My Life on 13th

I find myself driving on 1300 E. quite often. I work two jobs, both of which stem off of it. My bus route to campus travels along 13th for the bulk of the commute. And my boyfriend lives no more than a hop away from the busy boulevard. A sizable percentage of my time in the car is spent on this street. Unfortunately, this time is hardly enjoyable. Despite some small delights peppered into the commute-- the dog that looks like a dirty mop, the old homes in the Yalecrest neighborhood, and the giant sycamore trees lining Westminster College's entrance, the bulk of the drive is mundane, lackluster, and forgettable. In retrospect, I actually feel a bit of frustration every time I'm forced to get back onto 13th.

13th is a main drag throughout SLC, and to try to correct the whole swath in one blog post would be impossible. So, I've narrowed in on the specific chunk of 13th that I despise the most-- the section between 27th S and 21st S. There's been small progress with the creation of "The Draw" that connects Sugarhouse Park with Hidden Hollow via a tunnel, but that progress must be magnified tenfold. To begin, I'll list the problems I see in this zone, and then follow up with potential remedies.

PROBLEMS:
-Overabundance of concrete
-Feels unsafe for pedestrians
-No memorability or connection to place
-Division between residential and commercial areas
-Extreme automobile traffic

SOLUTIONS:
-Introduction of color using sculpture and plants. I would love for the sculptures and plants to both act as nods toward creating a sense of place-- perhaps sculptures of indigenous wildlife, and integration of indigenous plants. I picture sculptures that use the warmth and heritage of sandstone and copper to create art tied to the land. As far as plants, there are so many ways to create breathtaking urban gardens. The book, "Hellstrip Gardens," is an excellent resource for this type of landscape design. Traffic medians don't have to be planted with bland and sparse grasses-- they can be planted with dynamic, engaging species instead!

-Wider sidewalks with a protective edge. Pedestrians on 13th have their work cut out for them. The area effectively screams, "Keep Out!" to anyone on foot. Walkers, joggers, runners, etc. are forced up against the clamoring danger of rushing traffic. I suggest creating more spacious sidewalks that are both beautified and safeguarded by strips of gardens. Again, "Hellstrip Gardens" offers extraordinary insight.

-Implementation of unique features relevant to Sugarhouse-- stations featuring history of the area, information on the local flora/fauna, and ideas of what to do while in Sugarhouse. Additionally: seating scattered within. I picture small, but engaging pedestals along the sidewalk area that inform pedestrians about the area they're currently in. This would offer meaning and a sense of place, to an otherwise "lost" zone. I also propose seating, to create resting spots for people to stop, discuss, and take in the elegant space we create.

-Fluidity in design spanning from the neighborhood to the plazas, connecting the two zones. The current problem zone acts as a failed ecotone between the neighborhood tucked east of 13th, and the shops and restaurants along 21st. Rather than offering connectivity, fluidity, and guidance from one to the other, the concrete monolith is more of an obstacle. (Unless you're in a car, of course.) I think it would be wonderful if pedestrians and cyclists from this residential neighborhood could come participate in the plaza, without needing their cars.

-Discouraged automobile use due to better provisions for cyclists and public transit users. Not only does this area lack accommodations for those on foot, it lacks them for cyclists and public transit users too. I propose creating wide, clearly marked bike lanes. These lanes don't have to be boring! They can serve two purposes-- beauty and purpose, by using bright color and pattern to denote them. I also feel it would be transformative for them to be given traffic light precedence over cars-- offering another incentive for biking. As far as public transit users go, I think they deserve much better shelters at bus stops. I feel that a major aversion to using public transit is the extreme weather we experience in SLC. With stops that buffer against these weather events, I feel ridership would go up. Like the bike lanes, these stops don't have to be dull and forgettable! Using green roofs, comfortable seating, and elements of color, the stops can serve to add further form and function to the space.



 And now, for photos! Here are the photos of the problematic area:

Entering the problem zone from the north, this is 1300 E, 2100 S

Amidst the zone, take note of the boring concrete/asphalt landscape, and the overly narrow side

The last of the problem zone, before entering the freeway-- the zone I'm addressing continues a bit beyond this stoplight, until the one at 2700 S. 

And here are photos of potential solutions:

A Southwestern-inspired cactus sculpture

Another example of Utah-esque sculpture 

This is a photo of The Draw's sandstone wall. It would increase fluidity to extend this same "sandstone" material along the swath of 13th that The Draw stems off from

An example of a traffic median with greenery

The greenery in the medians could be desert species

A barrier garden between the street and the sidewalk makes pedestrians feel safer

These types of barriers are also beautiful!

An example of seating that doubles as planters and doesn't take up too much space-- could be used along sidewalks 

This playful stone seating encourages participation and fun

Perhaps bike lanes could be patterned and interesting, like this crosswalk

Bikes Will Save our Souls

Simply put, bikes are a good idea. It's hard to dispute this statement. They're cheaper to purchase and maintain than automobiles. They provide an excellent form of exercise for their rider. They require significantly less parking accommodations. They allow citizens to engage more intimately with their surroundings. But specifically for the purpose of this blog post-- they contribute to less air pollution.

Salt Lake City has undeniably abysmal air quality. Last year, the American Lung Association flunked  Salt Lake with an "F" rating for its air pollution. It was ranked 6th worst in the nation. Earlier this year, it earned the title of "Worst Air Quality in US" from the EPA. Some Utahans have begun wearing villain-esque looking filtration masks in an effort to reduce the negative health impacts of the brown, smoggy air.

It's through this lens, Salt Laker who's damn sick of the nasty air, that I read the bicycling chapters in our "hymnal." How transformative biking could be for this plagued city! Rather than spewing out toxic emissions, bikes keep our air clean. Although there is still likely some point of pollution associated with the production of the bicycles, it is much less than that of vehicle production, and quickly compensated for by the lack of emissions while in use.

Bikes for all! They're our solution! Yay! But how will we create a sudden surge of bike use? If people are so in love (or enslaved by) their cars, what will make them willing to make the switch? Influenced by our readings for this week, I believe there must be systemic changes to encourage this transition. (Transformative strategies!) For one, I believe that better biking infrastructure must be created-- safe and prolific bike lanes, protected and secure bike parking structures, prioritization with traffic lights for cyclists, and hopefully even periodic bike tune up posts throughout the city. Additionally, I believe there must be an economic incentive associated with biking. As suggested in Green Urbanism, the government ought to subsidize the cost of cycling by offering a discounted purchase of a bike, as well as a package deal with public transit fare, rain gear, and unlimited maintenance. Finally, I believe there must be a cultural shift as far as what's normative. Right now, cars are the norm. They're a symbol of status, and an element of comfort. To get people to actually make the switch to bikes, bikes must be considered trendy, attractive, and "normal." To achieve this, I suggest creating programs within already existing groups (clubs, sororities and fraternities, honors societies, etc.) that teach people how to bike! By doing so within an already accepted and safe space, and by doing so alongside other novices, people would likely be less intimidated and more willing to make a change. (Not to mention the peer pressure of doing it.)

In conclusion: bikes are the future!




http://fox13now.com/2017/01/31/salt-lake-city-currently-has-worst-air-quality-in-us/
http://www.sltrib.com/home/3799747-155/slc-ranked-as-6th-worst-in-the

This Weekend's Ecotone

I got my wisdom teeth yanked out over the weekend. Four teeth extracted under anesthesia have made for a challenging recovery. There's a constant dull ache pounding from my jaw to my ears, and the narcotic pain meds have made me loopy and very (uncharacteristically) weepy. I include this abysmal anecdote because it sets the stage for the ecotone I'll describe-- my sister's house.

Ready to leave the clinic but not ready to independently care for myself in my own home, my sister's house acted as a transition zone between these two stages. It was an ecotone of sorts-- no longer under the care of nurses but not yet under the care of just myself. Over the several days I spent recuperating there, I noticed a major feature of this ecotone (and perhaps of all successful ecotones)-- it guided me.

This ecotone guided me from the moment of waking up to the moment of regaining independence. It offered a fluid transition from one stage to the next, offering continuity and flow between the otherwise choppy moments. Because I had this ecotone, I was able to follow a natural, appropriate course-- regaining a little strength and coherence before returning to my own home.

I then started thinking about other ecotones, and I noticed that the ones which stood out also had this feature of guiding. The rotunda in the National Gallery guides patrons from the isolated exhibits back into the bustle of D.C. The Visitor's Center at Walden Pond guides visitors from the modern parking lot to the stoic nostalgia of Thoreau's haunt. The Ballard Locks in Seattle guide boats from fresh water to salt water and vice versa (although to be fair, they pose significant problems for the salmon...). All of these zones serve as transition spaces, preparing the partaker to go from one to the other-- guiding them through. After paying attention to ecotones, I truly believe they're integral in creating a meaningful, cherished, and safe city. They save life from being a staccato of unrelated events, instead offering the blend and experience of a smooth, rich legato.

National Gallery Rotunda, Washington D.C.

Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts

The Ballard Locks, Seattle, Washington 

Aaaaand, wisdom teeth!

Looking Back and Looking Forward

When I was at the beginning of my environmental studies major, I took ENVST 2100-- an intro course taught by Ian Peisner. The course covered a broad array of environmental studies content-- a smorgasbord of what our future as ENVST students held, with many guest speakers providing the diversity of subject. Adrianne Cachelin shared her knowledge on environmental justice and injustice. Amy Wildermuth shared her passion for environmental law. Stephen Goldsmith (that's you, unless this is Mitch reading, then that isn't you...) shared his insights on urban ecology. Something mentioned in Professor Goldsmith's guest lecture has stuck with me ever since-- the importance of presenting yourself as valuable. If I remember correctly, he discussed how in effort to gain funding for artists, the initial attempts were something along the lines of "we need help, please fund us." After failed attempts with this route, an alternate strategy was employed-- something along the lines of "we're valuable artists who add variety and character to this city, please fund us." This confident approach worked, and I believe the funding came through. (Maybe this was all a dream, and this guest lecture never happened... but I'm fairly certain it did. Either way, I was inspired by it.) 

Today in class we discussed collaboration with other colleges, and the best way to go about initiating that cooperative creativity. I was instantly reminded of this memory from Professor Goldsmith's guest lecture. How important it is to approach collaboration with confidence in ourselves, and in the other party! Rather than approaching it as "we're desperate and need saving..." or "we're being pushed by our professor to collaborate so I'm sending you this email..." we should approach intersectionality across campus as "we have a lot of valuable insight that can be strengthened by your valuable insight, and vice versa." There are silos of knowledge across campus, waiting to be tapped and bridged. Each college contains a rich supply of expertise and unique ways of knowing. But these isolated stores of knowledge are limited in their power. To make lasting impacts, they must be combined and connected. They must be allowed to work as an ecosystem-- fueling, strengthening, refining, enhancing one another. 

I find myself simultaneously excited by the prospects of this collaboration, and terrified of the ramifications if it's never achieved. There is so much potential to be used, but so much to be lost. It's a precious commodity-- potential. Especially in a world which feels so grim, stagnant, and systemically blocked. The warmth of potential offers a small, but much needed glimmer of hope, in a hopeless world. 

Economic Piece of Campus Overhall

1. Art Installations
Several groups suggested implementing artwork on campus in the form of murals, mosaics, and sculptures. This has the potential to be very budget-friendly. By using recycled materials and enlisting students in the art department to create the pieces as a project for their coursework, these ideas could be completed with a relatively small budget. The recycled materials would hopefully be cheaper than virgin ones, and students would likely be willing to design the pieces for little or no monetary compensation. (Especially if it was a class assignment or some sort of competition.) The following website includes resources for recycled art materials: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/reuse/links/Art.htm

Scrap metal sculpture

Scrap metal sculpture 

Plastic bottle sculpture

2. Cyclist Amenities
Among the ideas regarding biking, people mentioned raised bike paths, visible bike signage and lane lines, and sheltered bike racks. Creating a raised bike path would likely be the most expensive of these suggestions, due to the materials and construction required for such an installation. But, materials could again be sourced secondhand, and the Urban Ecology and Engineering Departments could collaborate on the design and creation. Creating signs and lane lines that would guide bikers through fluid routes and keep pedestrians from interfering would be a relatively cheap fix, via the use of durable paint and metals. This would also be a somewhat quick project, that could be done on a low-traffic day like a holiday or Sunday. Finally, creating sheltered bike racks would be an initial cost of creating a structure. (Roughly starting at $1300). However, if done correctly, the structure wouldn't need much maintenance, and could virtually be a one-time implementation.

Large bike shelter with a simple green roof

Bike lockers

Bike shelter with extensive green roof system

Cleary marked bike/pedestrian lanes

3. Redoing the Library Plaza
A universal complaint across our class was the Marriott Library Plaza. As Gui put it, the plaza suffers from "Concretus Overloadus." She's right-- passers by are totally inundated with monotone, unfriendly, uninspiring swaths of cement. By redoing this plaza with updated seating, engaging fountains, green roofs, and dynamic biota, there are many monetary benefits. Although there would certainly be initial costs with the remodels, these costs could be offset by the money spent by students on campus, who spend more time on campus enjoying this plaza, rather than high-tailing it back to home as soon as possible. Additionally, with a more memorable campus, alumni would be more likely to make donations to the University. Finally, implementations like fountains and green roofs could be fueled with grey water, reducing the costs associated with the purchase of virgin water. (The University has already paid for grey water once, so we might as well use it again rather than buying new water.)

An engaging campus plaza

Another beautiful plaza

4. Conservatory
Creating a conservatory on campus would be a large undertaking. (From my research, we'd be looking at shelling out about $25/square foot. So for a large conservatory, it would be several tens of thousands of dollars.) But, with this new space would come the opportunity for the Edible Campus Gardens to grow more food, especially during the hostile winter months. This food could then be sold at the Farmer's Market, generating income. Additionally, this conservatory would create more jobs for gardeners, and also serve as a living learning laboratory for biology/botany/environmental science students, so that they wouldn't have to spend money ordering samples and taking field trips.

Pretend this is a student working in the greenhouse! 

An abundance of refreshing growth 

A memorable conservatory roof

5. Bus/Shuttle Stop Amenities
Public transit and campus shuttle riders need more provisions. Covered stops should be one of them. With the creation of covered bus areas, more people would be inclined to use the bus/shuttle system. With more people taking the bus, there's less need to spend money on building new parking lots, paying parking attendants, and performing parking lot maintenance. (Parking lots are extraordinarily expensive! A parking garage can cost millions of dollars. One quote I read online priced a parking garage at $8.5 M!)

Bus stop shelter with green roof, benches, and plenty of shade/cover

A playful bus stop shelter with swings

Another green roof bus shelter, complete with a live feed of the bus locations

Imports From Across the Pond

We talk a lot about import replacement-- substituting foreign-sourced goods for domestically-sourced ones. Import replacement is valuable! One could say it is IMPORTant. (Saw the chance for a pun, had to take it. My bad.) Import replacement contributes to local economies, offers a sense of place and identity for citizens, and demands a higher level of conscious consumption since the resources are coming from a local (and beloved) place. But one import that isn't negative? Ideas!

Within the latest reading are handfuls of creative planning solutions at play in Europe. I enjoyed underlining and annotating these ideas, considering the power the success they could have in America. Specifically, the ideas on greywater reuse, living roofs, and eco bridges resonated with me.

1. Greywater Reuse
In one of my Environmental Studies courses, we were challenged by our professor to come up with a SCIF project idea. My group's idea was to implement greywater reuse infrastructure on campus. The University of Utah uses a lot of water in their operations-- especially in landscaping. Approximately 47% of its water use is devoted to landscaping. This is absurdly higher than other universities. My group proposed replacing "virgin water" used for landscaping with secondhand "greywater,"-- water that comes from sinks, showers, bathtubs, dishwashers, etc. Rather than using new water for watering lawns and plants, we could use secondhand water. In an arid ecosystem and a changing climate, we have little water to spare. I strongly believe this could help.

The very green lawn (which really shouldn't be grass and should be water-wise plants instead, but that's another post for another day....) on President's Circle that could be watered with secondhand water rather than virgin water!

2. Living Roofs
I loved Beatley's discussion on living roofs. His words on these roofs' moral-boosting effects in the workplace ring true to me, since my workplace has one! (Here I go again, talking about Red Butte Garden...) Red Butte features a green roof on the west face of its visitor's center. Not only does it have positive results in the department of reducing urban heat island and adding insulation, it adds more beauty to the building. Perhaps because Red Butte is a botanical garden and arboretum, we're dedicated to creating as much fluidity between indoor and outdoor spaces as possible. This roof certainly helps bridge the gap, fusing the two realms together. I would love to see more living roofs in SLC, especially in the monotonous, dull downtown sector.

An early photo of the RBG green roof, before it grew in. (Sourced from redbuttegarden.org)

3. Eco Bridges
Maybe it's because I saw a dead deer on Foothill Boulevard today... or maybe it's because I'm still traumatized from the time I hit a raccoon on a busy highway... whatever the reason, I took a serious liking to the idea of eco bridges. I truly believe that we're the invasive species in ecosystems. We came in and took food, shelter, and migration routes away from creatures with our massive freeways and sprawling neighborhoods. I love the idea of making provisions for animals to cross busy streets. After all, I believe it's first and foremost their valley.

An ecobridge from The Netherlands. Aside from its functionality, look how pretty it is! (Sourced from twistedsifter.com)

In conclusion, my thoughts on Europe are as follows: great chocolate, cool accents, and excellent advancements in urban planning. (In no particular order.)