Urban Botanist

UK Honeymoon Chronicle - Part I

A few weeks ago Jory and I returned from our trip to England and Scotland. It was my first time on British soil. The purpose of our trip was three-fold: Some friends of Jory's were getting married, a week following that Jory was asked to speak at a conference in Leicester, and since we never took our honeymoon we figured we would spend the week in between road tripping in England and Scotland.

We spent two days in Liverpool celebrating Rob and Ruth's wedding as well as the naming of their new baby Jasper. The wedding was inside the Palm House, a glass conservatory in Sefton Park. Most of Rob's British and Scottish mates had nicknames such as "Pencil", "Ginger", and even "McLeod" (yes, of the McLeod Clan and in full Scottish Regalia). They were a blast to meet and party with.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the Liverpool waterfront, which was quite nice. According to locals, the waterfront has seen tons of redevelopment in the last few years in preparation for Liverpool becoming the "Cultural Capital" of the UK in 2008. There were many new modern lofts and apartment buildings going up and historic renovation projects of old warehouses and factory buildings are equally prevalent. There were probably more construction cranes in and around downtown Liverpool than in San Francisco.

 

Fixed...on cycling

Lately it seems that my life has consisted of work, relationship, eating, sleeping, and cycling. While I don't ride as much as I have in past phases of life, like when I lived in Santa Cruz, putting time in on the saddle is something that I can't live without. It provides me the opportunity to just be. The rhythm and whirring of the cranks and the delirious moments of exertion are more than just addictive, its a meditation. Spending 3,4, or even 6 hours on solo rides gives me quite a bit of time think and explore - both parts of myself and the environments that lie within pedaling range of the Oakland hills, where I live.

Jory often comments that my cycling habits are borderline insanity. I'm not sure if it's the quiver of pedal-powered works of art that I've managed to collect, or the deep bins of spare parts and gear that give her this impression. It might also be that I'm somewhat notorious for bringing friends and loved ones on rides that often involve lush trails overgrown with poison oak, hills so steep they make you cry, wicked downhills long enough to make your body ache, and times of being uncertain of relative location (aka "lost"). There are also long, exhilarating stages of fun and fulfillment.

The Sustainability of Green Design

A few weeks ago I attended the sixth annual Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Conference in Minneapolis. It was very well organized and in a great location. Minneapolis is really pushing the envelope to become a Green City and a leader in sustainable urban design: their new Public Library was designed with a Green Roof and they are offering rebates on utility bills for stormwater retention on-site. While at the conference, I met a ton of folks from around the US as well as around the world, such as Dr. Nigel Dunnett (UK), Sidone Carpenter (Australia),  Paul Kephart (of Rana Creek),  folks from EarthPledge, Rosalind Haselbeck, the list could go on and on.

A small green roof along Main Street Park, a developing area along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

One of my main goals in going to the conference was to bring back some Green Roof inspiration and motivation to add to our interdisciplinary practice at Sasaki Associates. As a mix of architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and planners, we have a responsibility to be be a model for what is possible for sustainable and green design. To me, this means maximizing the sustainability of our projects while minimizing their impacts; and Green Roofs have the potential to play an enormous role in this.

Nassella tenuissima - A new urban weed

I have always had some concern about the (somewhat) recent surge in ornamental grasses in the horticulture industry. I have been following several species over the past few years that have been of particular concern for their "weedy" potential.

Nassella tenuissima, Mexican Feather Grass, is one of the species that has grabbed my attention. It seems to be the new trend in covering large expanses with grasses, in park and streetscape settings (and can even be found on some roof gardens). I will admit that there is something spectacular about its fine textured plumes dancing in the breeze, and it is quite drought tolerant in our California climate. However, the nursery industry seems to be more concerned with making a buck than considering the invasive potential of this species. And designers seem to be either ignorant or naive about the invasiveness of this species.

Exploring a new realm

I've been contemplating starting a blog for almost a year - I've finally done it!
There are several reasons I'm carving my own niche into the blogosphere:

• For starters, having a wife that spends more time in the blogosphere than in real life will definitely make you wonder what the excitement is all about
• I need a new outlet to explore ideas and generate conversations
• I hope to generate a readership and network of other like-minded folks
• Have some fodder to hold against my wife so she'll think twice about her posts - now I can publically respond...watch out Jor!