(a) biotic design studio: PA-DE ASLA Student Awards

6.26.2012

PA-DE ASLA Student Awards

Image by Anna Anisko, Sue Ann Alleger, Tracey Lee-Carney and Bing Han

During the fall of 2011 Emily, along with colleague Dan Sharp, taught the "Public Lands" graduate-level studio in Temple University's Landscape Architecture Program. The purpose of the studio was to collectively imagine possible design interventions that could enhance and improve the quality of the residents' lives for a community that is plagued by toxic pollutants and repeated flooding . The community lies within the Lower Darby Creek Area of Delaware and Philadelphia Counties in southeast Pennsylvania and includes 2 abandoned landfills (Clearview and Folcroft landfills), a community park, the Heinz wildlife refuge, and several neighborhoods and schools. In addition, the area has a rich and complicated history of being an important route along the underground railroad, and also being home to one of the largest urban renewal projects in the country. The academic exercise aimed at creating Sustainable Framework Plans at the community-scale and Landscape Designs at the site-scale for the community and represent the ideas of the students, molded by community input through a student-crafted survey.

Two students from the studio, Anna Anisko and Donna Shumpert, won Honor Awards for their designs from the PA-DE ASLA Chapter. Anna won the honor award for general design for her project Clearview Environmental Farm and Donna won an honor award for analysis and planning for her project Energy Tanks. Both students, along with their classmates, devoted much time and resources to this project and the community. Congrats Donna, Anna and fellow students to a job well done!

For more information and images of the projects, please visit the class website here http://www.spandesigncan.org/eastwick---clearview-landfill.php.