Permaculture, Community Revitalization, and Sustainable Design

A small, but growing, group of neighbors in East Liberty, called the Borland Garden Cooperative, have come together in order to develop a sustainable, multi-purpose urban garden that eliminates vacancy, adds vibrancy and biodiversity, and serves as an educational tool and community gathering space.   

Funded by the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Sprout Fund, and the Sarah Heinz Foundation, the Borland Garden Cooperative partnered with East Liberty Development Incorporated, Pittsburgh Permaculture, and GTECH Strategies to develop a unique urban garden model.  Pashek Associates was hired to develop a master plan for the garden in which energy and water will be captured, materials will be recycled and reused, and everyone who works in the garden shares tools and the harvest.

The group envisions the garden as a place in which the surrounding community can come together to learn, share resources, work together, grow together, and share in the bounty.  Some of the unique features of the garden include an urban food forest, traditional vegetable garden, water cistern, bio-shelter, rain gardens, chicken coop, outdoor kitchen and gathering space, and a labyrinth.   

Chimney swift habitat helps offer pest management as well as doubling as educational signage.  A windspire serves as a sculptural focal point as well as powering lighting.  Bee and butterfly habitat promotes pollination within the garden.  A sensory garden entices the public to walk up to, smell, touch, taste, see and interact with the garden.  Compost bins help recycle chicken manure, garden waste, as well as compostable materials from adjacent neighbors. 

The master planning process is almost finished but that does not mean the work is done.  The Cooperative will be out in full force to prepare for the installation of the rain gardens, cistern, street trees, and urban food forest in the fall. 

Natural Playgrounds

More and more research is showing that children benefit from playing outdoors, specifically in nature.  Children are happier, healthier, and smarter when they connect with nature.  Several new movements in playground design have sought to incorporate nature in the play experience.  In addition, several playground manufacturers have responded by creating new lines of play structures and features that are nature inspired.

What are natural playgrounds?  Simply put, they are areas where children can play with natural elements such as wood, plants, rocks, dirt, and water.  Natural playgrounds incorporate features such as tunnels made from hollowed out trees, grass mounds, slides built into the hillside, tree stumps to climb and sit on, boulders to climb over, edible plants, butterfly gardens, and vegetable gardens.  Natural playgrounds offer opportunities for environmental education, unstructured play, social interaction, along with a more aesthetic setting.

A natural playground concept

Some playground equipment manufacturers are creating equipment made to look like tree houses, stumps, climbing boulders, and balance beams.  They are also promoting placing equipment into more naturalized settings with lots of trees and shrubs.  Whether you can call this a true “natural playground” is not the point.  The bottom line is, children should have access to playgrounds with more natural features, whether it is an existing playground that integrates manufactured play equipment with lush plantings, a brand new playground that includes all natural features, or a combination of both.

Traditional playground equipment incorporated into a naturalized play space

For more resources on natural or naturalized playgrounds check out NatureGrounds and the Natural Learning Initiative.  Or contact us about designing a natural playground for your community.

New York City Five Boroughs Ride

Pashek Associates staff member Mike Kotyk made his first journey to New York City for the 34^th annual Five Boro Bike Tour.   The ride took place on Sunday, May 1^st with more than 30,000 cyclists participating.  Featuring 42 miles of car-free streets through all five boroughs, the tour cruised by sites such as the Empire State Building, historic Harlem, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty.

Mike and his wife stayed on the Upper West Side throughout the trip, which afforded them the opportunity to utilize the Hudson River Greenway to travel to and from the tour.  The Greenway is known as the most heavily used bikeway in the United States and is the longest trail in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway system.  The planning and design of the greenway is remarkable as it provides a completely car free multi-use trail for commuters as well as for recreation.  The trail follows along the Hudson River for more than 13 miles providing great views and open air breezes off the water as it passes through several parks, playgrounds, and court complexes.  The southern terminus of the trail is at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, which is where the tour began.

One of the things Mike was most looking forward to along the course of the tour was gaining a new perspective of the architecture throughout Manhattan.   Though he tended to focus more on not crashing into the plethora of other closely packed cyclists, the experience of being on a bicycle along Avenue of the Americas was awe inspiring.

The sharp contrast of leaving the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan and entering the lush green of Central Park was fantastic.  Taking in the beautiful scenery riding through the Park with 32,000 fellow cyclists was truly an experience Mike will never forget.

The first major rest area in Astoria Park was the most memorable.  Located along the East River in Queens, Astoria Park is situated adjacent to the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge.  The park contains New York City’s largest swimming pool and utilizes the space underneath the bridge deck for a skate park.  The views of the Triborough and Hell’s Gate Bridges, as well as the Manhattan Skyline across the East River, were absolutely beautiful.

The ride finishes dramatically by taking cyclists across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  When opened in 1964, it was the world's longest suspension span bridge.  The entrances of the bridge are at historic Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.  The Five Boro Bike Tour and the New York City Marathon are the only two events that allow people to cross the bridge without using a motor vehicle.

The tour culminated with a Festival at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.  Finally, there was a short three mile ride to the Staten Island Ferry which was packed with bicycles as it floated by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor on its way back to Battery Park in lower Manhattan.  In all, the ride was a very rewarding experience and one of the most spectacular events Mike says he has ever participated in. Needless to say, he’ll be making the trek back to New York City for the 2012 Five Boro Bike Tour.

Pashek Associates Buys Office Bikes to Celebrate Earth Day

As an office, we have tried to become more sustainable over the years.  We have a green roof, we recycle everything we possibly can, we buy recycled paper, and a few of us are even able to ride bikes to work every so often.  However, lately we’ve realized that we can still do more. 

Conveniently located on the Northside of Pittsburgh, our main office is close to downtown and the Strip District where we have several meetings and errands to do, and we can’t forget lunch to pick up.  Most times we drive to these places since it is faster than walking, and we all know that time is precious.  However, we’ve also realized that driving to downtown can be difficult when you have to find parking, not to mention the needless CO2 that is pumped into the atmosphere.  Who wants to do that if all they have to do is run quickly into the City County Building for an errand or go to a meeting that is close? 

So, it came to us one day recently that we could buy a pair of bikes that would be stored in the office for just those occasions.  Fully decked out with baskets for storage, helmets for safety, and bike locks for… well you get the point.  These bikes will save us time, gas, and will help us improve the environment.  We can even have a leisurely ride along the Allegheny River trails during lunch to stay physically and mentally healthy.  What better way to celebrate Earth Day than this! 

DCNR's Stormwater BMP Guide for Parks

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has recently asked us, along with some other LA's in the State, to review and comment on their new Stormwater BMP Guide for Parks.  The guide is for grantees to use and apply to their sites.  Below is the final version:

Rain Garden- an excavated shallow surface depression planted with specially selected native vegetation to treat and capture runoff.  Rain gardens should be located in well-drained soils.  They allow stormwater to be absorbed by plants and infiltrated into the groundwater. 

How can you apply this in your park?  A simple rain garden can be located near a walkway, parking lot, court area, or other paved surface to absorb stormwater runoff.  Native vegetation that thrives in wet conditions should be planted to enhance the water absorption capabilities of the rain garden.   Additional benefits of native vegetation may include creating habitat areas for wildlife and birds and aesthetic enhancement of the site. This type of design is inviting to park visitors and educational signage can illustrate how a simple rain garden design can be created at home to reduce stormwater runoff.

Pervious Pavement- consists of a permeable pavement (surface course) underlain by a uniformly-graded stone bed which provides temporary storage for stormwater runoff and promotes infiltration.  The surface course may consist of porous asphalt, porous concrete, or various porous structural pavers laid on uncompacted soil. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Pervious pavement can be used in parking areas, on basketball and tennis courts, for trails and walkways, etc.  Use of pervious pavement is not practical for wooded or flood prone areas due to sediment and leaf-litter filling the porous voids of the pavement.   In open areas, use of pervious pavement provides the added benefit of managing stormwater beneath the surface, minimizing disruption of additional areas for the management of stormwater and the costs associated with construction of a stand-alone stormwater management facility.  For large parking lots consider a mix of surface types that include turf parking with a gravel base, aggregate paving for traffic aisles, and pervious paving for parking stalls.

Riparian Areas- a permanent area of trees and shrubs located adjacent to streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.  Riparian forests are the most beneficial type of buffer for they provide ecological and water quality benefits. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Enhance the areas adjacent to rivers, streams, wetlands and ponds with native vegetation or create a “no mow zone” with meadow grasses that is at least 35’ wide on all sides.  Be sure to include public access points where appropriate so park visitors can enjoy these water resources.  Interpretative signs can describe the benefits of riparian areas and describe the wildlife habitat areas created.

Vegetated Swale- a broad, shallow channel densely planted with a variety of trees, shrubs, and/or grasses.  Vegetative swales should be promoted in lieu of storm piping to convey stormwater naturally, promoting infiltration, reducing runoff volume, and filtering pollutants.   

How can you apply this in your park?  A vegetated swale is an economical alternative to storm piping and may be constructed between a street, parking lot or commercial/industrial area and the park to provide a natural stormwater infiltration area.  The park can become a solution to an urban stormwater issue.

Naturalized Infiltration Basin- an earthen structure constructed either by impoundment of a natural depression or excavation of existing soil that provides temporary storage and infiltration of stormwater runoff. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Existing and new stormwater management basins can be naturalized with native plantings to aid in faster infiltration and to provide wildlife habitat.  Basins can be planted with native wildflowers and warm season grasses that are attractive and low maintenance. 

Floodplain and Wetland Restoration- tries to mimic the interaction of groundwater, stream base flow, and vegetative root systems- key components of a stream corridor under pre-settlement (pre-1600s) conditions.  The interaction among these elements provides multiple benefits, including the filtering of sediments and nutrients through retention of frequent high flows on the floodplain, removal of nitrates from groundwater, reduction of peak flow rates, groundwater recharge/infiltration, reduced erosion, control non native invasive species, and an increase of storage and reduction of flood elevations during higher flows. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Floodplains should remain natural without constructed facilities; however low-impact accessible paths may be included to invite park visitors to walk among native vegetation and view wildlife.    Existing wetland should be protected and restored to enhance their ecological benefits such as increasing water quality, reducing stormwater impacts, and providing critical habitat for a variety of species.  Boardwalks and viewing decks can provide access to wetland areas for environmental education.  Educational signage can be installed to teach park visitors the critical role floodplains and wetlands play in the environment.

Reforestation- replant the site with trees. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Reforestation can occur in both natural areas and developed areas of a park.  Riparian corridors, floodplains, wetlands, meadows, and forest edges can all benefit from reforestation.  Reforestation and planting of trees near picnic areas, pavilions, spectator areas, playgrounds, benches, trails, and  other built features will enhance the environment, provide shade, and create a sense of place within a park.

Extensive Green Roof- the most popular green roof for smaller structures and existing structures.  Its lightweight attributes minimize the amount of structural changes needed to create it.   

How can you apply this in your park?  Extensive green roofs may be constructed on park kiosks, pavilions, environmental education centers, sheds and community recreation centers.

Warm Season Meadows- conversion of a turf area into a meadow.  Native species should be selected for their minimum need of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.  Minimize mowing to two times per year. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Meadows can be integrated into most park sites; particularly along riparian corridors and, forest edges and within un-programmed open space.  Meadows diversify the land cover; attract butterflies, birds, and wildlife; and reduce on-going maintenance costs associated with mowing.  Trails can be created through the wildflower and/or warm season grass meadow and bluebird boxes can be put up to create wildlife viewing opportunities.  Educational signage can be installed to present the environmental and ecological benefits meadows provide vs. turf.

Runoff Capture and Reuse- encompasses a wide variety of water storage techniques designed to “capture” precipitation, hold it for a period of time, and reuse it.  These storage techniques may include cisterns, underground tanks, above-ground vertical storage tanks, rain barrels or other systems. 

How can you apply this in your park?  Rain barrels and cisterns can be used in parks to capture roof runoff from pavilions, environmental education centers or community recreation centers to then be used to irrigate gardens and water plants, flush toilets, storage for firefighting needs, etc.

You can find more information about Stormwater BMPs in the PA Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater BMP Manual here.

Is Big-Box Going Small?

Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal about Big-Box stores shrinking in size.  That's right, it seems as though big name retailers are starting to open more and more small-sized stores.  Staples has opened a 4,000 square foot store while Best Buy has several smaller stores averaging 1,400 square feet.  What does this mean for urban redevelopment?  Well, plenty of new opportunities of course.

Promoting Green Infrastructure

Sometimes it’s hard to convince people that more trees are good or that the extra cost for installing pervious paving can go a long way later.  The good news is that the Federal, State, and local governments are starting to recognize the importance of green infrastructure in protecting our health, safety, and welfare in addition to future cost savings and improving the environment. 

For example, the Borough of Etna, Pennsylvania has had its fair share of flooding problems.  Located in the flood plain where Pine Creek enters the Allegheny River, Etna received millions of dollars of flood damage during the heavy rains of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.  Even during lesser storms, Etna is prone to flooding.  In order to help solve this problem, the Borough has recently secured a state grant plus some of its own money to install permeable sidewalks and rain gardens.  Check out this article for more information.

Permeable pavers such can help reduce flooding and the cost of flood damage.

Want to know the economic value of green infrastructure’s benefits for your community?  The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and American Rivers have released a guide that places an economic value on the numerous benefits provided by green infrastructure.  Download “The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing its Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits” here.

April is National Landscape Architecture Month!

That's right! April is not only when leaves start to show and flowers blossom, it is a month in which we celebrate Landscape Architecture.  To help celebrate, the April issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine has been posted online for free downloading and viewing.

The Story of Our Green Roof: Part 2

Since we’ve constructed a green roof on part of our office building in late 2006, we have learned several things that we want to share:

Green Roof Type

Extensive

100, 2’x2’ trays with 4” of growing medium

Southern exposure

Plants

Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet'

Sedum album L

Sedum kamtschaticum var. ellacombeanum

Sedum rupestre

Lessons Learned

Irrigation – We watered periodically during the first growing season to get the plants established.  We did use a drip irrigation system during that period which made it a little easier.  Since then, we have removed the drip irrigation and haven’t watered anything, except once or twice when one of the staff has recognized that it hadn’t rained in several weeks.  We recommend sticking to a strict watering schedule in which the plants are watered thoroughly every few days for the first week or two, and then once a week for the first growing season.  Long, deep watering encourages deeper rooting and stronger, healthier plants.  If the water just reaches the surface, so will the roots, which prevents the plants from gathering more water during droughts.

Maintenance – During the first and second growing seasons, we weeded the green roof several times a year.  Since then, we have weeded once or twice a growing season.  Typically, an employee will take a break from their daily grind to spend five or ten minutes on a beautiful day weeding.  

Plant Selection – All of the sedum have been doing well except Sedum spurium ‘Red Carpet’ which seems to get scale.  We recommend mixing a large variety of species in order get a higher survival rate and ensure that a disease won’t wipe out an entire area.  Sedums work well with shallow soils such as on our roof.  However, most are non-native.  If you want more native plants, six inches or more of growing medium is best. 

Environmental Benefits – Our green roof retains up to 95 gallons of water during a rain storm.  That’s up to 95 gallons of rain water that doesn’t flow directly into the Combined Sewer system and into the Rivers.  It is also providing some refuge for several species of bugs.  We haven’t measured the air quality, but know that our green roof is producing more oxygen and absorbing air pollutants. 

Cost Benefits – We are in the process of figuring out how much energy we save due to the green roof.  We already know that it is protecting the rubber membrane underneath from harmful UV rays and therefore extending its normal life span. 

Final Thoughts – If you are part of a small office building with just a few employees, constructing a green roof is possible with just a little bit of effort and money.  Sedums are the easiest to maintain.  Creating a maintenance schedule for the first two growing seasons will help ensure that your investment does not die.  Our office has a dishwasher and trash duty schedule in which each employee is responsible for about one month out of the year.  This can be adapted to a green roof maintenance schedule.  If you really want to know all of the specific benefits your green roof will have, try installing monitoring equipment or just look at your utility bills.  Finally, we couldn’t tell everyone that they should put green roofs on their buildings unless we also encourage them to first consult a structural engineer to determine if a green roof is feasible.

What is Green Infrastructure?

When you think of infrastructure, you usually think of things like roads, sewer systems, water supply, power grids, etc…  It is the basic physical structures needed for a community to enable, sustain, or enhance a certain standard of living for its residents.   It enables the buying and selling of goods and services at a more efficient level.  Could you imagine your workplace without internet, electricity, or even roads connecting you to your clients? 

Wetlands and riparian buffers are green infrastructure.

 But what does it mean when “green” is placed in front of the word infrastructure?  Green Infrastructure is a concept that can, and should, be applied to all different scales of planning and design.  Basically, it includes everything from strategically planned and managed networks of natural lands, to working landscapes, to recreational landscapes, and other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and functions.  In other words, greenways, parks, riparian buffers, wetlands, floodplains, rivers, and even stormwater Best Management Practices such as rain gardens, porous pavements, green roofs, and trees are all part of Green Infrastructure.  It recognizes the importance of natural systems and processes within our communities.

Green roofs and rain gardens are green infrastructure.

Why has Green Infrastructure become so important in the last 10 or 20 years?  Well, because it is beneficial for the environment, human health, the economy, and our society as a whole.  Working with and using natural processes ensures that we’ll have resources for future generations.  Stormwater BMPs reduce flooding, pollution, and the strain on our storm sewers.  Street trees beautify our neighborhoods, increase property values, reduce the urban heat island, and absorb air pollution and stormwater.  Greenways help protect steep hillsides from being developed and eroded, protect wildlife habitat, and offer recreational opportunities.  Constructed wetlands not only provide wildlife habitat but filter pollution and even human waste. 

So the next time you step outside, try to identify what types of green infrastructure are present and how they help to make your community a better place.

Prefurbia: A Viable Solution to Urban Renewal?

Developed by the Rick Harrison Site Design Studio, Perfurbia is a new method of urban and suburban redevelopment that aims to produce a “Preferred Quality of Life”.  Prefurbia uses organically-designed neighborhoods with varied streetscapes and aspires to reduce environmental impact, increase public and private space, reduce costs, and increase pedestrian connectivity compared to traditional neighborhoods.   

 Take a look at this slideshow presentation to see a case study.  Let us know what you think.  What are the pros and cons of this planning method?  How does it compare to New Urbanism and Smart Growth Principles?  We would like to know your thoughts.

The Story of Our Green Roof: Part 1

In 2006, Pashek Associates decided to experiment with designing and building a green roof on our 1890’s office building located at 619 East Ohio Street on the Northside.  We wanted to see what we could do with a little money, a little time, and a little physical labor.  After discussing different options, we decided on a simple extensive tray system, mostly because the manufacturer was using them on a larger project in the city and agreed to put an extra one hundred trays on the truck and deliver them at a discounted price. 

One cold December morning, we put on our working gloves and carried the 50-pound trays filled with special growing medium into place, assembly line style.  Each 2’x2’ aluminum tray was set down on five small rubber pads to allow excess roof runoff to flow under the trays and into the existing roof drain.   No other material was applied directly to the roof.  It was as simple as that!

 Then, on a warm spring day, the whole office pulled our gloves back on and planted the trays with several varieties of sedum.  We used small plugs and get them a good soak using water from a rain barrel attached to our third floor roof.  We did install a drip irrigation system for the first growing season.  We have removed the system and haven’t needed to water the plants since.

 A couple years later, we thought we had a roof leak.  A roofing contractor moved the trays around the roof in order to find the leak.  He was surprised to find that there was almost no degradation of the roof membrane as a result of the green roof trays.  Ultimately, instead of finding a leak in the roof, the contractor found a leak in a brick wall.  That's when we knew that our green roof was really doing it's job!

Cashing In on Geocaching

Recently, John Buerkle from our office attended the Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team 2010 Trails Conference, “Cashing-In on Geocaching,” workshop in Emporium, PA. 

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

 

The workshop focused on how trail groups, businesses, and communities can use geocaching as an economic and community development tool to improve foot traffic to local businesses, raise awareness about trail group activities, and express conservation and stewardship messages to visitors.

Geocaching is another avenue to promote tourism and economic development in conjunction with visitation to your region.  To learn more about geocaching’s potential for your projects, contact John at 412-321-6362, extension 102, jbuerkle@pashekla.com.

To learn more about geocaching, visit www.geocaching.com.

Project Corner: Whitehall Road Regional Park

We are proud to highlight this month’s featured project, Whitehall Road Regional Park Master Plan.  Located in Centre County, near State College, this future regional park is designed with sustainability and accessibility in mind.  The final master plan reflects the following project goals:

• Environment – Conserve and enhance natural conditions and features.
• Community – Respond to conditions and needs of adjacent and regional community.
• Program – Accommodate a logical mix and quantity of park uses.
• Economics – Maximize relationship between cost and benefits to community.
• Identity – Create a dignified and beautiful park space that improves over time.

The 100-acre park has to meet the growing demand for sports fields, while also accommodating those more interested in passive recreation such as walking, picnicking, and gardening.  The master plan includes soccer fields, softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, a football field, a lacrosse field, playgrounds, picnic shelters, walking trails, open space play, a dog park, and community gardens.  The existing site is open with dramatic distant views. The park is organized to respond to these conditions by creating a rectilinear pattern of outdoor rooms that connect directly to the adjacent agricultural context.  Proposed rows of trees extend the existing forest block to provide a pattern for the roads, walkways and athletic fields.  

 

Proposed stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) include rain gardens, permeable paving, vegetated swales, infiltration trenches, vegetated buffer strips, green roofs, and cisterns to name a few. The key is to work with natural ecological processes instead of against them.

Permeable paving and rain gardens reduce the amount of stormwater runoff

Located at the bottom of the hill, this cistern collects extra runoff for use in the community gardens

New Website Promotes Greenways in North Cental PA

As part of the North Central Greenways Plan, the website was designed by Pashek Associates as a tool to assist with the implementation of greenways and trails in the North Central Pennsylvania region. 

The website serves as a as a one-stop shop for organizations, advocates, and municipalities in the North Central Region. It provides the opportunity for trail organizations and other agencies and associations to: post information about current projects and activities; obtain information from the region’s greenway plan; provide trail groups, interested organizations, and citizens with contact information for potential partners; identify potential funding sources; and provide a toolkit of information where visitors can access topics ranging from the economic benefits of trails and non-motorized and motorized trail resources to environmental ethics.

 

Contact us if you are interested to learn more!