Sunday, July 29, 2012

Futurescapes: Outdoor Spaces Today and Tomorrow


















What will tomorrow's outdoor spaces look like? What do they look like now? What adjustments will be made in response to climate change? Obviously air and water are key variables. In drought-prone areas, there will have to be more thought and willpower devoted to all forms of landscape architecture and resource preservation. We are nowhere near that in terms of thinking or acceptance yet (on a mass scale), but there are many designers and dreamers who are indeed already in motion. One place to look for examples of projects either planned or now in place is Tim Richardson's Futurescapes: Designers for Tomorrow's Outdoor Spaces (Thams & Hudson, 2011).

Paving and pathway materials. Building materials. Vehicle materials. All in flux. New designs for yard and commons spaces like parks, schoolyards, playing fields, and various cityscapes, village greens, rooftop terracing -- all of it is up for renewal.

What kind of outdoor spaces do you prefer? I love groves of large shade trees relatively free of underbrush. I like just about any type of space that offers protection from excessive sunlight. I love places where loud combustion engines are at a minimum. Imagine a fleet of electric or "X" vehicles floating almost silently through dense urban canyons. Places where you aren't constantly being attacked by loud noises and noxious fumes. There's a start. Less yard grass, more alternative vegetation: oh, yeah.

Today's Rune: Opening.  

3 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Large mature forests, mixed hardwoods. The sound of living things around. Not too much underbrush so you can get through.

Adorably Dead said...

I would love a park comprised of almost nothing but pretty ponds and weeping willow trees.

Anonymous said...

I would have no problem living in the Shire. MW