ASLA Oregon

November 27, 2011 Edit

in Food

Growing Fresh Insights at UofOregon

ASLA Oregon LANDbytes NOVEMBER 2011 Feature:

Growing Fresh Insights at the University of Oregon
By Logan Bingle, Undergraduate of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon 

In recent years, urban agriculture has become a widely popular idea. Just this year, the APA published a guide on issues planners should consider when incorporating urban agriculture into their work. At the University of Oregon’s Landscape Architecture Department, urban agriculture is not just a fad, but a subject that has been used to inform design and promote the field of landscape architecture.

The University of Oregon’s Landscape Architecture Department began exploring urban agriculture in the 1970s when Professor Richard Britz founded the Urban Farm on a plot of land across Franklin Boulevard from the University of Oregon. Unfortunately, Richard Britz was not granted tenure at the University of Oregon and left the university’s faculty in 1981. Ann Bettman took over the Urban Farm and kept it going through the 1980s despite threats from development and low class attendance. Things began to change in the 1990s with renewed interest in urban agriculture.

Since 2000, the Urban Farm has been a wild success. Around 2000 students have passed through the Urban Farm’s spring, summer and fall classes. A wide range of students have taken the classes, including Freshman Interest Groups, Environmental Studies Majors, Architecture Majors and many others. In an odd twist, the Urban Farm’s director, Harper Keeler, reports that landscape architecture students are a minority in the Urban Farm classes. In a survey of landscape architecture students, Harper found that most students feel that urban agriculture is important to the field but feel they cannot fit the class into their schedules. Despite this lack of Landscape Architecture students, Harper emphasizes that the Urban Farm plays an important role in exposing the Landscape Architecture Department to the wider University community. Indeed, several freshmen who have taken the Urban Farm Freshman Interest Group have gone on to join the landscape architecture program.

The Urban Farm is not the only department effort in urban agriculture. In 2010, the Landscape Architecture Department began a second urban farming effort across from the Eugene District Courthouse. This effort was a partnership between the Oregon Federal District Court Chief Judge Ann Aiken, the University of Oregon Landscape Architecture Department Professors Ann Bettman and Lorri Nelson and the City of Eugene. The new Courthouse Garden aims to serve a social mission, originally aimed at inmates and paroles, with the support of University students and volunteers.

In the one and a half years since the Courthouse Garden began, the program has begun to shift away from its original inmate and parole program because of logistically difficulties. The Courthouse Garden’s director, Lorri Nelson, has begun to refocus the garden on at risk youths and other social missions. Recently, the Courthouse Garden has been hosting work parties from local schools for at risk youths, such as the MLK School, as part of the Landscape Architecture Department’s Courthouse Garden classes. This allows both groups of students to learn and support each other.

The Landscape Architecture Department’s efforts in urban agriculture do not end with practical work either. Beginning with Richard Britz, there has been a great deal of research done on urban agriculture at the University of Oregon. The first major work after the 1970s was completed in 1995 by Kelly Donahue, who looked at six campus farms on the west coast and their resurgence in the 1990s. Harper Keeler has also conducted researched on ways that urban farming can contribute to the education of landscape architects and ways urban farming can be incorporated into the landscape architecture curriculum.

Currently, there are several graduate students at the University of Oregon exploring issues surrounding urban agriculture. Expecting to graduate this fall or winter, Patty Stevenson has been looking at large scale planning issues concerning community gardens. Her work looks beyond food production to consider community gardens that also produce cut flowers and are aesthetic works produced in a cooperative spirit. This shows how issues of urban agriculture can transcend purely practical ends to wide ranging design considerations.

This is the most important lesson taught by the University of Oregon Landscape Architecture Department’s work in the field of urban agriculture. While urban agriculture can be purely practical, it can also help inform our work as designers. The Urban Farm, Courthouse Garden and urban agriculture research at the University of Oregon promise to bring new ideas, talent and public exposure to the field of landscape architecture.

July 19, 2011 Edit

in Food

Designing for Sustainability in a Growing Environment

via Robin Gyorgyfalvy, ASLA

A ribbon-cutting event that took place on June 28, 2011 at the newly-minted Kansas Avenue Learning Garden was one of many steps being taken to make sustainability a part of daily life in central Oregon. Exactly one year ago, a design charrette led by ASLA High Desert Chapter’s Chelsea Schneider and Brian Caldwell, set out to transform a contaminated vacant lot that was formerly an old drycleaning site into a vibrant and interactive living classroom and learning garden. This challenging site is adjacent to The Environmental Center and within walking distance to the Boys & Girls Club and Amity Creek Elementary School. This unique project for teaching sustainability in an outdoor classroom was made possible through a partnership that was created between an environmental center, educators, and local landscape architects.

The main concept for the Learning Garden is to create a place where children can witness the growth of the seeds they plant and learn how gardens require care, hard work, and patience. Contact with the outdoors and making discoveries with weekly observations is a hands-on way to learn more about how communities and the environment can be sustained through growing your own food. Denise Rowcroft, sustainability educator for The Environmental Center says “It’s important that kids participate in building the garden so that they feel like they have ownership of it. We’re trying to get them involved in all aspects of the garden, from building fences, to showing them where food comes from – to teaching them about the health of the environment.”

The design charrette began with understanding the constraints of the site, its history, and ownership. Amber Hudspeth, an environmental professional explained the pollutants and a decision was made to cap contaminants on site and to build up the garden beds. Educators were an integral part of the charrette describing what elements and features were needed to form a learning landscape to best teach in an outdoor setting. The Environmental Center needed to have this place convey its mission to “embed sustainability into daily life in central Oregon.” A wish list was composed for what would be desirable on the site, opportunities were discussed for the outdoor rooms and the different amenities in each room, and priorities were determined for phasing.

Chelsea Schneider, ASLA of WH Pacific in Bend developed conceptual images for the group to develop further. Chelsea says “With a personal interest in environmental education, it is really important for me to see that learning landscapes become a reality through a community process such as this one.” The results are stunning with volunteers providing their energy and talent, their labor, donations, and materials for construction and planting. Incredible highlights of this project are the garden art mural paintings created by the Boys & Girls Club that decorate garden boxes lining the neighborhood street and the growing plants that were started as seedlings in the Amity Elementary School classrooms. These “pick me beds” are free for the community to harvest, a great way to encourage community interaction and involvement in central Oregon at the Kansas Avenue Learning Garden located at 16 NW Kansas Avenue in Bend, Oregon.

Pictured: Chelsea Schneider, ASLA and the Garden Box Mural Paintings

August 3, 2010 Edit

in Food

Courthouse Garden Grows Food & Community

With hands-on learning, the food grown will be distributed to local non-profit social service groups and allows transitioning opportunities for those in the criminal justice system EUGENE, Ore. -- (August 3, 2010) –A two-acre abandoned lot adjacent to the U.S. Federal Courthouse is being transformed into an urban oasis of fresh vegetables, fruits and all kinds of native plant life. Presiding U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken’s dream project of creating an urban garden that services community non-profits has come to life, thanks a special partnership with the UO’s Department of Landscape Architecture and its energetic students and faculty members. The empty lot is also being cared for by individuals from the criminal justice system; giving them the reentry skills needed to transition back into the community. The university’s Courthouse Garden program will teach students how to hone their gardening skills as well as how to develop an urban garden. Students began work during the winter season and are now in full gear with summer crops and activity, thanks to a summer class now underway. Lorri Nelson, adjunct instructor, has big plans for the urban garden. This summer, she is teaching students the logistics of starting up an urban garden with a strong social services mission. “I think it’s a really enlightening program,” says Nelson. “It’s more than just learning about gardening. It’s a hands-on course about the social issues of having an edible garden in the city. Besides helping to grow food for those who need it most, it’s a social integration opportunity for people within the criminal justice system.” Probation officer, Jed Davis, agrees. “The garden started a vacant lot of dirt and gravel. It has given our clients, who are transitioning back into society, important job skills, healthy food, as well as helping them learn to communicate with others. By working together, we are teaching skills and boosting self worth and self sufficiency, and in the long run, preventing crime,” says Davis. Nelson said the summer course will teach students all about the logistics of gardening sustainably, whether it be teaching irrigation methods or planting new vegetable beds. Students and those from the in-transition program won’t be working side by side during class hours but there will be opportunities to work outside of class to service the garden. And although the garden is temporary —the City of Eugene has leased the site to the University of Oregon for three years—Nelson is optimistic that long-term benefits will soon ensue. “It’s just a really inspiring idea,” says Nelson. “This class is a larger vision and helps to promote accessibility to sustainability, and cuts through any economic or racial divide. Everyone in the garden is on the same level, hoping to achieve the same goals. I’m hoping this project leads to more like it in the future.” Judge Aiken’s deep involvement with the Relief Nursery (a nationally acclaimed model for preventing child abuse and preserving families) was the inspiration for this Courthouse Garden. She wanted to provide a reentry program for convicted persons and connect the garden’s produce to community service endeavors after seeing the positive results with the Relief Nursery garden. “The knowledge base of Ann Bettman and Lorrie Nelson has been essential,” says Jed Davis. “We could not have done it without them. The passion and enthusiasm of the students has been mind blowing. The students came in to help our clients and shared ideas that went beyond gardening and how to help the community.” Ann Bettman, who had taught the landscape architecture Urban Farm course for over thirty years, was asked to help develop the project and soon after, Nelson agreed to teach the summer Courthouse Garden course. Bettman is an assistant adjunct professor of landscape architecture at UO and the retired director of the Urban Farm. “It’s all kind of happening so fast,” Nelson said. “It’s incredible how much community support we’ve received. EWEB installed our irrigation system, University of Oregon students have logged countless volunteer hours, Fall Creek Nursery just donated blueberry plants and so many other community members are offering their goods and services. It’s really reaching out beyond the university level.” The Courthouse Garden construction began on February 10, 2010. The urban garden class began June 21 and will conclude on August 13. Community residents also have the opportunity to work side by side with the students and reentry program participants on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the garden site adjacent to the U.S. federal courthouse, 405 E. 8th Avenue. Tools are provided. View the video made by Tzum Productions at www.youtube.com/uoregonaaa [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BSsqQy9E40] About the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest. Contact: Karen Johnson, AAA External Relations and Communications, (541) 346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu Source: Lorri Nelson, landscape architecture adjunct instructor, 541-345-5552, lanelson@uoregon.edu Jed Davis, probation officer, U.S. Federal Courthouse, 541-431-4060, John_Davis@orp.uscourts.gov Links: http://housing.uoregon.edu/news.php?view=2001&ref=reshalls http://comm.uoregon.edu/archive/uo-news/2010/march/uo-e-clips-march-18 http://sites.google.com/site/courthousegarden/ Story by Emily Wilson and Karen Johnson. Video by Nancy Webber, Tzum Productions, nancywebber@tzumpro.com ###