A Response to ‘Recycling and Regenerative Design in Landscape Architecture’ – A Talk by Dr Alessio Russo
I recently attended a (virtual) talk by Dr Alessio Russo, one of my university lecturers, in which he presented the concept of recycling and regenerative design in landscape architecture. Alessio first offered the concept of regenerative development, providing the definition of ‘a coherent approach of pursuing sustainability within the conceptual framework of living, evolving systems. It works on developing the capability of living systems, social as well as natural, to express their potential for diversity, complexity and creativity’. We were also given a definition which describes regenerative development as investigating ‘how humans can participate in ecosystems through development, to create optimum health for both human communities and other living organisms and systems’. Overall, regenerative development is seen as the desired outcome and, therefore, regenerative design is the means of achieving it. Attending this talk has encouraged me to adopt regenerative design, working with existing ecology and living systems rather than creating new urbanisation.
Alessio went on to present a series of precedent studies, in
which the landscape was remediated and regenerated after intensive human
activity, focussed on the categories of landfill, quarries, brownfields,
airfields, docks, railways and Edible Green Infrastructure. I have included an
image and brief description of a few of my favourites below:
Duisburg Nord Landscape Park, Germany
Existing patterns and fragments formed by industrial use
were taken, redeveloped and integrated to form a new landscape for public
enjoyment, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding re-use of contaminated
sites. The site now includes Blast Furnace Park, Waterpark, Sinter Park,
Railway Park, play-points and Ore Bunker Gallery.
Valdemingomez Forest Park, Spain
After 22 years of activity and an accumulated 21.7 million
tonnes of waste, the 110 hectare site was restored to offer new parkland, including
two new ecosystems of 1,500m² each, as well as 4.2km of pedestrian paths and
3.2km of bicycle lanes. The restoration also came with huge environmental
benefits, including a reduction of three million tonnes of CO2 emitted and 280
biogas collection wells that produced one million MWh of electricity.
Zhongshan Shipyard Park, China
Covering 11 hectares, the abandoned shipyard was transformed
into a public park, focusing on the principle of reducing, reusing and
recycling natural and manmade materials. The existing vegetation and habitats
were preserved, utilising native plants throughout. Machines, docks and other
industrial structure were recycled and reused for educational, aesthetic and
functional purposes.
References
Landezine. (n.d.) Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord. Available
at: http://landezine.com/index.php/2011/08/post-industrial-landscape-architecture/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=17c3948068dc9870edcfbd3709e7ffe12589b8fb-1615663436-0-AUETKj6cNVY7O5f2pEPR_CYtyrUeIUESHW2sEjuhMmKUQpMbIZmOnkKg2WCB5gZMXLR99NVbC3DpYwLm5uvTs41Ed35eToOrBsvDCRLFWYptkf2u92_ra32Z4QLyZGBIHvV3YFv07RvhSYV1x_UqqNv1JepEgVjXpwG6z475dUnExMlbmBD5t5tX0y-FuBblBUsibaNG3uMWBhJGT99dOC3VUm7P0aiVGtx_WIf7FRlfxnNSpWKuBz1MZjp18MGOGjqDiokjlBCUsAiZ7hlCg_eJOW5EcnhT1mrmqU-jVi1TbTGf44cMI7ZVGHYAN9YIK6kt25jb4hzcLpTWb018-3oEKULeRFHdqY-tJ4jm7IJHpoYmv0v9T0RMg7whIphz7FTuMJmtxEX7s0CeFL-d9VI
(Accessed: 13 March 2021)
Turenscape. (2017) Zhongshan Shipyard Park. Available
at: https://www.turenscape.com/en/project/detail/4650.html (Accessed: 13 March
2021)
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