Category: Horticulture

21ff May 2024, ♣ Berkeley, incl. Pathways & People’s Park

Posted on Posted in Horticulture, Site_visit

21.5.2024ff, ♣ Berkeley, incl. Pathways & People’s Park

Selected highlights:

  • Berkeley Pathways (pedestrian paths); Berkeley Rose Garden; Codornices Park
  • People’s Park: undergoing major transition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Park_(Berkeley): … a plot of land … owned by the University of California, Berkeley … a symbol during the radical political activism of the late 1960s … established itself in the early 1970s as a de facto public park before it was closed off in January 2024. The City of Berkeley declared it a historical and cultural landmark in 1984 … UC Berkeley plans to build 1,100 new units of student housing and 125 units of supportive housing for homeless people on the site …
  • Former Dwight-Derby Married Student Housing.

People’s Park undergoing transition:

Food & coffee notes: Berkeley Bowl (2 locations, incl. Berkeley Bowl West, 920 Heinz Ave.), Cheeseboard (1504 Shattuck; Worker owned co-op since 1971); Caffé Strada (2300 College Av. – started in 1989); original Peet’s Coffee (Vine & Walnut Street; www.peets.com: Alfred Peet wasn’t trying to start a coffee revolution when he set up shop in 1966 in Berkeley, CA. He just thought Americans deserved a real cup of coffee …), La Val’s Pizza (Euclid Av.), Gather (2200 Oxford Str.).

15 May 2024, Φ♣ NYC, 3 Landscaping projects near Public Housing in the Bronx & Manhattan

Posted on Posted in Horticulture, Meeting, Site_visit

15.5.2024, New York City (NYC), 3 Landscaping projects near Public Housing in the Bronx & Manhattan

Explorative study tour concerning landscaping projects, guided by Alex Hart, principal, Dirtworks Landscape Architecture P.C., New York (https://dirtworks.us/):

(1) 2424 Boston Road, The Bronx, New York 10467, incl. „R.A.I.N Boston Road Neighborhood Senior Center“, www.raininc.org/, and residential tower. This current redesign project includes: integrating the buildings (semi-covered walkway); main entrance plaza to be transformed into a welcoming space; seating are near the rockface; redesigned picnic area; seating area also on quieter side of the building.

(2) 99 Fort Washington Av., New York, NY 10032 (Washington Heights), incl. „Riverstone Senior Life Services“, www.riverstonenyc.org/. Outdoor area recently renovated, incl. new native woodland planting (improving aesthetics, enhancing biodiversity), new furniture, improved accessibility for residents and visitors

(3) Stephen Wise Towers, 136 W 91st St., New York, NY 10024, built in 1965 by the NYC Housing Authority. https://dirtworks.us/portfolio/wise-towers-2/: „The design maximizes play experiences for all ages and all abilities, while also providing a delightful place for caregivers and others. Focusing on a wide variety of play options, we wanted to give each child, teen and adult the opportunity to explore, create, grow and learn at their own pace“. – www.westsiderag.com/2024/01/09/the-triumphant-return-of-the-nivola-horses: … The Nivola Horses, named for … the Italian artist …, have been through a lot. The 18 concrete, modernist horse sculptures … had their muzzles lopped off by vandals … In … 2021, after a water main break …, they were cut off at the legs and removed completely … While the reconstruction of the concrete horses was an undoubted victory, the plaza space … remains a complicated one … a recently refurbished playground and a basketball court … Progress … at a price … non-residents bringing their children to play on the newly-installed equipment – and moving away from the children who live in the Wise towers …

13 May 2024, ♣ NYC, Brooklyn and Queens Borough

Posted on Posted in Horticulture, Site_visit

13.5.2024, New York City (NYC), Brooklyn Borough, Queens Borough

Selected highlights:

  • Pier 1 Park; Brooklyn Bridge Park Greenway; Brooklyn Heights (incl. Thomas Wolfe’s home), Empire Fulton Ferry lawn
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Queens Borough: Long Island City (LIC).

Cf.: Office of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, in partnership with the Regional Plan Association, the New York Academy of Medicine, and Hester Street (2023): The Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn. A vision for a healthier, more equitable borough, www.brooklynbp.nyc.gov/the-comprehensive-plan-for-brooklyn/.

Brooklyn & Bridge:

PXL_20240512_010255259 Long Island City