Green Cemeteries

I visited a unique site in Westminster, South Carolina the other day: a sustainable, "green" cemetery. The Ramsey Creek Preserve is a beautiful series of trails in the woods that lead to the rocky creek. Scattered along the trail are the memorials and resting places of people who have decided to be buried in a natural manner, without embalming processes and in biodegradable caskets. The overall feeling is of a nature park, and the memorials are placed in such a way that they do not interrupt the flow of the paths. This is apparently the first such cemetery in the United States, according to Dr. Campbell, the physician who owns the land and oversees the preserve. There are also specific areas set aside for both Muslims and Jews, to encompass their burial requirements. Bodies are buried three and a half feet deep, rather than the traditional six feet, and a mound of earth is created over the area, along with a stone marker. Native plants are relocated from the paths to the mounds periodically, in order to delineate the walking trails without destroying the native vegetation growing there.

Forgiveness and interaction

What is forgiveness? As I prepare to go to Northern Ireland for the summer to begin my thesis research, I have to start exploring the concept of forgiveness more fully. Here's the wikipedia definition, for what it's worth:

Forgiveness is the mental and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution^[1]. This definition, however, is subject to much philosophical critique. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, it may be granted without any expectation of compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology, and/or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive.^[1]

Most world religions include teachings on the nature of forgiveness, and many of these teachings provide an underlying basis for many varying modern day traditions and practices of forgiveness. However, throughout the ages, philosophers have studied forgiveness apart from religion. In addition, as in other areas of human inquiry, science is beginning to question religious concepts of forgiveness. Psychology, sociology and medicine are among the scientific disciplines researching forgiveness or aspects of forgiveness. Instances of teachings on forgiveness such as the parable of the Prodigal Son^[2] and Mahatma Gandhi's forgiveness of his assassin as he lay dying, are well known instances of such teachings and practices of forgiveness. Some religious doctrines or philosophies place greater emphasis on the need for humans to find some sort of divine forgiveness for their own shortcomings, others place greater emphasis on the need for humans to practice forgiveness between one another, yet others make little or no distinction between human and/or divine forgiveness.

I recently had a conversation with a woman who managed a hospice, and she said that forgiveness is a critical component of the dying process. People often face issues of forgiveness in their family members or close friends, before they can let go and allow themselves to accept death. This process happens not only to the person who is dying but also to those who remain behind.

My thesis is going to explore healing, forgiveness and the design tools that can aid in these processes. I am particularly interested in whether interactive components can help with the healing process - for example, in Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial, there are tiny holes next to each name in the wall. Over the years, flowers, notes and other mementos have been tucked into these holes. These items have been collected and are now displayed in an adjoining museum. Is the act of placing objects on the site part of the healing process? This reminds me of roadside memorials and the old Gullah graves of coastal SC and GA. Objects in these situations become vehicles for remembrance and are elevated beyond object status, and the ceremonial placement of them is integral to this.

Cairo, Egypt

I could write a book on this amazing city, after returning from a week there working with architecture students on a joint urban design project. Instead I think I will post a few photos and this explanation: whatever one might think about Muslim culture, Egypt, big cities or the Middle East in general, I urge everyone to visit and really get to know the wonderful people before passing judgment. Egyptians are the most polite, accommodating people I have ever met. The city of Cairo is intensely exciting, rich with textures and sounds and smells that overwhelm the senses. And the few negative aspects of the place (pollution, traffic and trash would have to be mentioned, in all fairness) are immediately overshadowed by the character of the people there. I learned so much in that week, that can now be applied to urban design in this country. We are so fortunate in the United States to have a high standard of living, clean air and room to sprawl...but we are missing the close-knit family structure and adherence to religious faith that I saw in so many of the Egyptians. I guess I can sum up the experience by saying we have a lot to learn from each other.

What is a landscape architect?

Every once in a while, I think it's a good idea to pause and reflect on what our profession really means. I know, this is the subject of endless conversations within the discipline, but I keep hoping that those who DON'T know what a Landscape Architect is will stumble on this site and learn a bit more about us. The ASLA, our professional organization here in the states, defines as follows:

http://www.asla.org/nonmembers/publicrelations/factshtpr.htm

WHAT IS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?
Landscape architecture encompasses the analysis, planning, design, management, and stewardship of the natural and built environments. Types of projects include: residential; parks and recreation; monuments; urban design; streetscapes and public spaces; transportation corridors and facilities; gardens and arboreta; security design; hospitality and resorts; institutional; academic campuses; therapeutic gardens; historic preservation and restoration; reclamation; conservation; corporate and commercial; landscape art and earth sculpture; interior landscapes; and more. Landscape architects have advanced education and professional training and are licensed in 49 states.

Landscape Architects suffer from a collective shoulder chip with regard to this topic. If you ask someone on the street to name a famous architect, you will get at least some educated responses. But very few passersby will be able to name a Landscape Architect. Why? Well, for one thing, ours is a more recent profession, at least formally labeled. Also, as we were discussing in one of my classes the other night, we create spaces, architects create objects. It is much easier to move through a space and enjoy it without acknowledging it. An object is much easier to identify and remember comprehensively.

As one of my professors commented, what this profession needs is a movie about landscape architecture with Brad Pitt playing the leading role. I would like to recommend "The Devil in the White City", because everyone loves movies about serial killers. It would be a box office smash.

The joy of walking on dirt

I recently attended the ASLA conference in San Francisco, and after four days of walking up and down those steep hills, my flatlander's legs were quite sore. On my last day in San Fran I visited the Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Garden. Not being all that savvy with navigating bus routes, I got off at the wrong stop and had to walk several blocks to the park. While in the park I noticed I was gravitating towards the grass and dirt beside all the paved areas, and then I noticed that I wasn't the only one doing so. Every runner I saw that day in the park was running on dirt or grass, and there was a little dirt track next to most of the paved paths in the park. I realized that in a big city, where hard surfaces are 99% of the walkable area, residents seek out a softer surface whenever they can, especially runners.

With all of our emphasis on providing paved areas and ADA access in our green spaces, I think we sometimes forget that its ok to just let a surface be dirt or grass. I am now rethinking park design, particularly in large cities.

TND's and New Urbanism

After having toured I'on in Charleston, SC recently (for the second time, mind you) as well as adjacent Daniel Island, I have some thoughts on this particular type of community. Although I think the basic premise of New Urbanism is a good one, I have a few problems with the reality of these neighborhoods. The most blatant problem to me is that these places feel very contrived. Now, before you jump all over me in defense, I do think that both I'on and Daniel Island are good examples of NU and are very well designed. But the thing that seems to make particularly I'on feel so contrived is that all the homes are still designed in a very similar traditional style. If you drive through any small town in America, you will almost always see a blend of architectural styles that spans the last two or more centuries. Even the most quaint of traditional communities have a few token midcentury modernist ranch homes thrown into the mix, often accompanied by some much less appealing eighties modern split levels and other quirky styles. The thing is, these structures add a sense of reality to their communities. They signify the ever changing trends, as well as individual taste. Whether or not you like the design of such homes, they nevertheless make a place seem much more REAL.

My other major argument against NU is that these neighborhoods quickly appreciate out of the range of any low or moderate income buyers. I know that it is very difficult to control this, and frankly I see a valid argument in both directions on this issue. Some municipalities are placing limits on the amount of appreciation a buyer can gain on their property if they are within a certain income group. This is in effect saying that they don't deserve to make a bundle of money on their investment because they are poor. On the other hand, if such measures are not placed on purchases the homes quickly sail out of reach of low income buyers anyway. It's definitely not an easy issue to solve! I guess the good part is that if low-income buyers are helped initially with purchasing homes in NU neighborhoods, at least that is one less poor person after they sell their property!

Above is a picture of the house one of my family members just purchased in a TND neighborhood. This house has appreciated from the 350k range just 3 years ago to the 675k range today. I am understandably jealous!

Manifesto for an unblinkered Landscape Architecture

By Bob Jacobsen (See my list of links for source):

MANIFESTO FOR AN UNBLINKERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, by Tom Turner*
1. We believe landscape architecture to be the most comprehensive of the arts. Its theory and history are continuous from ancient to modern times, with Senenmut, Vitruvius, Bramante, Babur, Le N-tre, Brown, Repton, Meason, Olmsted, Jellicoe, and McHarg among its leaders.
2. Lanship, defined as the condition of friendship between people and places, is our goal.
3. The six grand compositional elements of designed landscape are: landform,water, plants, climate, buildings, and paving (or "horizontal and vertical structures").
4. As an art, the practice of landscape architecture rests on the "imitationof nature" (mimesis) in the classical (neo-Neoplatonic) sense of representing visual ideas about the nature of the world.
5. Landscape design does best when preceded by excellent landscape planning and sustained by able stewards. It's therefore necessary to involve clients, communities, and other professionals in the planning, design, and maintenance of projects which aim to create lanship.