Urbs in Horto: Public Horticulture in the City

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1 Urbs in Horto: Public Horticulture in the City Speaker Bios Douglas E. Hoerr, FASLA, is principal and partner of Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects. He has more than 25 years experience designing public and private spaces that emphasize horticulture as a transformative element. His streetscape design for the medians along Chicago s Michigan Avenue was recognized with an ASLA award for its intentionally simple planters that maximize space for the spectacular horticultural design that humanizes the Avenue. Mr. Hoerr s vision for urban corridors extends to many municipalities in the Midwest and east coast. He is an active speaker on urban greening and residential design. Scott Mehaffey, ASLA, is Assistant to the Mayor - Landscape Coordinator for the City of Chicago. For the past two decades, Scott has worked as a private- and public-sector landscape architect in the Chicago Region. Formerly staff landscape architect at The Morton Arboretum, Scott was integral to the expansion and renovation of collections, gardens and site infrastructure. In his current role, Scott works with City agencies and non-profits to leverage available resources in order to sustain the quality and expand the scope of Chicago's public horticulture. Session Outline I. Introduction Scott Mehaffey 1. Overview of public horticulture in Chicago history, impact 2. Mayor s role / city s role 3. Landscape issues on which the city is focused currently II. Michigan Avenue Streetscape case study Doug Hoerr 1. Project overview and history a. Michigan Avenue and Chicago in late 80 s 2. Scope, issues, challenges and process of project a. Planting conditions b. Design intent 3. In-depth implementation from concept through construction III. Question and Answer Resources The City of Chicago has been recognized internationally for its greening efforts, and for the ongoing commitment of Mayor Richard M. Daley to establish a broad-based, interagency approach to urban greening. What began in 1989 as a civic beautification movement has become increasingly complex. Concerns over sustainability

2 (environmental and fiscal) and green jobs (retraining of ex-offenders) have become recent influences. Over the last 20 years, many new and existing non-profits have engaged in the collective effort to green the city. Some current issues include: maximizing use of increasingly limited resources reducing costs while maintaining quality in display horticulture programs making display horticulture and public landscape projects less resource-intensive expanding community involvement through volunteer maintenance connecting urban youth with nature through school gardens and learning landscapes providing public open space for community gardens creating green jobs in urban agriculture, landscape installation and maintenance, etc. particularly for the formerly incarcerated and hard to employ reducing impervious surface areas and stormwater runoff reducing urban heat islands expanding and conserving the urban forest canopy reducing mown turf; replacing with prairie, savanna, woodland understory green walls and vertical gardens Scott Mehaffey, RLA, ASLA Assistant to the Mayor Landscape Coordinator City of Chicago The following overview of city departments, sister agencies, allied non-profits and green industry professional associations will provide some idea of the scope of public horticulture in Chicago, and may be useful for landscape architects who work in Chicago or other cities. (Please note this list is non-comprehensive and is not intended to convey the mission or complete focus of any organization listed.) City of Chicago Public Horticulture Resources Chicago Department of Aviation/DOA: Facilities and Maintenance Divisions at O'Hare and Midway oversee ongoing landscape development and maintenance, including seasonal displays, hanging baskets, planters, and green roofs Chicago Department of Environment/DOE: Natural Resources and Water Quality Division implements Invasive Species regulation and outreach, compost bin and rain barrel distribution and promotion, and other sustainable landscaping and urban forestry initiatives as well as; Greencorps Chicago is the City s green job training program providing home weatherization, electronics recycling, brownfield remediation, arboriculture and community greening services to Chicago residents; Chicago Center for Green Technology provides sustainable landscape demonstrations, general and continuing professional education, public tours, special events, and a Green Building Resource Center; The Mayor s Landscape Awards is an annual program that recognizes the thousands of Chicagoans who help make the city green through their environmental beautification efforts Chicago Department of General Services/DGS: Architecture, Engineering and Construction Management coordinates landscape design and maintenance for all City-owned property, excluding streetscapes

3 Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation/DSS: Bureau of Forestry is the Lead Agency charged with maintaining and enhancing the City s urban forest; oversees tree planting, maintenance and preservation of street trees through in-house programs and interdepartmental plan review (OUC, CDOT, Zoning/ Planning); conducts periodic surveys and assessments to monitor and establish urban forest program goals; co-administers the Chicago Landscape Ordinance; provides training to Openlands TreeKeepers and City staff Chicago Department of Transportation/CDOT: Landscaped Medians Program oversees ongoing planting and maintenance of over 100 miles of medians and boulevards, typically increases by 3-5 miles each year includes trees, shrubs, perennials, seasonals and turf; Mayor Daley s GreenStreets Program oversees design, installation and maintenance of CBD street trees and plantings for above-ground and in-ground sidewalk planters, hanging baskets, window and bridge boxes, riverwalk planters, green roofs on Cultural Center and Gallery 37; CDOT Projects Division designs, coordinates public review, and oversees installation of all new streetscape projects throughout the City also offers free annual training to volunteers who maintain streetscapes Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning/DZP: Planning and Policy Division in conjunction with Part II review staff provides landscape plan reviews and ordinance revisions. Planning and Policy Division works with applicants for zoning, building design, and site design. Goal is to help applicants develop site designs that will maximize and, wherever possible, consolidate landscape areas while meeting Landscape Ordinance requirements. Related goal is to create planting environments that allow trees to develop large healthy canopies. Sustainable Development Division conducts landscape plan review, ordinance revision including the Chicago Landscape Ordinance coordinates green roofs, urban agriculture, campus parks, acquisition of land for new parks and public open space; also coordinates the preparation and ongoing implementation of Adding Green To Urban Design plan. Landscape Enforcement Division provides landscape plan review, inspections and enforcement Sister Agencies Public Horticulture Resources in Chicago Chicago Housing Authority/CHA: Office of Development Management oversees front-end landscape design and construction by the private developers; Office of Asset Management oversees maintenance and ongoing replacements and improvements by the assigned property managers Chicago Park District/CPD: Project Development oversees planning and design for all new and renovated park facilities; Natural Resources manages 7,700 acres including: 26 miles of beaches, 6,000 acres of turf with 1,000 ball fields, 600 acres of natural areas and lagoons, approx. 250,000 trees, approx. 600,000 annuals each year in 75 display gardens, and 18 acres of permanent gardens managed by Floriculture staff Chicago Public Schools/CPS: Facilities oversees landscape design, installation and maintenance; manages 10.2 million acres a year, including over 600 facilities, playfields and Campus Parks. Repairs existing trees and landscaping; invests capital funds in landscaping for new construction. Works with nonprofit partners to support school-led gardens; Career and Technical Education provides instruction and career preparation in horticulture and agriculture Chicago Transit Authority/CTA: Manager of Outsourced Maintenance oversees maintenance and replacements at CTA stations, bus garages and rail facilities Public Building Commission/PBC: Municipal Design oversees site and landscape design for new libraries, fire and police stations, field houses and public and senior housing; Education Design oversees design of new school sites and enhances CPS standard landscaping with water

4 management and sustainable design strategies to promote outdoor learning environments that become part of the new school s curriculum USDA Forest Service/USDAFS: supports Chicago's landscapes through research and program support including support of Mayor Daley s GreenStreets, Chicago Wilderness, and research efforts such as understanding restoration of native landscapes and the role of landscapes in Active Living. The Northeastern Area (NA) US Forest Service (State & Private Forestry), provides technical assistance through grant funding, education and outreach to local, state, and private groups throughout a 20-state area. Through our Urban Forestry and Forest Health programs we engage citizens on invasive species issues, urban forestry issues and work through the state forester and urban and community coordinators to provide financial and technical resources Non-Profit Agencies and Advocacy Groups Public Horticulture Resources in Chicago Chicago Botanic Garden: The Regenstein School of the Chicago Botanic Garden offers workshops, professional certificate and degree programs in horticulture, garden design and sustainable landscaping techniques, including a workshop series in Spanish. The Chicago Botanic Garden is also a teaching site and partner with the IIT s Master s of Landscape Architecture program. The Community Gardening department, through Windy City Harvest and in collaboration with the City Colleges of Chicago, offers a nine month certificate in sustainable horticulture that is accredited by the Illinois Community College Board Chicago Gateway Green: Expressway Partnership Program in close partnership with IDOT, oversees the design, installation and maintenance of landscapes along Chicago expressways, including 77,000 shrubs, 71,000 perennials, 3,000 trees and pick up of 50,000 pounds of litter annually; facilitates more than 75 annual partnerships with corporations to sponsor sections of the Chicago expressways; Tree Partnership Program is a large-scale tree-planting program that aims to transform unused parcels of land into tree-filled green spaces along expressways and in neighborhoods near transportation corridors; trees planted are native hardwoods; program goal to plant 15,000 trees by 2015 Friends of the Parks: is a non-profit environmental organization that works with the Chicago Park District, park advisory councils and volunteers to improve Chicago s parks. Volunteers in Parks Program organizes and trains volunteers to plant and mulch trees, clean parks and add soft-surface Fibar to children s playgrounds. Volunteers participate in 40 community service days as well as the Earth Day Parks Clean Up. An Adopt-A-Park Program is a joint program with the Chicago Park District that encourages park advisory councils or other groups to adopt their neighborhood park or playground and complete a minimum of four work days each year. A Seed Grant Program provides small grants to park advisory councils or adopt-a-park groups to plant gardens, improve landscapes and/or host cultural programs. The Last Four Miles Initiative is a community-based planning project to develop and implement a plan to complete Chicago s lakefront park system The Morton Arboretum: A leading partner in the Chicago Trees Initiative, providing assistance with tree-related research, technical advice, and communications strategies; One Tree Makes A Difference partners with Chicago Public Schools and Bureau of Forestry to provide tree-related classroom activities and tree-planting ceremonies for all fourth-grade classrooms and partners with Mayor s Office on the City s Official Arbor Day Celebration; Community Trees Advocate works with Bureau of Forestry on Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) prevention and other current tree issues including ongoing salvage of urban wood as a resource for artists and craftsmen NeighborSpace: NeighborSpace is a nonprofit urban land trust dedicated to preserving and sustaining community managed open spaces in Chicago. Their growing network of gardens provide thousands of people the opportunity to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers; to restore

5 habitats; and create unique gathering places in their own neighborhoods. NeighborSpace s partners in the community can rest assured that the land on which their garden sits has been protected from development Openlands: TreeKeepers trains volunteers and supervises volunteer tree planting, mulching & pruning on public spaces; Building School Gardens works with schools to plan, design and install school gardens and helps create school teams to provide ongoing care and connect the gardens to curriculum, Neighborhood Open Space Planning works with Chicago neighborhoods to plan, design and help install community gardens and other green spaces as part of broader neighborhood-based planning efforts Parkways Foundation: is the non-profit partner of the Chicago Park District. Greening, Beautification and environmental projects and programs include: The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Celebration Garden, restoration of the south garden in Grant Park through a $1.25 million grant from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation; Parkways Community Garden Grant Program, providing grants to volunteer community garden groups for materials and resources to enhance gardens in parks; Tree Fund raises funds for trees throughout the Chicago Park District, including damaged trees from storms; and special projects such as Stearns Quarry, a new 27-acre park Green Industry Professional Associations Public Horticulture Resources in Chicago Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects/IL-ASLA (Chicago Trees Initiative) Illinois Landscape Contractors Association/ILCA (Chicago Trees Initiative) Illinois Arborist Association/IAA (Chicago Trees initiative) Illinois Green Industry Association/IGIA (Chicago Trees Initiative) Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association/MELA (Chicago Trees Initiative, 26 th & Federal Nature Park)