Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
WHAT ROLE DOES INNOVATION PLAY IN URBAN
LANDSCAPES?
Most city dwellers appreciate their public green spaces as a respite from the
hustle and bustle of urban life. What they may not think about, though, is
that many of these idyllic locations are as much a product of design and
construction as skyscrapers. The historian Timothy Davis reflects on “the
nature of Nature” in the city, specifically addressing the planning of Wash-
ington, D.C. From the formal landscape of the Mall to the more romantic
tumble of greenery in Rock Creek Park, he exposes the civil engineering
and aesthetic principles that have guided the city's landscape plans.
Michael Robinson, former director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo-
logical Park, follows Davis's lead and discusses the manipulation of land-
scape for the purposes of education. Robinson points out that zoos teach
about exotic species through the flora, as well as the fauna, on display.This
includes not only creating accurate copies of animals' native habitats, but
also increasing visitors' awareness of the local species that have made the
zoo their home.
Complementing Robinson's essay is a portrait of Jon Coe, an award-
winning designer of zoo exhibits. One of the earliest developers of immer-
sion exhibits, Coe is a proponent of decreasing the barriers between animals
and humans. His goal is to transform visitors from passive watchers to active
participants in the animals' landscape.
The various forms that “Nature” takes within city limits may indeed owe
as much (if not more) to construction as to biology. However, a common
belief in the importance of combining innovations in building techniques
and materials with aesthetics and pedagogical goals connects these essays.
