Urban farmers and gardeners around the world transform abandoned lots into edible landscapes, improving human and ecological health as well as creating beautiful places. Richard Ingersoll surveys a myriad of concepts and projects from around Europe and the United States.
Landscape
An expanse of earth, adorned, improved, contoured, designed, and experienced. Architecture, travel, design, culture.
Diane Arbus: A Privileged Voyeur of Life on the Margins
It’s been almost five decades since the troubled US photographer took her own life, but her images continue to reveal the camera’s predatory nature. Watch a documentary made in 1972 that examines her photography and her methods.
What Every SoCal Beach Town Suffers: Parking
“San Fran has Coit Tower. Paris its Eiffel Tower. DC the Washington Monument. New York City, the Statue of liberty, and us, we got some downtown parking.”
Wildlife Crossings: Animals Survive with Bridges and Tunnels
Providing crossing infrastructure at key points along transportation corridors is known to improve safety, reconnect habitats and restore wildlife movement. Throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North American, wildlife crossing structures have been implemented with demonstrable success.
Earth Sheltered Homes: Energy-Efficient, Living With the Land
Earth Sheltered, energy-efficient houses are bright, airy, dry and quiet. Though popular now among advocates of passive solar and sustainable architecture, Earth Sheltering has been around for nearly as long as humans have constructed their homes.
The Art of Bill Ohrmann: Montana Rancher, Voice for the Wild
Drive into the wide open landscape beyond Drummond, Montana, set on an old cattle farm amid a twelve-foot polar bear and wooly mammoth sculptures, you’ll find Bill Ohrmann’s museum and gallery—and a lifetime’s worth of commentary captured in his paintings.
Haiti: Rebuilding Sustainably with Earthbag Houses
Haiti’s recovery from the devastation of the 2010 earthquake, plus repeated hits by tropical storms and hurricanes, calls for creative, low-tech, earth-based alternatives. Konbit Shelter, a pairing of international designers including the street artist Swoon with local artisans, have advanced earthbag construction as a viable solution to disaster prone areas.