allowing their children to go without the ability to swim. Participation by schools would not be obligatory, but could perhaps be incentivized. At the end of the learn-to-swim program, students could have the option of partaking in an adventure course on the Chattahoochee River as a way of practicing their new 26 skills in an outdoor environment.
The second phase would be the creation of “mediating landscapes” in downtown Atlanta, which would bring the experience of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area to kids in the city. A “mediating landscape” is in essence a “Park (National Park Service) in a park (city park)” containing qualities of larger landscape elements found within the National Recreation Area but expressed in a human-scaled, familiar, teaching and learning environment. Experiencing a “Park in a park” would be a step that young people could take before going into “the great outdoors.” The landscape features that children could be introduced to before entering the Park proper could include, for example:
Rock quality and formation- Rock Climbing Water Temperature- Wading Pools Water Color- Swimming Pool with “naturalistic bottom” Water Current- Swimming Pool with current lanes Water Level Change due to Dam releases- Portable pool with variable depths Variable Depths of the River Bottom- Portable pool with variable depths
A mediating landscape in downtown Atlanta could respond to the trends and issues facing youth in Atlanta, as well as respond to historic bias against certain groups and individuals by prioritizing use by learn-to-swim students, primarily a group of ethnic minority children. This project suggests that these students should be given priority use based on their current geographic exclusion (the long, narrow form of the park which ends to the Northwest of Atlanta) and the higher probability that these students are among a group of young people most apt to suffer from high rates of obesity. The choice to propose downtown locations for “training grounds” in Atlanta, was based on several other criteria:
1. Atlanta’s culture was described by a park ranger as “OTP/ITP,” which stands for “Outside the perimeter” and “Inside the perimeter.” The perimeter highway, Route 285, separates historic “downtown Atlanta” from the metropolitan area and suburbs. Residents living “ITP” have less access to the CRNRA. 2. Based on the demographic information observed based on the 2010 US Census, the largest population of families with lower incomes, of single mothers, and of ethnic minorities are located “ITP,” or south of the majority of the National Recreation Area extents. A “Mobile National Recreation Area” could be brought to existing open spaces within Atlanta proper, allowing existing communities to access programming without travelling long distances. 3. There are abundant opportunities to use alternative spaces within cities, without tampering with existing natural areas or clearing spaces for new parks. This practice is both sustainable and logical, and reduces the need to encroach upon National Park Service land.
The National Park Service could, as Clement Lau (2011) suggests, identify new locations, partners and ways to increase opportunities for recreation within the limits of downtown Atlanta. What this project suggests is that the “Mobile Gym” or “Fitness Zone” model could be adapted by the National Park Service, but tailored to introduce residents to local geography. Some of the alternative locations Lau lists in his project as potential recreation spaces include:
-Abandoned buildings and properties -Abandoned rail right-of-ways (“rail to trail,” such as the BeltLine Park) -Churches -Commercial Facilities -Parking Lots -Schools -Streets -Utility right-of-ways -Other public and private spaces available for recreation use (Lau 2011 p.69)
New ways suggested by Lau include: -Leasing or temporary use of properties for recreational purposes (rather than buying the land) -Creating mobile gyms (similar to the mobile library and food truck ideas); -Organizing sports activities (such as basketball, soccer, or skateboarding) on vacant parking lots or streets in the evenings and during weekends; 27 -Transporting residents to recreational resources outside of their immediate neighborhood; -Offering vouchers to acquire recreation services through private providers; -Subsidizing the purchase of or leasing out home exercise equipment such as treadmills, exercise bicycles, Elliptical trainers, or step machines; -Subsidizing the purchase of active video game systems such as the Nintendo Wii and games such as Wii Sports and Wii Fit by lower income residents. (Lau 2011 p.67)
Alternative locations for outdoor education and recreation in Atlanta are suggested by the identification of existing learn-to-swim programs, as well as in the map of Atlanta Falcons Fitness Zones. The sites currently participating in the Atlanta Falcons Fitness Zones and the “Make a Splash” campaign could benefit from expanded programming with an “outdoors” theme. In terms of new partners for the National Park Service as they extend their mission to include fitness, physical health and well-being, the Atlanta Community has numerous existing organizations with these goals. The “Physical Activity Partners” already involved in the Atlanta Falcons Fitness Zones program include:
-After-School All-Stars -Atlanta Ballet -Atlanta Track Club -Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta -Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation -First Tee of Atlanta -Georgia Tennis Foundation -Girls, Inc. -GoGirlGo! Atlanta -Good Sports -KiDsGyM USA -Kids & Pros -Metro Atlanta YMCA -Morehouse School of Medicine – Promis Neighborhood -Moving in the Spirit -Park Pride -Piedmont Park Conservancy -Playworks -Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) -Vine City Health & Housing Ministry (Atlanta Falcons Fitness Zones Website)
Added to the list above could be the schools and educational organizations which have a profound impact on children’s health and well being, as well as the formation of recreation abilities. The challenge, as recognized in this proposal, is not in constructing new facilities within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, but in “connecting the dots” between existing programs, recreation areas in downtown Atlanta, the staff at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and the communities of Atlanta who are currently under-represented at the Recreation Area.
In conclusion, there is a robust body of quantitative and qualitative research supporting the fact that many young people in the United States are less physically active, and spend less time outdoors than did young people 30 or 40 years ago. This change, based on a complex combination of genetic, cultural, historic, economic and psycho-social factors, has contributed to the widely discussed “obesity epidemic” in the United States and abroad. Development patterns in the United States have also created an unjust distribution of recreation opportunities among children and adolescents based on race, ethnicity, gender and income. Tremendous efforts are currently made by individuals and organizations to break through the constraints which keep some young people immobile and incapacitated. This thesis seeks to recognize noteworthy efforts in equitable physical education, and pair these efforts with existing natural resources, such as National Parks and National Recreation Areas. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, Georgia, is uniquely positioned to establish the National Park Service as an active participant in tackling issues of national concern such as childhood obesity and the inability to swim. Organizations like The City Project in Los Angeles, call for similarly collaborative efforts:
Social scientists and attorneys need to collaborate to connect the dots between physical education, human health, racial and ethnic disparities, and civil rights and education laws. Foundations should fund analyses of evidence by legal practitioners, including social science research and disparities in physical education and 28 health based on race, ethnicity, and income. Abstract policy reports and tool kits are not enough. Foundations should fund not only policy and legal advocacy outside the courts, but also litigation in the courts. Access to justice through the courts can be a profoundly democratic means of engaging, educating, and empowering people of color and low-income people to achieve concrete improvements in their lives. (The City Project)
The National Park Service and the Van Alen Institute are seeking a new “vision” for the National Park Service with the “Parks for the People” Design Competition. A cultural shift within the National Park Service might begin with something as “simple” as swimming lessons connected to a Parks experience. Such a simple move could prove vital to the organization’s future success. This cultural shift is articulated below:
The survival of various resources of our public lands, and the organizational survival of the USFS (United States Forest Service), may become more dependent on how relevant the agency can make our forests to a rapidly changing America. Although focused on national parks, this statement can also apply to the USFS: In order to make real change, we must recognize that agency culture presents real barriers to diversity in the national parks, and we must work to change agency culture to remove those barriers. This change of culture is now imperative, and we need to establish real world benchmarks so we can measure our success or failure and adjust our actions accordingly. (Roberts et al. p.17)
The built environment and technological advances have largely removed physical activity from the everyday in Atlanta, Georgia. However, within the Atlanta Metropolitan Area exists an inspiring, unique and cherished landscape: the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. This 48-mile stretch of river and accompanying land units contain a multitude of opportunities for active recreation, primarily water-based. Within the city of Atlanta, organizations like the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club and the “Make a Splash” campaign are already focused on physical education and recreation opportunities for young people. By partnering with these and other organizations, the National Park Service can potentially expand its mission and its identity while continuing to be relevant to the communities and citizens who are the inheritors of its legacy.
(Re)create Flux - Conclusions (Re)Create Flux presents a series of scenarios intended to challenge the role of the National Parks Service. The intention is to provide the groundwork for a system that is seen not as a amenity, but as a form of flexible infrastructure that the needs of the population at large may be plugged into, thereby advancing the role of the Organic act. (Re)Create Flux also contends that the catalyst site for this transformation of the NPS is the National Recreation Area. As a landscape typology, there is a valuable shift from a landscape that is valued as a painting or landskip to that of a landschaft; an operational territory that is continually affected by social and performative modifiers. Specifically, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is treated as a series of technologies that can be recalibrated to create new relationships to the surrounding context, thereby formulating new relationships to landscape.
As a Landscape in flux, the significance for the CRNRA has changed significantly, having become designated as the first National Water Trails System in the NPs. The designation is designed to increase access to water, create a place for recreation, create economic opportunities within the NPS and encourage community engagement. This is a highly significant transformation of the river from one that is primarily recreational to one that is education and revelatory. (Re)Create Flux anticipates this transformation, but does not comprehensively address this change given the unforeseen impacts at the level of policy and land management. Furthermore, it does not prescribe solutions for the “next 48;” a proposal to extend the designation further south.
Instead, the projects presented are prototypes that are meant to serve as models for future forms of engagement along the river. They are meant to serve as spark discussion regarding ecological adjacencies, park policy and staffing, and community engagement at multiple levels. Collectively, they serve as a model for how National Recreation Areas may be retooled to create new public/park relationships that serve as gateways into the larger National Park Service system of units.
Therefore we present Re(Create) Flux as an projective manifesto for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, transforming it into a social platform of change, a revelatory landscape of metrics and education, a ground for economic incubation and disruptive technology.
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