Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Meridian Hill Park: The Making Of An American Neoclassical Landscape, Elizabeth Brabec

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Faculty Publication Series

The neoclassical design was the dominant design movement in landscape architecture at the turn of the last century, dictating the form and design of public parks for most of the first half of the twentieth century. Meridian Hill Park, located just north of the White ouse in Washington, DC, is considered the most ambitious neoclassical park ever conceived in the United States. The paper provides an overview of the design development of the park, illustrating how classical design precedents were used to create a contemporary neo-classical park.

Impervious Surfaces And Water Quality: A Review Of Current Literature And Its Implications For Watershed Planning, Elizabeth Brabec

Elizabeth Brabec

Impervious surfaces have for many years been recognized as an indicator of the intensity of the urban environment and, with the advent of urban sprawl, they have become a key issue in habitat health. Although a considerable amount of research has been done to define impervious thresholds for water quality degradation, there are a number of flaws in the assumptions and methodologies used. Given refinement of the methodology, accurate and usable parameters for preventative watershed planning can be developed, which include impervious surface thresholds and a balance between pervious and impervious surfaces within a watershed.

Preservation Of Small Town Character In The Town Center Of Rutland, Massachusetts, Karen Good

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Throughout the United States many small towns are facing development pressure. Many downtowns are dying or in danger due to competing large commercial developments outside the town center. More economic opportunities and incentives are needed in order to survive. Some communities respond to this pressure, while others simply let it roll over their town. In Rutland, Massachusetts, a small town of approximately 6,200 people, the townspeople are taking a step back to view their town and evaluate their situation before they lose their community character.

A key event that raised town consciousness was the demolition of a Greek Revival house …

H.H. Richardson Train Station, Holyoke: A Nineteenth Century Landscape For Twenty-First Century People, Nancy Howard

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The Collaboration between H.H. Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Charles Sprague Sargent on the train stations and grounds of the Boston and Albany railroad, and connected lines, involved the newest technology of the day, yet engaged the landscape reverently. Their work for the Boston and Albany Railroad was called, by Charles Mulford Robinson, "the railroad beautiful", and led the way for the City Beautiful movement of the turn of the century. Richardson completed nine stations before he died at age forty-seven. His successor Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge completed another twenty-three.

Although no landscape plans exist, the train station in Holyoke …

Agricultural Land Fragmentation: The Spatial Effects Of Three Land Protection Strategies In The Eastern United States, Elizabeth Brabec, Chip Smith

Elizabeth Brabec

Fragmentation of agricultural land by urban sprawl affects both the agricultural production capacity of the land and its rural scenic quality. In order to assess the resulting fragmentation of the three most common types of agricultural land conservation tools in the United States, this study analyzes the spatial form of three land protection strategies: a purchase of development rights (PDR) program, a clustering program and a transfer of development rights program. By assessing a series of measures of success such as total acreage protected, size of parcels, contiguity and farming status, the study compares the effectiveness of programs that have …

Meridian Hill Park: The Making Of An American Neoclassical Landscape, Elizabeth Brabec

Elizabeth Brabec

The neoclassical design was the dominant design movement in landscape architecture at the turn of the last century, dictating the form and design of public parks for most of the first half of the twentieth century. Meridian Hill Park, located just north of the White ouse in Washington, DC, is considered the most ambitious neoclassical park ever conceived in the United States. The paper provides an overview of the design development of the park, illustrating how classical design precedents were used to create a contemporary neo-classical park.

Greenways As Strategic Landscape Planning: Theory And Application, Jack F. Ahern

Jack F. Ahern

This thesis investigates greenways as an emerging strategy for landscape planning. In the thesis, greenways are researched through case studies in the Netherlands and the USA and through published literature. Application of the greenway concept is made to several landscape planning projects in the USA. An original greenway typology is proposed based on: scale, goals, spatial context, and planning strategy. Using the typology, greenway planning is compared with other contemporary landscape planning concepts and activities including: ecological networks, wildlife corridors, and habitat networks. The thesis discusses three fundamental benefits of greenways: the hypothesis of co-occurrence of resources; the inherent benefits …