Vision and Visualization in Landscape Architecture
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University of Nevada, Reno Making Space: Vision and Visualization in Landscape Architecture A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English by Blake Watson Dr. Lynda Walsh/Dissertation Advisor May, 2019 Copyright by Blake Watson 2019 All Rights Reserved i Abstract Despite rhetorical studies of public space, studies of its design are limited and rarely inform readings of public space. This situation is particularly unfortunate since public space design is particularly ripe for rhetorical analysis. Landscape architects draw, write, and sell landscape plans to clients and stakeholders before they become the material public realm that receives most of the attention from those concerned with spatial politics. The intent of my project is to supplement rhetorical critiques of public space by attempting to understand the exigencies that landscape architects face in winning support and approval for their designs, how they go about winning that approval by creating persuasive texts, and how that rhetorical process manifests as features of the built environment, often in surprising and unintended ways. By exclusively focusing on already-built public spaces critics miss out on a rhetorically-complex, persuasive writing project about which the field has germane expertise to offer. By focusing on the intersection of visual rhetoric with workplace writing this study examines the rhetorical contexts in which landscape architects operate and the situated, visual practices they employ. It claims that drawing is the landscape architect’s principal mode of rhetorical invention, an argument that construes drawing as a professionally- developed viewing strategy. Observational and interview methods were employed to study the contexts in which landscape architects visualize space through a wide array of skillful, graphic techniques. Rather than understanding competent viewership as a literacy, it approaches viewing as an active, embodied techne, composed of disciplinary visualization techniques in tool-mediated situations. In the landscape architecture firm, ii seeing space “skillfully” is a prerequisite for drawing space cooperatively; a professionally-shared, “skilled vision” allows members to “see together” as a community – attending to the same details, employing the same perceptual tools and concepts, and sharing an aesthetic taste – to deliberate through drawing. The rhetoric of landscape architecture is a discursive and illustrative exercise in disclosing this view for others. Landscape architects in this study employ discursive and drawing techniques, like highlighting and coding, that help impart to outsiders their expert view of phenomena by organizing it into an analytical and analogical framework. iii Table of Contents Chapter 1 -- Introduction ..............................................................................................1 Chapter 2 – Learning to See, Learning to Draw ........................................................ 22 Chapter 3 – Sharing Your Vision................................................................................ 57 Chapter 4 – Defensible Space ...................................................................................... 96 Chapter 5 – In the Field: Critiquing Public Space from Site and Studio ................ 130 Chapter 6 – Conclusion ............................................................................................. 172 iv List of Tables Table 1 My visualization of Goodwin's Professional Vision……….…………………..30 Table 2 What to Notice on-site………………………………………………………....38 v List of Figures Figure 1 Example of an Adjacency Diagram (“Interior Design Programming”). ............ 34 Figure 2 Example of a Base Map (“CL Project”). .......................................................... 36 Figure 3 Example of a Site Inventory and Analysis. (Hansen & Alvarez). ...................... 37 Figure 4 Aerial image of SGE site with highlighting simulated (New York State GIS, annotated by author) ...................................................................................................... 41 Figure 5 Constraintless Bubble Diagram (Brown). ......................................................... 45 Figure 6 Annotative Bubble Diagram on Trace over a Base Map (photo by author). ...... 45 Figure 7 Diagram versus Map of Human Circulatory System (“Circulatory System”). ... 47 Figure 8 Excerpt from Farmington Town Code regarding Single-Family Housing (Town of Farmington Code). .................................................................................................... 50 Figure 9 Sun path model in AutoCAD (“Visualizing Sun”)............................................ 52 Figure 10 Drawing in perspective means tracing lines of sight where the intersect a flat plane (Nava). ................................................................................................................. 65 Figure 11 Showing Spatial Definition with Section-Elevation (Reid) ............................. 68 Figure 12 Section-Elevation of Coal Creek Parkway (JGM Landscape Architects). ....... 69 Figure 13 Section-Elevation + Plan (Reid). .................................................................... 70 Figure 14 Landscape Architect at a Presentation Board (“10 Tips”). .............................. 78 Figure 15 Sun-Diagrammed Site Plan (“Dr. George Davis Senior Building”). ............... 79 Figure 16 Canopy Circles & Contour Lines (“Landscape Architect Designing”). ........... 80 Figure 17 Torrance's Wind Analysis (“Aitken Park”). .................................................... 82 Figure 18 Torrance's Annotated Wind Analysis (“Aitken Park”). ................................... 83 Figure 19 Before and After CPTED ("Crime Prevention"). .......................................... 100 Figure 20 Section view from Newman's Defensible Space (Newman).......................... 104 Figure 21 Example of CPTED-driven design of a streetscape (“Building Resiliency”). 106 Figure 22 Annotated CPTED designed streetscape (Nesbitt). ....................................... 111 Figure 23 Plan-view example drawing of "outdoor rooms" design (Hansen & Alvarez). .................................................................................................................................... 112 Figure 24 Diagram of territory (Newman 9). ................................................................ 113 Figure 25 Gordon LA Perspective Visualization of proposed MAG Sculpture Park (Courtesy of Gordon LA)............................................................................................. 118 Figure 26 Otterness's Welcome Plaza (Greenwood). .................................................... 119 Figure 27 Gordon LA's Plan-view Presentation Board showing proposed Brickyard Trail path (Gordon LA). ....................................................................................................... 121 Figure 28 Example of New Urbanism (“Orchard Gardens). ......................................... 127 Figure 29 Example of suburban, cul-de-sac design (Badger). ....................................... 132 Figure 31 Neighborhood of the Arts Walking Guide for the ART Walk (“Home”)....... 138 Figure 30 Aerial Google Earth Image of the MAG grounds (Maitland). ....................... 138 Figure 32 Main entry to MAG sculpture garden (Lewis). ............................................. 139 Figure 33 Part of "Creation Myth" looking North-west toward the Cutler Union (Rafferty and Deturck). ............................................................................................................... 141 Figure 34 Part of "Creation Myth," figures write Susan B. Anthony quote. .................. 142 Figure 35 Part of "Creation Myth," small bronze male figure looking up at Cutler Union (Marino). ..................................................................................................................... 143 Figure 36 "Unicorn Family" (Castle). .......................................................................... 147 vi Figure 37 Albert Paley Plaza (Vick)............................................................................. 148 Figure 38 Close-up view of Paley Plaza’s anti-skateboarding ledge (Paley). ................ 148 Figure 39 Visual comparison of MAG grounds tree aisle and Church Aisle (Author photo; “Aisle”). ........................................................................................................... 152 Figure 40 Bus Stop in front of School of the Arts on Union Ave. (Macluso). ............... 161 Figure 41 Example of a Desire Line (van der Aalst). .................................................... 165 Figure 42 Overhead Transparencies (Kardi). ................................................................ 175 1 Chapter 1 -- Introduction Urban, public spaces occupy a unique place in rhetorical history. Early Athenian democracies owe their existence not just to the spread of certain artistic and philosophical ideas, but to the dedicated physical places that anchored their existence. Athenian democracy revolved around the agora, an open marketplace and civic center that played host to the city-state’s most important political, commercial, athletic, religious, and philosophical events. And, from the Greek agora to the commons of medieval England to the urban parks of the Victorian era, shared, public spaces have continued to be a vital locus for democratic practice. Western cities have historically been designed