Landscape architect James Corner unveiled a new concept for the Nicollet Mall redesign Thursday night stunning light and art walks for Nicollet between 6th and 8th streets.

The new design for the central stretch of Nicollet replaces an earlier concept featuring glass staircases descending from the skyway linking the IDS to Macy's. Businesses, Metro Transit and city leaders raised concerns about the logistics of the staircases, prompting the design team to consider alternatives.

The light walk will feature a trellis of tilted mirrors on the east side of the mall, Corner said. When people walk under the mirrors headed north on the mall they will see their reflection and those of passersby; going south they will see reflections of the sky.

At night the light walk will resemble a starry sky that could change colors, imitating the Northern Lights.

The west side of the street will include mature trees, street furniture and an art walk with spheres lit at night with distinctive patterns. Corner said there's talk of collaborating with the Walker Art Center to curate art installations in storefronts and perhaps a large art piece could be suspended over 7th Street.

The blocks will also have diverse activities, such as bocce ball in the summer, curling in the winter and community gatherings.

The goal is to transform the blocks from rather drab spaces to the most vibrant section of Nicollet, Corner said.

The designer and other project leaders briefed the community on the project at the Hyatt Regency.

The $50 million project has secured $21.5 million in state bonding and $3.5 million from the City of Minneapolis. A plan to assess businesses for the remainder of the project's cost will be finalized early next year.

The goal is to complete the Nicollet Mall renovation by the end of 2016. The entire mall, from Washington Avenue to Grant Street, will be redone with more durable paving materials, new trees, enhanced lighting and public art. It will also be renovated to be streetcar ready, project organizers said.

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Light walk will be focal point for redesigned Nicollet Mall

After nearly a year of study, a prominent architectural-landscape company in Philadelphia will present its vision Thursday for improving the tired riverfront promenade in Burlington City.

The grassy 14 acres along the Delaware River would be transformed into a more inviting space, with new park benches beneath a grove of shade trees; winding paths; changing art installations; designated areas for concerts, kite-flying events, and children's sports; and more, said Richard Newton, an Olin Studios partner who is working on the project.

A presentation will be made at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at a special public meeting at City Hall, 525 High St.

The renderings, which have not been released, depict a "more interesting . . . more romantic" promenade that takes full advantage of the location's "amazing views of the bridge, the Delaware itself, the island, and, of course, the sunsets," Newton said in an interview.

How the project would be financed has not yet been determined, but officials said it could be a combination of donations, state aid, and other sources.

Council President David Babula said the beautification project was a key part of the city's ambitious revitalization plans. The project could take more than three years to complete and cost $2.5 million to $5 million, he said. "That's just a ballpark figure," he said, adding that a planned development of market-rate apartments nearby might contribute to the project's funding.

"We're looking mostly to enhance and beautify that area," he said, "to make it into a tourist attraction and also an entertainment venue."

Built more than 25 years ago, the promenade is a quiet, grassy space between the Burlington-Bristol Bridge and the Oneida Boat Club, with a paved walk that stretches less than a half-mile along the river. Used occasionally by pedestrians, joggers, and boaters, the area also has a soccer field and a band shell for summer concerts.

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Public meeting on proposed promenade upgrade in Burlington City

Running Cedar Garden Dialogue
The 2014 Garden Dialogue season was exceptionally rich. The capstone of the year was a dialogue on the Virginia estate Running Cedar between landscape archit...

By: tclfsteward

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Running Cedar Garden Dialogue - Video

Seven years ago on a cold January night, landscape architect Charles Birnbaum urged local leaders to restore Mellon Square, the modernist jewel of a park that opened in 1955 in Downtown Pittsburgh.

As president and founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington, D.C., Mr. Birnbaum championed the project because he knew of other significant landscapes that had already disappeared from cities and parks.

Six months later, in June 2007, Meg Cheever, president and chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, took Susan Rademacher on a tour of the citys historic parks Frick, Schenley, Riverview and Highland plus the Hill District.

It was not my first visit to Pittsburgh, said Ms. Rademacher, who had visited as a consultant to the parks conservancy. But until then, I didnt have a sense of the rich landscape, history and opportunities.

On Thursday night at Carnegie Museum of Art, Mr. Birnbaum spoke about the creation and recent $10 million renovation of the park. Ms. Rademacher then signed copies of her book, Mellon Square: Discovering a Modern Masterpiece.An initiative of Mr. Birnbaums foundation, the book was published by Princeton Architectural Press.

Key players in the projects history were financier Richard King Mellon and Mayor David Lawrence, who seized the chance to remake smoky Downtown Pittsburgh after World War II by spending $4 million to buildMellon Square on top of a parking garage. The architects were James Mitchell and Dahlen Ritchey; the landscape architects were John Ormsbee Simonds and his brother, Philip.

Mr. Mellons sister, Sarah Mellon Scaife, played an unexpected role in the parks final design. Shehad just returned from Italy when she saw preliminary design documents for the square.

She questioned the paving pattern. It was a rectilinear concrete pavement, Ms. Rademacher said.She thought it was boring, and she had just been dazzled in Venice in St. Marks Square, which has a very elaborate pavement pattern. She challenged them.

John [Simonds] rose to the challenge and developed the amazing harlequin pattern, which his partner, Phil, detailed, Ms. Rademacher said.

Phil Simonds created paving made from unpolished marble chips, calling itrustic Venetian terrazzo. Narrow bronze strips between the pavment form interlocking triangles.

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Restoration of Mellon Square inspires book about the modernist landmark

Landscape architect John Tikotsky

Hermosa Beach cut the ribbon on a new Community Center garden last week, just a few days after a city backhoe removed a privately maintained garden across the street on the city Greenbelt.

The Community Center garden replaces 2,000 square feet of the block long lawn that covers the north and east grounds of the former junior high school.

Celebrating the completion of the Hermosa Beach Community Centers new native plant garden last Wednesday are Surfriders Craig Cadwalder, councilman Hany Fangary, West Basins Ron Wildermuth, California Water Services Rob Olsen and Susan Cordone, Surfriders Beth Crosse, West Basin trustee Carol Kwan, mayor Pete Tucker and landscape architect John Tikotsky . Photo by Kevin Cody

The garden the city removed was planted with city permission 13 years ago by Karen Bruns, who lives in the Marine Mobile Home Park, across from the Greenbelt.

All of the Community Centers new plants are drought tolerant, California natives. Rainwater collected from the Community Center roof and gray water from the citys purple water main provide the irrigation.

Hermosa Beach Mayor Pete Tucker and West Basin Water District board member Carol Kwan.

The garden is a model for residents and represents Hermosas leadership in environmental sustainability, Mayor Pete Tucker said at last Wednesdays ribbon cutting.

The $30,000 garden was largely funded by the West Basin Water District, whose board member Michelle Kwan noted that she has reduced her water bill to $35 a month by replacing the lawns at her Manhattan Beach home with California native plants.

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Greenbelt garden removed

Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan, designed by Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher with Saffet Kaya Bekiroglu.

I hate to stereotype, says architect Fiona Scott. Male architects are often quite sensitive, artistic people and any suggestion that buildings designed by women are more curvy, tactile or colourful is wrong. But I dont think there are many women who think, Oh, my ideal project would be a massive tower.

Scott, one half of the award-winning practice Gort Scott, is currently on maternity leave but has agreed to meet me in an east London cafe to talk about whether gender influences her work. She describes a generational divide between female architects working now and those who have retired or are close to it, some of whom rightly feel hard done by. Last year a petition tried and failed to get Denise Scott Brown made retrospective joint winner, with her husband and business partner Robert Venturi, of the 1991 Pritzker prize, which was awarded to him alone.

I would go to networking events that were full of guys who had a way of talking I found exhausting

Scott says it is not uncommon to learn of women who have not been properly credited, but these days there are advantages to being female: Ive always thought there was a benefit to being a woman [in this field], because you dont have to do so much to get noticed, and if your ideas are any good then people want to hear what youve got to say.

Its a mistake to think women arent capable of having grand ideas, she adds even if such ideas are often associated with big egos. She mentions Lina Bo Bardi, whose centenary is celebrated this year in Brazil and Italy, and multiple-prize-winner Shelley McNamara.

But for all her positivity, Scott admits that earlier in her career she struggled. I would go to networking events that were full of guys who had a way of talking I found exhausting, she says. Quite bullish, lots about sport. You find yourself feeling you have nothing to say. Its a vicious circle where your confidence gets diminished if people dont listen to you. I really wanted a female mentor, I knew I needed to sort it out and I spent a couple of years thinking about that a lot.

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The first thing to observe when discussing how cities would differ if women built them (or at least had more of a say in how they are built or rebuilt) is that surprise! at the moment and across and the world, and even in countries where women hold powerful positions, the biggest decisions about urban development are mainly made by men. There are and have been inspirational women architects, planners and city politicians, and Jane Jacobs book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) is perhaps the most famous single piece of writing about urban design. But all over the world, the built-environment professions and particular their uppermost echelons - remain heavily male-dominated, more so than other spheres such as education or health.

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If women built cities, what would our urban landscape look like?

Dalhousie is well known for its Architecture program. Now the universitys architectural expertise is expanding in new ways thanks to the development of an undergraduate program in Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Agriculture.

Dalhousie will soon become the only Atlantic Canadian university to offer an undergraduate program in Landscape Architecture, and only one of three to do so across Canada.

What exactly is landscape architecture? As the Canadian Society of Landscape Architecture explains, it involves, combining art and science in the creation and preservation of built environments, taking a holistic approach that recognizes that the needs and activities of people can be complementary parts of larger environmental services.

The new Dalhousie program will include areas of study that explore site and ecosystem analysis, engage in collaborative design exercises, apply concepts of sustainability and efficiency, create construction details and specifications, and enhance our environment both aesthetically and ecologically. Students will receive training to develop technical skills in design, communication, installations and management.

Tracey MacKenzie, professor in the Department of Environment Sciences, is excited for the program to begin and believes it will fill a niche within the industry.

This program is about making connections between the landscape contracting industry and landscape architecture, she says. It will focus on designing functional spaces, using an interdisciplinary approach that includes horticultural and engineering skills and applying environmental knowledge to create site solutions. This program will encourage students to be in tune with natural ecosystems and apply a creative mindset to tackle various environmental and design challenges.

From a Dal perspective, Prof.MacKenzie explains that this new program will complete a trio of related programming at the university: architecture, planning and now landscape architecture.

Students will have the opportunity to pursue a career where you can definitely make a difference in the environment, says Prof. MacKenzie. The foundation of the program will be the idea of sustainability being a key part of landscape development. This will be a multi-disciplinary education which includes engineering, horticulture, design and the environment.

The Landscape Architecture program is scheduled to begin in September 2015. Students will be able to complete a Bachelor of Technology degree on the Agricultural Campus in Truro, which can be followed by further study of a masters degree.

This new program has recently gained the attention of the president of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Dr. Siren Lan, who himself is an internationally renowned landscape architect.

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Faculty of Agriculture launches new program in Landscape Architecture

Shreveport police seek woman wanted for forgery Shreveport police seek woman wanted for forgery

Updated: Wednesday, December 3 2014 11:56 AM EST2014-12-03 16:56:46 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, December 3 2014 10:17 AM EST2014-12-03 15:17:22 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, December 3 2014 6:58 AM EST2014-12-03 11:58:07 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, December 2 2014 11:19 PM EST2014-12-03 04:19:45 GMT

A traffic stop near the Marthaville community in Natchitoches Parish led to the arrests of two men on felony drug and weapon charges.

It happened around 11:50 p.m. on Monday on LA Highway 120 near LA Highway 487. Deputies stopped a 1992 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by 38-year-old Andrew Cobb of Robeline, for a traffic violation.

Deputies say that during the traffic stop, Cobb and his passenger 30-year-old Christopher Scott Van Hook, were acting suspicious. After getting permission to search the vehicle, deputies reportedly seized a small amount of suspected methamphetamines, drug paraphernalia and a Remington .270 semi-automatic rifle. Deputies also reportedly found ammunition on Van Hook.

Cobb and Van Hook were both arrested and charged with possession of CDS schedule II methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal possession of a firearm during a narcotics offense and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Both were booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.

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Traffic stop leads to drug arrest in Natchitoches Parish

Monday, December 1, 2014, by Rachel B. Doyle

Italy carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

The intricate "landcarpets" designed by Austrian architect Florian Pucher use shape and color to depict various terrains around the world. "I have always been inspired by watching the landscape go by when I fly," says Pucher. The Netherlands-themed carpet renders the country's flower farms as squares of pink ensconced within a sea of green and blue plots meant to resemble fields and canals. The carpets dedicated to the Bahamas and Hong Kong have harbors and singular coastlines. "I browse through large areas of various countries via satellite image services to find a typical landscape, then trace the main features, abstracting and simplifying in the process to finally expose the essence of the landscape," says Pucher. Looking at his carpets is like going up in a hot air balloon, and staring down at the grids of color below, all without leaving your living room.

Netherlands carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

Bahamas carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

Italy carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

Africa carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

Hong Kong carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

Netherlands carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

USA carpet. Photo courtesy of Florian Pucher

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Art of Mapping: Topographic Rugs Bring the Best Part of Flying Into Your House

RIVINGTONS historic terraced gardens were featured on a national television show.

BBC flagship magazine programme Countryfile broadcasted three separate segments on the famous gardens on Sunday night, with presenter John Craven exploring the history, landscape and social impact of the gardens.

The former newsround host spent a day at the site, which lies on the border of Horwich and Chorley, speaking to different people involved with the much-loved gardens.

The terraced gardens were the brainchild of Bolton-born soap magnate Lord Leverhulme, who owned the land, and designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Thomas Mawson.

The gardens require preserving and protecting and after previously securing 64,000 of initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a bid is currently being put together to apply for a 3.3 million grant, which is due to be submitted in February.

Rivington Heritage Trust Chairman Bryan Homan said:The fact that BBC Countryfile has come to the Terraced Gardens, and that the Gardens speaks volumes for their importance as a national historic and landscape treasure.

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Historic terraced gardens featured on prime time BBC show