University of Southern California The School of Architecture

University Park Los Angeles

California 90089-0291

This thesis, written by Kay Sales under the direction of Mark Rios, Thesis Committee and approved by all of its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Dean of the School of Architecture, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Landscape

Architecture.

01.09.06

Dean of the School of Architecture Jerry Davison

Director of the Landscape Architecture Program Mark Rios

Thesis Committee John Jennings Chris Aykanian

Tricia Ward

a new playground? new

kay sales copyright 2006

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Architecture University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Arch 598 a/bL Landscape Architecture Design Directed Research

Instructor: Mark Rios

Student: Kay Sales

thesis topic

5

Acknowledgements

This thesis is based on my study undertaken in the Landscape Architecture program, School of Architecture at the University of Southern California from Fall 2005 to Spring 2006. Many thanks to John Jennings, my Thesis Chair, for his expert guidance and thoughtful insight during the thesis process. Also, to Chris Aykanian, Tricia Ward and Mark Rios for their help and support throughout.

4

“If [cities] are not meant for children, they are not meant for citizens, either. If they are not meant for citizens - ourselves - they are not cities.”, Aldo Van Eyck.

Outdoor, unstructured play is integral to developing healthy, creative and independent children. Direct experi-ence of the natural world is crucial to healthy development,

learning and education.

Finding a way to link together children and nature through play in high density, urban neighbourhoods, where most cities comprise of large areas that are severely park poor, is the modern dilemma. The need to create play areas that incorporate an experience of nature, stimulate children’s creativity, encourage independence and provide social interaction is crucial for our cities to become enriching places to live. The vacant lots, that children played in 15-20 years ago, have disappeared, the street has become the domain of the automobile

and the need for an alternative is great.

Physical play has become less of a priority in today’s society; modern sedentary lifestyles have increased the levels of obesity and ADD in children and adults. Getting children away from the TV and outside to play, while reassuring parents that their children are safe, is a chal-

lenge.

Re-designing the utilitarian aspects of the street to be more harmoni-ous with natural cycles, would create an environment which would be more conducive to the way children naturally play, thereby encourag-

ing social interaction, independence and creativity.

7

children

play

nature

thesis statement

9

research 11

12 personal interests

13 relevance today

15 the importance of play

16 safety issues/managing risk

17 educational philosophies

emdrup adventure playground 24

kidspace children’s museum 25

audubon center at debs park 26

washington environmental yard 27

central park adventure playground 28

child educational center 29

bibliography 63

articles 65

websites 67

contents

history of the playground 19

case studies 23

thesis site 31

urban context 32

systems of nature 34

site analysis 36

mapping 39

design 49

thesis committee 62

resources 61

point of view 43

10

research

11

personal interests

My children are a big part of my life. I am actively engaged in their development and hope that they will one day be healthy, happy individuals who can con-tribute to society, make friends and be independent. City living can be exciting and full of resources for the adult, but children tend to be forgotten. Very little outdoor space is left in the urban environment for children to play in. School yards are uninspiring fields of ashpalt and parks, on the whole, are generic and geared towards the very young. Most residential streets have too much vehicular traffic to be consid-ered safe to play in and as our cities grow and spread, the last few pockets of nature for children to explore are fast disappearing. If the local neighbourhood offered a wider variety of play experiences then children would be more inclined to go outside. If parents were also consid-ered in the design of play spaces; if there were areas for them to congregate, if they were reassured to know that their children were playing safely and enthusiastically, they would be more interested in taking their children outdoors.

12 13

relevance today

Children’s lives are so scheduled these days that there seems to be little or no time for unstruc-tured, spontaneous play. In most American households both parents work, thereby reducing the

amount of time children have to explore and play in their neighbourhood.

There is also a tendency for parents today to overprotect their children. P Bateson and P Martin wrote an article for The Guardian newspapaer in England in 1999 and commented “ The tendency of many parents to over-protect their off-spring also has worrying implications. Once-normal activities such as roaming about with friends, or even simply walking unescorted to and from school, are becoming increasingly rare.... The activities of children are monitored and con-strained to ensure that they come to no harm. They also take less exercise, becoming fat and

unfit.”

Nature has become a precious commodity in the urban environment and areas that do exist tend to be there as something to visit and admire but not necessarily get involved with. Most children brought up the city have no connection with nature, no hands-on experience with it or knowledge of it. Economically, empty parcels of land are more financially viable for developing than to be set

aside for children to play on.

“Children have a right to develop in an environment that stimulates their healthy development as mandated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (see below). To fulfill this mandate, nature must be seen as an essential component of the experiential world of childhood, designed into every childhood habitat, providing daily emersion in nature, putting children in close touch

with the biosphere.” Robin C. Moore and Nilda G. Cosco.

IPA (International Association for Child’s Right to Play) is an international non-governmental organization, founded in Denmark in 1961. It endorses the United Nations' Declaration of the

Rights of the Child (1959), especially Article 7, paragraph 3, which states:

"The child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation which should be directed to the same purposes as education; society and the public authorities shall endeavor to promote the

enjoyment of this right;"

“People being out and about on the streets maybe more conducive to neighborhood renewal through a vision of a ‘walkable’ community”. Ken Worpole, No Particular Place To Go.

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IPA is deeply concerned by a number of alarming trends and their negative impact on children's development: - Society's indifference to the importance of play - Overemphasis on theoretical and academic studies in schools - Inadequate environmental planning, which results in a lack of basic amenities, inappropriate-housing forms, and poor traffic management Richard Louv, the author of the book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder” is similarly concerned. “Copious studies show a reduced amount of leisure time experienced by American families, more time in front of the TV and the computer, and growing obesity among adults and children because of diet and sedentary lifestyles. “ Coupled with this worrying trend is the fact that natural play spaces are fast disappearing in our urban environment; a transformation that appears to have happened only over the last fifteen years or so. Heidi Brirz-Crecelius, a proponent of the Waldorf early childhood education approach recog-nizes that “Our environment is becoming increasingly sterile and more and more deprived of possibilities for play. Even our cities used to offer fine opportunities for play……….Today……..the eye is regaled by properly looked after house-fronts, well cared for parks and clean, boring playgrounds.” The benefits of emersing children in nature has long lasting repercussions. There has to be a development of a universal environmental ethic. Our children need to be encouraged to be the stewards of our planet. Without that connection and passion with and for nature, we will develop a generation of people who will not fight to stop the environmental crisis currently happening. There are many early educational philosophies around today; ranging from the Montessori approach of “emphasizing the individual child's initiative and independence”, to the Academic program stressing serious preparation for elementary school, using structure and “work”. The main priority for any early childhood educator is to stimulate the children to want to learn. Children’s learning occurs best when the whole self is involved and play is an active form of learning that unites the mind, body and spirit. However, the outdoor environment is not taken into consideration in many schools or childcare centers in America. School recess has been reduced and even deleted in many states, due to the advent of increased school accountability, student testing procedures and the belief that time would be better spent on academics. Recent studies in Scandinavia have shown that children attending an outdoors-in-all-weathers school reached a more advanced stage of development and acquired stronger powers of con-centration than children attending an average pre-school. For many reasons, ranging from availability, accessibility, and financial resources, not every child has the same early educational choices. If local neighborhoods, ideally accessible to all, offered a more stimulating, learning environment; encouraging skills needed that haven’t been focused on in the indoor classroom, wouldn’t it help to level the “playing field” just a little?

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the importance of play

The benefits of of outdoor play are identified in four specific developmental domains by the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education

(NAESC/SDE).

Social Development Close relationships with peers contribute to both social and cognitive development. Through active, free play and peer interaction, children can: develop a respect for rules, gain self-

discipline, appreciate others cultures and beliefs

Emotional Development An outlet for reducing anxiety, managing stress and gaining self-control. Children learn the art of expressing themselves to others, begin rehearsing behaviours and practicing skills. Children learn about their own abilities, perseverance, self-direction, responsibility and self-acceptance.

Physical Development

Release excess energy, which in turn improves children’s attentiveness and decreases restless-ness. Essential for healthy growth and development. Through active play, young children learn about their bodies capabilities and how to control their bodies. Physical activity fuels the brain with a better supply of blood and provides brain cells with a healthier supply of natural sub-stances, enhancing brain growth- leading to improved retention of facts, a greater understanding

of concepts and subsequnetly higher acheivment.

Cognitive Development Children learn through play. “Children can remember more more, focus better and regulate their own behaviour better in play than in any other context”. Providing opportunities for free, active

play with peers facilitates the encoding and decoding of social signals.

“What is acquired through play is not specific information but a general (mind) set towards solv-ing problems that includes both abstraction and combinatorial flexibility” where children “string bits of behaviour together to form novel solutions to problems requiring the restructuring of

thought or action”. Sylvia, 1977, Best Play Booklet.

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safety issues/managing risk

“Let us hope that the growing concern over safety will be matched by a concern for giving chil-dren outdoor places filled with developmentally appropriate opportunities, in recognition of what has been taken from them by urbanization, cars and trucks and social disorder. Children have to have the opportunity to take some chances, to stretch some of their limits. Risk taking is con-comitant with growth. Their environment should not be hazardous, but neither should they be without challenge.” Mary S. Rivkin, The Great Outdoors: Restoring Children’s Right to Play Out-side.

In 1981, the U.S. Consumer Product safety Commission published its first set of playground safety guidelines. At the request of the playground equipment manufacturers, the American Society for Testing and Materials drew up their own voluntary standard for public playground safety. These have become the standard regulations used to judge a playground’s safety, particularly in legal cases. This has partly been the reason for the uninspiring equipment in public parks. Our litigious society has led to many lawsuits over playground safety. Municipalities favour catalog equipment with no moving parts, thereby limiting creativity and reducing mainte-nance budgets. The fear of kidnapping has led to playgrounds being developed with unobstructed views. Custom designed playgrounds are rare these days, therefore each local playground tends to resemble others within a specific council district. Calculated risk is fundamental to the development of confidence and abilities in childhood. Chil-dren seek out opportunities for risk-taking and it should be the responsiblity of play provision to respond with exciting and stimulating environments that balance risks appropriately. According to the Children’s Play Council in England, fatalies on playgrounds are very rare, com-pared with over 100 child pedestrain fatalities a year and over 500 fatalies from accidents over-all. Play provision appears therefore to be a comparatively low risk activity for children.

“Risk-taking is an essential feature of play provision, and of all environments in which children legitimately spend time at play. ...Play provision should aim to manage the balance between the need to offer risk and the need to keep children safe from harm....Exposure to some risk is actu-ally benefit: it satisifies a basic human need and gives children the chance to learn about the real consequences of risk-taking”. Managing Risk in Play Provision: A Position Statement.

17

educational philosophies

(1896-1980) Jean Piaget Jean Piaget is considered to be one of the most influential researchers in the area of develop-mental pyschology. He was very interested in the way children think and saw play as less a behaviour or activity than a state of mind which allowed children to become engrossed in what

they were doing. He believed that the fundamental basis of learning was discovery.

(1859-1952) John Dewey He is thought to be one of the most influential thinkers on education in the twentieth century, His focus for children was on real life tasks and challenges, children learn more when they engage with and enlarge their experiences. Education depended on action and these learning situations

would have to occur in a social environment.

Constructivism Constructivism has been labeled as the philosophy of learning that proposes learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas. Much of what Jean Piaget and John Dewey devel-oped became the foundation for constructivist learning. The essential core of constructivism is

that learners actively construct their own knowledge and meaning from their experiences.

Nine principles of learning are derived from constructivism:

- Learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it, - People learn to learn as they learn. Learning consists both of constructing meaning and con structing systems of meaning. - Physical actions and hands on experience may be necessary for learning, especially for chil dren, but is not sufficient; we need to provide activities which engage the mind as well as the hand. Dewey called this reflective activity.

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- Learning involves language: the language that we use influences our learning. - Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings, our teacher, our peers, our family, as well as casual acquaintances. - Learning is contextual: we learn in relationship to what else we know, what we believe, our prejudices and our fears. - One needs knowledge to learn: it is not possible to absorb new knowledge without having some structure developed from previous knowledge to build on. The more we know, the more we learn. - Learning is not instantaneous: it takes time to learn. - The key component to learning is motivation. Montessori This educational philosophy originated in Italy by Maria Montessori, a Physician and educator. Her philosophy emphasizes the individual child’s initiative and independence, allowing him or her to progress through an orderly series of structured learning activities at his or her own pace. Special materials which emphasizer the use of all senses in learning are employed. Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) The method of education is play, creative and imaginative, learning and developing skills. Chil-dren learn through their own experiences. Self-discipline brings all into harmony. Part of the The Froebel curriculum includes nature study, handwork, block play, art and drawing, music and movement and story telling. The typical Froebel kindergarten has three focuses: - Toys for sedentary creative play (these Froebel called gifts and occupations) - Games and dances for healthy activity - Observing and nurturing plants in a garden for stimulating awareness of the natural world Kid’s Klub, Child Development Centre and Preschool, Pasadena My children attend this daycare and it has elements from many of the philosophies already quoted. The centre has the following mission statement: “Kids Klub has a "Back-to-Basics" approach when working with children, allowing them to reach their full potential for proper growth and development. We provide scheduled learning times, outdoor play, and free play within a consistent routine. Our caregivers cue into your child's indi-vidual needs. With Kids Klub's "Back-to Basics" approach, the teachers help instill values, role-model appropriate behavior, and teach valuable lessons the child needs for a solid foundation in life. It is vital that the children learn about their "Self" since they are naturally developing their self-image, self-control, self-respect and independence. Through play and the freedom to explore within appropriate limits, the child learns not only about himself, but also learns to respect others, and appreciate his environment.”

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history of the playground

20

1885 1889 1894 1904 1914 1926 1940 1945

The earliest playground spaces were founded by private charities. The first one was a large sand pit in the yard of a Boston Mission, called a “sand garden”.

Charlesbank, Boston, devel-oped an open air gymnasium for boys and men.

By 1894 all Boston schools had a “sand garden”.

The Olmsted Bros. designed and built Chicago’s South Park, with distinctive areas for different ages and sexes. This was soon to be emulated in many cities across America.

Playgrounds began to be built for specific age groups. Many states began to sponsor recre-ation legislation, with New Jersey enacting the first comprehensive piece of legislation creating a playground commission.

Under the leadership of Robert Moses, the Parks Commissioner for New York at the time, Central Park began it’s program of building structured playgrounds; the Hecksher Playground was the first.

Due to lawn abuse, 18 marginal playgrounds were added to Central Park. 100’s of acres of formerly idle land around New York was made useful and turned into park space, playgrounds developed in conjunction with them.

The first adventure playground was devel-oped in Emdrup, Denmark by C Th. Soprensen. Children would play with scrap lumber, tools, earth, water and even fire under supervision. This spurned off many adven-ture playgrounds throughout Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany and especially England.

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1963 1970 1981 2005

Playgrounds remained unchanged until several

landscape architects in New York applied new ideas of child psychologists to the

reinvention of playgrounds. Using concrete, granite and timber landscape architects

such as M. Paul Friedberg and Richard Dattner created

sculpted forms and linked them with bridges and step-ping columns, to encourage decision making and group

play.

Fulton Mall, Fresno, California, the first

pedestrian shopping mall to be built in

America.

During the 70’s many progressive schools began to rethink the outdoor space, focusing

on enriching play and creating learning environments serving both the school and

neighborhood. Washington Elementary School in Berkeley replaced their asphalt school yard

with mini-ecosystems. After school and at weekends it became a play space for all ages.

This model continues to be replicated in various forms, both here and abroad.

The Commission published its first set of

playground safety guidelines. By this time, the number of lawsuits

increased, with the court awarding judgements of

up to $11 million in fecent playground injury cases. This fear of litigation has

led to many in the field becoming more cautious.

The Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission

discovered that several hundred

thousand children were being injured

at playgrounds across America.

It seems that although it may be difficult to build a

challenging playground that meets safety guidle-

ines, some designers are investing their time to

create more dynamic and stimulating spaces for

children.

22 23

case studies

emdrup adventure playground

24

The first adventure playground was started in Denmark during the German occupation of World War II by C. Th. Sorensen. He studied children playing in the at-the-time “normal” asphalt and cement playgrounds and discovered that the children actually preferred playing in the dirt and lumber of the post-war rubble. Children had the most fun designing and building their own equip-ment and manipulating their environment. So, he decided to create an environment that met the child’s urge to explore, test and experiment. The children who used the site were from all walks of life, a cross section of the population. The formula of the adventure playground offered conditions for play in which a city child could not find in any other way. The look of the adventure playground was probably the most criticized thing about it, tending to resemble a building site most of the time. Many people did not want to have one close to where they lived. The lack of information passed on from test site to test site meant that new adventure play-grounds had to start from scratch each time, without profiting from any experience gained else-where. A lack of continuous funds affected the resources for the children. The playground closed down after 4 years. Adequate supervision was imperative to its success and this was a major part in its closure. This playground has many elements that are interesting and benefical to children; the ability to create their own environment, the connection to the outdoors and social interaction. Safety issues and funding are major considerations in todays society. The challenge is to find elements within the adventure playground philosophy that can be translated into today’s standards of what will acceptable for all involved.

kidspace children’s museum

25

Kidspace Children’s Museum is an interactive learning environment that is fun for children, families, educators and caregivers. This new facility was opened in 2004 and the outdoor space was

designed by Nancy Power. The design was based on the concept of “outdoor discovery”.

The natural shell of the space was designed so that outdoor exhibitry could be inserted, creating a sequence of flexible spaces for exploration, play and learning. Along the path was a series of outdoor “rooms”, each with a distinctive character, influenced by the plant community within it. Link-ing the spaces was “The Arroyo”, a way to reintroduce water into the space, by abstracting the

notion of channelisation and creating an interpretive Arroyo.

Having visited it with my children I found it to be beautifully planted and interestingly laid out. Nancy Power, the landscape architect, felt that her true vision for the space was not fully implemented and that many of the play instillations were not placed sympathetically within the outdoor rooms, some-

thing she wished she had had more control over.

The museum and its grounds blend well with the surrounding landscape and help create a unique and exciting space for children. The program of the museum lends itself well to the concept of

discovery, play and learning.

audubon center at debs park

26

There are over 50,000 students within a 2 mile radius of the Audubon Center who attend year round schools and hard working parents who are simply too busy for trips to the nearby moun-tains or beach. As these children are left without environmental education opportunities the Center offers education programs focused on 3 major areas; self-interpreted programs, family programs and school programs. The Audubon Center at Debs Park was designed by the Los Angeles firm of Campbell and Campbell. Their statement on the design is as follows: “Serving the children and families of it’s culturally diverse inner city neighborhood, this project will be a prototype for the AUdubon Society’s nationwide urban Nature’s Centers program. Developed in collaboration with a team of environmental scientists and museum and interpretive specialists, our master plan and design for the Center, Interpretive Gardens and Trails, in the 200+ acre Debs Park in the Arroyo Seco district of Los Angeles provides a choreographed sequence of settings for arrival, introduction, discovery and immersion into the natural world.” I have visited the Center often with my own children and they find much there to engage them-selves in play. Being able to play outdoors within an urban setting without a play structure in sight is refreshing for both parents and children. Connecting them with nature was, for me, the most rewarding element of the park. The fact that this is a prototype is also very encouraging.

washington environmental yard

27

The environmental yard was designed by Robin Moore and Herb Wang and built on an ordinary municipal schoolyard, previously one and a half acre site of asphalt. The focus was to support child development and to act as a social focus for the surrounding neighbourhood. The ecologi-cal principle of diversity was used as a major concept. The designers aim was to demostrate “that children’s needs are much more diverse and can properly be met only by a much broader

range of play settings-especially ones containing natural features.”

Schoolteachers, parents, children and local residents all partnered together with several local organizations, including UC Berkeley campus, to create this yard. Climbing structures and com-munity gathering places were included. After school and during weekends it became a play

space for all ages .

Children are motivated to learn when they make their own discoveries. There was a push to develop a rich play and learning environment serving both the school and the community. The emphasis was on a living and learning laboratory. Earth, water, vegetation, animals and play-

ground equipment stimulate creative interaction.

The children have been regularly asked to complete surveys of their outdoor space and conse-quently there have been modifications.The Environmental Yard is still thriving and continues to

inform future generations on ecology and nature.

before

after

central park adventure playground

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The Adventure Playground resides on the site of one of twenty parks that were built around the perimeter of Central Park during the Depression. There was a move to demolish it and build a parking lot; this was met with such opposition from the local mothers who frequented the park, that the project was dropped. After a change in leadership at the Parks Department, accidents at the existing park and pressure from the community, Richard Dattner was hired to design an adventure playground. It was built primarily from a donation by the Estee Lauder Foundation, with one stipulation, that the commu-nity would raise funds to pay for a full-time trained supervisor. The design consists of a group of small, varied and related elements surrounding a large central space. The south half is designed for active play, running, jumping, climbing and the north side is designed for digging, building and playing with water. The park is still being used today by children from all demongraphics and has been very successful. This is not an adventure playground in the European sense of the word, yet imbues many of the elements from them and at the same time appears “toned down”. In our litigious society it has managed to continued to thrive upholding its original philosophy and yet be attractive, safe and successful.

child educational center

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The CEC is a private, non-profit organization to serve the child care needs of employees of JPL and Caltech. It’s mission is “to support the development of happy, caring and productive human beings, to ensure a high quality, affordable program and to advocate for a high quality of life for children beyond the CEC.” The CEC has cultivated the concept and practice of the Outdoor Classroom Project (funded by First 5 LA) understanding the value of the outdoor environment and perceive it as an extension of the indoor classroom. They also understand that it is through

play that children ages 0 to 5 learn and grow.

There are 3 fundamental principles to the Outdoor Classroom: - Children benefit from spending substantial time outdoors. - Even with a minimally developed yard, there are very few children’s activities that cannot be done outside. - Children’s development is optimized when they spend a significant amount of time participating in child-initiated activities that are teacher-supported.

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thesis site

31

urban context

32

Los Angeles appears to have a lot of green space, 9.1 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, but much of it is tied up in the Santa Monica Mountains and Griffith Park and the highly populated city centre is almost entirely devoid of large public parks. The site chosen falls in an area where 33%-69% of the total population per acre are children and the need for parks is greatest in areas where most children live. Nearly 67% of children in Los Angeles do not live within walking distance of a park, ballfield or playground; in comparison to 3% in Boston and 9% in New York. White neighbourhoods (where whites make up 75% or more of the residents) boast 31.8 acres of park space for every 1,000 people, compared with 1.7 acres in African-American neighbour-hoods and 0.6 acres in Latino neighbourhoods.

“Children being seen and heard in public places is one of the hallmarks of a vital city.” Plymouth City Council Play Policy, UK.

33

silver lake reservoir

hollywood boulevard

wilshire country club

paramount studios

runyon canyon

wilshire boulevard

pan pacific park

wes

tern

ave

nue

macarthur park

echo park

euneva ei dnamr on

beverly boulevard

verm

ont a

venu

e

la b

rea

aven

ue

venice boulevard rosedale cemetery

barnsdall park

LACC

hollywood memorial

park

staples center

hollywood reservoir

rowenareservoir

griffith park

hancock park

korea town

park la brea

silver lake

los feliz

hollywood

westlake

los angeles river

mid-city

country club park

flood plains

open space water

100 yr

500 yr

systems of nature

34

California has a wide and diverse collection of native plants that are adapted to the climate and require little care. They also attract a greater diversity of wildlife. The benefit of immersing children has long lasting repercussions. Children are one third of the population and all of our future and without a connection and passion with and for nature we will develop a generation of people who will not want to be stewards of this planet. Nature is integral to creating enriching play environments and some of the ways that can be achieved is by using nature to stimulate all 5 senses, experience change in the natural environ-ment, manipulate natural materials and play with natural elements.

“Children have a right to develop in an environment that stimulates their healthy development as mandated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. To fulfill this mandate, nature must be seen as an essential component of the experiential world of childhood, designed into every childhood habitat, providing daily emersion in nature, putting children in close touch with the biosphere.” Robin C. Moore and Nilda G. Cosco, Developing an Earth-bound Culture through Design of Childhood Habitats.

35

american wigeon canada geese wood duck ducks egrets herons gulls clark’s grebe

adenostoma fasciculatum

quercus ilicifolia malosma laurina arctostaphylos sonoma

bewick’s wren

salvia mellifera

california quail california thrasher

ceanothus poison oak salvia apiana yucca

wrentit spotted towhee audubon’s warbler

acer macrophyllum umbellularia californica

salix alba platanus racemosa alnus rhombifolia populus fremontii

downy woodpecker red shouldered hawk

american dipper canyon wren ash-throated flycatcher

common yellowthroat

pacific-slope flycatcher

orangecrowned warbler

cactus wren california towhee blue-grey gnatcatcher

quercus ilicifolia opuritia littoralis rhus integrifolia lesquerella ludoviciana

dichelostemna capitatum

artemisia californica

adenostoma fasciculatum

losus scoparious malosma laurina salvia mellifera encelia californica

heteromeles arbutifolia

oat titmouse acorn woodpecker

band tailed pigeon california jay nuttall’s woodpecker

western warbler black headed grosbeak

bushtit

juglans californica

quercus agrifolia quercus chrysolepis

quercus kelloggii

co

ast

al s

ag

e s

cru

b

oa

k a

nd

wa

lnu

t w

oo

dla

nd

s ri

pa

ria

n w

oo

dla

nd

s ch

ap

arr

al

rese

rvo

irs

an

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kes

site analysis

36

The site is placed in the 13th District, which is one of the five poorest city councils in Los Ange-les. These five districts have just 17% of the total neighbourhood park space, according to the Verde Coalition. The Alexandria Avenue Elementary School falls within the site boundaries. 1,400 children attend the school, with 99% living within the area bound by Beverly, Melrose, Normandie and Vermont. This also one of the many schools in the area that doesn’t have a park within walking distance.

37

x site

schools

parks

x

x

x

x

1/4 mile walking circle from park

1/4 mile walking circle from school

x

x

no

rma

nd

ie a

v

beverly blvd

melrose av

verm

on

t av

38

private/public boundaries

vegetation

This is a predominantly Latino neighbourhood and most of the homes are fenced off from the street. Culturally, parks and public space are an intimate and important part of domestic life in Mexico and other Latin American countries. They are vital components of social and ethnic iden-tity. Ordinarily parks and playgrounds would the place for the people of this neighbourhood to appropriate, but as there are none nearby, the front yard and the street become the extension of the house.

commercial corridor

The main commercial corridor in the area is along Beverly and this becomes an important desti-nation point for many local residents, as most people don’t own cars and therefore use public transport. The main transportation hubs are located on the corner of Beverly and Normandie and Beverly and Vermont.

residences

There is a predominance of multi family houses within the neighbourhood. This is a fairly old and well established area within the city and comprises of many old houses.

The most used street trees are Washingtonias, Magnolias and Ficus Nitida. All of these are ever-green, low maintenance and contribute very little to both wildlife and awareness of nature.

mapping

39

After extensive mapping of the site, the following maps diagram the pertinent information found. In summary; the site is a densely populated, low income neighbourhood of renters. Most people speak Spanish at home and their children attend the Elementary School on Alexandria Avenue.

The topography is quite extreme, with a flood plain passing through the low point of the site. The 2/101 freeway passes through the north of the site and Beverly Boulevard, a main transportation

artery, borders the south.

Public transport is heavily used and there is a bus stop on the corner of Beverly and Normandie and a Metro train station on the corner of Beverly and Vermont.

“In legal terms the public realm can be used to ‘pass and repass’, allowing us to gain access to land and buildings and for the passage of goods and people. But the public realm gives benefits beyond ‘just’ access. It helps to structure our lives.” Penelope Tollitt, ‘Life in the Public Realm’, Planning

Services, Bath and North East Somerset Council, UK.

40

total population

families below poverty level

single family homes

commercial lots

hispanic or latino under 5 years

storm drains

28,590 - 33,048

45,731 - 74,946

28.6% - 31.6%

35.6% - 40.0%

73.1% - 80.5% 9.9% - 11.1%

flood plain topography

41

speak language other than

english at home

renter-occupied housing units

foreign born

multiple family homes

apartment buildings

street lights

vegetation public realm traffic use

89.5% - 91.5%

83.9% - 87.7%

85.6% - 91.7%

94.9% - 97.8%

64.2% - 68.2%

42

water growth heat

dark

shade shade

water water water

spring

summer

fall

winter

colour light

point of view

43

The following images and photographs show how an adult and child navigate the street within the neighbourhood. The adult tends to use the street to get from A to B, using signage, house

numbers, curb colours etc. Their path through the urban landscape tends to be very linear.

Children see interesting things in the most mundane; reflections in puddles, shadows created by the tree canopy, chain link fences, a length of poles. Their journey through the space is quite

different; erratic and spontaneous, a discovery of interesting things en route.

44 45

adult point of view

46 47

child point of view

48

design

49

50

potentialtransformations

coastal sagescrub

oak andwalnut

woodlands

riparianwoodlands

chaparral

reservoirsand lakessystems of nature transformations

The following site map shows how my thesis design focuses on transforming a whole neighbour-hood, by redesigning the utilitarian aspects of the street to be more harmonious with natural cycles and therefore more conducive to the way children naturally play. The elements on the following pages can be used in various combinations to link together children and nature through play.

The orange areas show various places where potential transformations could occur, i.e. the cul-de-sac next to the freeway where a Caltrans yard is empty and not used, a wide street with diago-nal parking, an alleyway and road next to the school with a drop off zone, sidewalks along an inlcined street, an existing tree-lined street where a grocery van stops every day.

The systems of nature are applied to different areas of the neighbourhood, based on topography, the flood plains, potential transformations and native plant adaptability.

Ken Worpole expresses the need for these areas that are integral to all neighbourhoods, “one of the ways young people inhabit public space is as a series of stopping points in a continual process of ‘moving on’ or ‘wandering’ in and through the neighbourhood.” (No particular place to go)

51

n

heliotropedrive

52

seasonal storm waterUsing the natural topography and flow of water during the spring, water features occur along the sidewalk. During the spring and early summer water is retained and through the rest of the year the dips can be played in, creating year round inter-est.

existing trees transformedAlthough the neighbourhood doesn’t have a huge amount of street trees, the ones that are there can be transformed into play and rest spaces, by surrounding them with chain link structures and planting native shrubs inside.

new curbsAs the residents walk through the neighbourhood and get closer to a play element, curbs jut out, an index of a change of environment. The dips the trees are planted in collect leaves during fall, enhancing the change in seasons.

bench snakesNative shrubs planted inside chainlink structures that double as resting places, encourage an abstracted experience with nature.

pole forestUsing utilitarian aspects of the street, such as these dividing poles, in a playful way, reintroduces them to children, combin-ing play and safety.

wire wallsAnother version of the running theme of chainlink and native planting create this wall/tunnel of plants. Children brush past the plants, releasing scents, seeds and an experience with nature.

humps and dipsExaggerating the topography of the road or sidewalk creates interest on a different scale to the rest of the neighbourhood. The dips collect water, leaves, dirt or sand, depending on the season and the humps encourage physical play.

53

15ft

current sidewalk path

new curb

existing curb

70ft

3ft

8ft

+ _

15ft

current sidewalk path

new curb

existing curb

80ft

40ft

40ft

5ft

3-4ft

5ft

40ft

5ft

5ft

40ft

54

shadows and trees traffic flow

spring summer winter fall

seasonal storm water topography

Heliotrope Drive is an example of how the various design elements can be combined to trans-form just one part of the nieghbourhood.

55

quercus agrifolia

acer macrophyllum

sandpit

dip

hump

earth

pole forest

wire walls

bench snake

road bump 1“ : 66 ft

heliotrope drive

56

spring

The model for the final design solution is made up of various interlocking elements; humps, dips, trees, buildings and side-walks. These are combined in different ways to create a sense of the seasons. Using elements such as water, light, shadow and greenery helps to show the change of the sea-sons and how these changes can be exaggerated to intro-duce nature to the residents of the neighbourhood. As the seasonal mapping diagram on page 42 shows, each season brings with it something new and exciting for children to discover and a way to begin to connect with nature. Spring emphasises the retention of water and long shadows. Summer brings with it heat, colour and growth. Fall shows change in colour and change in the environment and winter has stark contrasts, bare trees, shadows getting longer and a lack of colour.

57

summer

58

fall

59

winter

60

signage

9 mph 9 mph

9 9 nine zone zone

9

9 mph

resources

61

bibliography

63

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Bengtsson, Arvid. Environmental Planning for Play. New York; Praeger Publishers, 1970.

thesis committee

62

Thesis Chair Thesis Committee John Jennings Chris Aykanian Tricia Ward

64

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articles

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