Is the micro-forest hype just a trend, or do these tiny forests outweigh the benefits of traditional urban planting techniques? As micro-forests grow in popularity throughout urban spaces, they have proven to be more promising than previously thought. Micro-forests are unlike conventional tree plantings in urban spaces, which are often sparse and isolated. These forests are densely planted small plots with a large variety of native species, delivering the impact of a true forest for only a fraction of the space… 

Wind is an elusive, constantly changing force. Its character is captured in the above wind map, a striking visualization of wind data that helps us view wind patterns over time and location. More than an engaging image, these patterns are another way of indexing ecological conditions, as the scientist P.S. Nobel reminds us, “Wind affects plant growth, reproduction, distribution, death and ultimately plant evolution.”

As we wrap up summer, we asked our summer intern Noelle to reflect on her time at Assemblage, the profession of landscape architecture, and what she looks forward to in her journey.

When it comes to stormwater, it is time to slow things down. Much of our current stormwater infrastructure was designed to quickly divert water to underground sewer systems. But times have changed. Faced with increasingly unstable weather patterns that bring both frequent flooding as well intermittent droughts, today’s systems are taxed beyond capacity. Where to look for solutions? We suggest looking right under our noses, at a line in the landscape that is so familiar that it seems almost natural: the street curb.

A growing body of knowledge about tree networks necessitates a change in perspective about designing with urban trees for landscape architects. As a profession we are accustomed to viewing street trees as independent elements, but in fact when we examine life below ground we are invited to reimagine our approach to planting trees in a way that opens up a host of new opportunities to innovate our standard practices.

In the midst of unprecedented warming and a myriad of other factors associated with climate change such as rising sea levels, frequent flooding, and storm surge, nature based solutions are a critical part of today’s most pressing issues. But ironically the role that plants have in nature-based infrastructure is often overlooked if they are considered decorative finish elements that we add after the hard infrastructure is decided. This type of design thinking must change.

One thing we are passionate about in our projects is listening to the story that landscape materials have to tell us. As we seek to better understand the carbon footprint of our projects, we learn that it takes a lot of resources to build them. With a deeper awareness of material provenance through our material source mapping projects, we hope to arrive at better informed decisions in how we source, select, and approach materials. To facilitate action, we have engaged in methods that will help us change the hefty ecological, social, and economic impacts of standard material practices.

Greenways often seem to pop up in recycled spaces along urban waterways, retired industrial corridors, and in the in-between spaces of towns and cities. But these humble trails are much more than simple paths around town… they take copious amounts of planning and coordination. By transforming these areas, we reclaim space for transportation, recreation, ecological life, health and wellness.

How does one plan a forest management strategy on a large scale, phased project? At the future Art Omi Pavilions in Chatham, NY, our design goal is to create an integrated landscape + art experience, so management of the surrounding forests is essential. On such a large site, we saw the opportunity to start small and expand over time. By creating a pilot management project within one of the smaller hedgerow patches, we can test management approaches that will support new forest growth. This strategy will build local stewardship knowledge, support healthy forest regeneration, and create a space for respite and learning at Art Omi Pavilions!

Like many places, New York City’s Harbor has been intensely modified. Dredging, hardening of the shore, and the over consumption of natural resources has left marine ecosystems unbalanced and struggling. How can we as designers improve our surrounding ecosystems that have undergone this drastic change? At Assemblage, we strive to incorporate Circular Loops into our design practice to address the impacts of historic development on the landscape.

This week’s storm was a reminder that cloudburst storms are becoming more and more common in New York City. These sudden and intense rain events often overwhelm city stormwater infrastructure, leading to severe flooding, property damage, and dangerous conditions for city residents. As a way to increase city resiliency, cloudburst Infrastructure is being installed to better manage these short but powerful events.

Where do our landscape materials come from? A call to action to find out!

To answer this question, and to find out how materials magically arrive on site, we took to mapping the materials of our first built project, Dolly’s Park, back to their source. This prompted a deep dive into the provenance of the park materials, which we documented in this “sourcemap” . The sourcemap traces the journey of each material, and the people and places who were instrumental in making them a vital part of the park.

Without soil, no life on land could exist. Even with this profound scientific truth, it is difficult for us to see the ground beneath our feet as the source of our life, however even the word “human” relates to “humus”. Climate change is demanding we address our soil blindness now. A deeper dive into the soil beneath the surface invites us into this enormously biodiverse and complex ecosystem, where we can learn how to protect and regenerate soils, essential to planetary life and climate regulation.

It is heartening to see so many waterfront communities transitioning their waterfronts from industrial to recreational/ecological, and Assemblage is ready to be a part of this exciting process. We collaborate with teams to develop a deep understanding of each site’s unique social context and riparian ecology during the design process. We also collaborate with brownfield specialists to help restore ecological balance and bring life back to degraded land. We hope to see more opportunities in the future and welcome the chance to collaborate with new teams and municipalities!

As landscape architects, we are by profession, innovators and problem solvers. We work within complex urban environments with planting typologies that are continuously evolving to meet resiliency standards. Plant maintenance practices after installation must co-evolve with these standards, and extending the role of the landscape architect offers exciting potential for better ecological and financial outcomes.

As design-forward landscape architects, many of us have spent countless hours designing ecologically inspired planting plans, only to see them wither and decline from lack of attention after they are installed. At Assemblage we are questioning the status quo of landscape maintenance by rethinking how we can better plan during design for the challenges of first-year plant establishment. We are exploring ways to remain involved in the care of our newly installed planting projects by managing, maintaining, and monitoring them (the 3 M’s). This will allow us to gain familiarity with all the dynamic variables so we can resolve establishment challenges and better forecast those challenges in the future.

Designing with plants beyond the superficial is something we constantly explore at Assemblage. Plants are unique from all other materials in the design palette because they are alive. How can we as landscape architects capture the dynamic qualities of plants more insightfully, and how do we better educate ourselves to design successfully with and for plants in urban spaces?

Climate change is a global phenomenon impacting all landscapes. As designers working within the intersection of water bodies and public space, how we choose to address the effects of climate related conditions is criticall. Climate impacts are a combination of sudden, extreme, and chronic issues. Think storm surges and heavy flooding in combination with steady sea level rise and consistently higher temperatures. These conditions currently threaten valued public spaces within our urban communities. In New York City alone, parks make up almost 30 percent of the coastline.

New Yorkers have the good fortune of living amongst a powerful network of 7 million trees. This wide-spread tree population lines streets and roadways and is found clustered within parks and greenways. Using the New York Parks interactive forest maps a close-in view of where exactly trees can be found. What we find is that the City’s trees appear unequally distributed across City neighborhoods. From this spatial vantage point we can speculate that as tree density changes, so do the benefits associated with trees.