Beyond Turf
Reinterpreting the ecological management of vacancy
ROLE
Designer + Researcher
TEAM
Louisiana State University
STATUS
2014 Capstone Project
Project overview
New Orleans East, the loosely defined suburban neighborhood of Orleans Parish, has been battling increasing residential vacancies scattered throughout the area and continues to worsen. Currently, all publicly owned vacant lots in the parish are homogeneously turfed with scheduled mows. Beyond Turf seeks to maximize the ecological benefits of the lots by a native plant palette that will improve the on-site ecosystems of these dispersed lots and create a new framework for managing vacancy.
2014 American Society of Landscape Architects Student Honor Award
New Orleans East: Site Context
New Orleans East is the vast neighborhood on the east side of the Industrial Canal from New Orleans. Accounting for over half of the land area of Orleans Parish, the characteristics of New Orleans East share more in common with nearby suburban parishes than the city of New Orleans.
In 2014, 20% of the parish’s population was residing in New Orleans East. The neighborhood is neglected in many ways, local residents make 25% less than residents living in New Orleans proper, 40% of the neighborhood received over 10 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, and many of the residents are more than a third of a mile from a park/green space.
Orleans Parish Population (1960 - 2010)
Orleans Parish peaked in population in the 1960s and has been declining since then. The landmass of New Orleans has nearly doubled since the 1930s with population numbers consistent with the 1930s. Orleans Parish has lost many of its residents to surrounding parishes after segregation, the 1970s oil crisis, and Hurricane Katrina in 2009. The population has mostly stabilized following Hurricane Katrina.
Orleans Parish Vacancies (1960 - 2010)
Vacancy in Orleans Parish has been an issue since the time following the oil crisis of the 1970s. Orleans Parish has seen fluctuations in vacancy throughout the parish even as the housing stock continued to grow. Following the Hurricane Katrina, vacancy accounted for 50% of all houses, but has stabilized at 25% with a smaller housing stock in the parish.
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) currently manages 1,460 lots spread throughout Orleans Parish.
The equivalent of 176 acres...
The Issue
New Orleans East (NOE) experienced declining populations before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, and the amount of vacancies increasing in the aftermath. Accounting for over half of the land area of Orleans Parish, the characteristics of NOE share more in common with the suburban parishes. With 20% of the parish’s population living in NOE there is a need to address the issue of what to do with the 403 vacant lots in NOE that impact the community.
In Orleans Parish, 25% of all residential lots are currently vacated. Having some of the highest rates of vacancy in the country, the need to re-evaluate how to manage the lots is necessary. With multiple ecological and social problems plaguing New Orleans East, it is necessary to consider how to deal with the issue of illegal dumping, poor drainage, and proximity to blighted properties for a successful implementation.
Current practices
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority’s (NORA) current management plan for publicly-owned lots includes sodding cleared lots and mowing the lots eighteen times a year at the price of $400 per lot annually.
With over 1,400 uncommitted lots in the parish, this ends up costing the city over half a million dollars annually.
Besides the financial burden, there are the impacts that these lots have on the local ecology. Most lots suffer from high sun exposure with minimal tree coverage. There is also poor on-site drainage that overwhelms the city’s canals and drainage system during high periods of rain. Lacking a diverse plant selection on these lots hinders plant and animal biodiversity with continual mows suppressing habitats for native species, as well.
The community has a strong misunderstanding of meadows for the fact that many people mistake native species as weeds due to the lack of education on these plants.
A proposal to integrate nature into a suburban landscape…
Reade West Boulevard case study
The Reade West Boulevard block was chosen for a few the following reasons:
High percentage of the houses received more than 10 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina
High percentage of vacant lots that border with two or more vacant lots
Lack of parks/green space in the neighborhood
The average house price is $105,000 compared to $290,000 in New Orleans proper (based on 2014 values)
The average salary is $30,000 compared to $40,000 (based on 2014 earnings) in New Orleans proper.
Reade West Boulevard: Lot typologies
Proposal: An Urban Meadow
Implementing a meadow into New Orleans East (NOE) involves a higher time commitment at first, but as the meadow matures the maintenance decreases. Redirecting already established landscaping funds for NORA would help maintain and implement this project and create a volunteer program.
To prevent a lot from looking unruly it is important to maintain a meadow setback that preserves a 15’ groundcover strip. The lots will need an annual mow, cut on the lowest setting, in early spring, which will allow seeds to come in contact with the soil and aid the germination process.
There is great freedom to vary plant selection based on site conditions, lot typology, and plant preferences. Eventually, the vacant landscapes could become a productive and beautiful installation that moves beyond a turf landscape.
A proposal for the planting installation timeline.
Meadow installation
Volunteers help plant native species in the formerly vacant lot.
3-years post-meadow installation
Native flora and fauna begin to establish themselves.
4-years post-meadow installation
Established meadows can also co-function with other programmatic elements, such as basketball courts to support the community.
5-years post-meadow installation
Five years after the meadow installation, the lots will support a mature meadow that will create opportunities for the neighborhood to interact with a thriving ecosystem.