Inhabitat


West Loop Park Infuses Chicago With Green Urban Space

by Olivia Chen, 08/31/09

West Loop Park, Perkins + Will, urban planning, chicago city planning, urban park, urban design, sustainable urban design, landscape architecture, urban revitalization, urban expansion, urban restoration, city building, chicago sustainable building

As the construction process for Hudson Yards drags on in New York, we’re glad to see green urban design is alive and well in Chicago. The windy city is no stranger to sustainable building, and this urban park, located on the fringe of the city’s downtown, will certainly give Chicago even more green cred. Perkins + Will, the architects behind the design, developed the park to create more open space for the city, but the greenway also proves to be a pedestrian-friendly gateway that connects the existing downtown to any future development across the Kennedy Expressway.

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A Clearing in the Streets: NYC Spouts a Meadow Amid Concrete

by Olivia Chen, 06/03/09

julie farris, sarah wayland-smith, temporary art installation, public art fund, urban landscape, urban ecology art, urban restoration art, public art, public space installation, environmental art, eco art, art installation new york city, urban design new york city, native plants new york city

As the topic of urban restoration garners more attention, we have seen an increase in the investigation and experimentation relating to NYC’s ecological past. NYC Wildflower Week demonstrated a rise in popularity of plants native to New York City. Coupling urban restoration and indigenous plants, Julie Farris and Sarah Wayland-Smith, both landscape designers, were commissioned by the Public Art Fund to design and construct ‘A Clearing in the Streets,’ a 15-foot wide, plywood structure containing the beginnings of a meadow. The temporary installation, meant to invite passers-by to appreciate and watch the “re-insertion” of nature back into the city, offers a glimpse into NYC’s native landscape.

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LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!