Landscape research record最新文献

This research presents a collection of ecological strategies for the restoration of vanished resacas, oxbow wetland lakes in the Lower Rio Grande region, which have significantly declined in the past decades. As a result, the Lower Rio Grande, an underserved and largely Hispanic area, is facing threats of declining water quality and quantity. Using a 344-acre park in Mercedes, TX as a study area, the restoration of the lost resacas brings back the native resacas ecosystem, achieves flood control, purifies the water, revitalizes vacant land, and provides a safe route for student travel. Currently in Mercedes, flood control projects and agricultural practices have altered the natural levees and decreased biodiversity, causing bacterial water pollution issues. The floodway divides the city; it is further divided by highways and railway, causing a lack of green space in this largely Hispanic area, and resulting in human health problems. As a vital portion of the wetland system, resacas accommodate various species and vitalize biodiversity in the Lower Rio Grande Area, which is the convergence of the Central Flyway and the Mississippi Flyway. A suitability analysis was conducted to identify potential habitat areas and select the optimal design site by identifying available vacant land. A resacas network for wildlife habitat was then created, a comprehensive site analysis was conducted, and design decisions about the form of the restored resacas were made. Three types of barriers were identified: recreational, mobility & safety, and population-based. Correspondingly, resacas-ready programs were generated to break down each barrier. Outputs from the application of the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment Model (L-THIA) show that through restoring the resacas, 1,486,703 ft3 of additional annual stormwater runoff is captured, reducing 89.5% of phosphorous in the contaminated soil, 86.4% of suspended solids, and 84.1% of fecal coliform from the currently polluted water, significantly contributing to the local environment and public health.

Geodesign is an iterative process for cycling through representation, evaluation, change, impact, and decision models to forge consensus typically across disciplinary more so than geographic boundaries. Multi-scalar integration of blue, green, and human infrastructure is necessary for adapting communities to large-scale extreme flooding scenarios timely and effectively. This project explored the feasibility of using multi-scalar geodesign to converge geographic perspectives from smaller-scale units of analysis (networks of water resources regions (WRRs)) into a higher-order consensus at the continental level to facilitate adaptation pathways planning for instantaneous flooding events, including flash flooding from dam breaks, tidal surges from polar reversal, and rapid sea level rise due to extreme solar events. Participants were initially organized based on their disciplines and geographical familiarity with a particular network of WRRs. Each team helped inventory priority intervention types and sites for blue, green, and human infrastructure components within its respective network of WRRs. Participants were then reorganized into continental teams with an equal number of representatives from each of the four network teams to integrate regional inventories of priority intervention sites and types into continental framework alternatives. Interrater reliability test indicated high reliability (ICC>0.9) in the response patterns of two independent raters (non-participants) that compared convergeability of each pair of alternatives into one: The pairs with the alternative generated without all representatives led to less converge-ability than those pairs containing alternatives generated with all representatives. The finding suggests the importance of integrated teaming in generating consensus-based, multi-scalar adaptation plans for disruptive flooding scenarios more rapidly.

Demonstrating and experimenting interdisciplinary teaching and experiential learning, faculty and students across three colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Engineering), and 4 departments (Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Horticultural Sciences, and Civil, Biological and Agricultural Engineering) designed, implemented, and are monitoring effects of a rain garden. This collaboration presents a model for multi-scalar, interdisciplinary studio instruction involving a project conducted by over 200 undergraduate and graduate students across allied fields. Landscape Architecture students provided designs, construction details, and performance monitoring of the site as well as developed a large-scaled campus master plan. Horticultural Sciences students propagated and produced the plants. Civil engineers assisted with constructed infrastructure design and water quality/quantity assessment. Professional landscape architects, urban planners, horticulturalists, engineers and campus facilities maintenance personnel evaluated student work. This paper specifies lessons learned from the application of a program that sought to educate and train students in LID alternatives to traditional stormwater management through hands-on outdoor classroom activities. While opportunities for interdisciplinary networking, knowledge of the landscape construction process, and the ability to utilize scientific rationale for design decision making all increased, challenges included coordination efforts across disciplines, overcoming unknown nomenclature specific to each field, delays due to unforeseen circumstances, and budgetary increased as a result of maintenance issues. However, Collaboration between multidisciplinary professionals enabled students to experience the professional design process and have a deeper understanding of the positive impacts of green infrastructure through interdisciplinary experiential learning.