LEBANON A special screening of a documentary about urban planning around people is being held at the Lebanon Opera House on Thursday night.

The Human Scale, a film inspired by the work of Danish architect Jan Gehl, is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

The film is to be followed by a panel of experts including landscape architect Robert White, professor of architecture at Dartmouth College Karol Kawiaka and master planner William Dennis. The panel is to be moderated by Lebanon city planning director Andrew Gast-Bray.

Gast-Bray said Tuesday, while he has been greatly influenced by the documentary's main subject, Gehl, he has never seen the documentary before and he was asked not to watch the film before the Thursday night viewing.I look forward to seeing it with fresh eyes, so I can ask fresh questions of the panelists, he said.

Over his career, Gehl has become known for challenging assumptions about modern cities and has pioneered a human-centric approach to designing communities.Gehl has and will continue to influence Lebanon city planning, Gast-Bray said, and because of that, the whole community is encouraged to come, to see the documentary and join in the conversation.

As an example of Gehl's influence on city planning, Gast-Bray said, We've designed our long range transportation plans around places not corridors or arteries.

'Life happens on foot,' is something Jan is famous for saying, which I think is brilliant in so many ways, Gast-Bray said.

The evening is expected to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with an informal discussion afterward down the street at Salt Hill Pub.

'Cause not everybody likes the formal panel, standing up in front of everyone and asking a question, he said. At the pub the panel will interact on a personal scale, on a human scale.

The event is free and open to the public. The Congress for the New Urbanism, New England Chapter is sponsoring the event. A suggested $5 donation would go to support future programming similar to the event. Registration for the event can be completed at cnunewengland.org.

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Urban planning discussion to follow Lebanon film screening

El Dorado Ranch Park on Oak Glen Road is undergoing the first phase of a landscaping and irrigation project. Landscape architect Steve Franken said in addition to shrubs and wildflowers, three varieties of trees will be included in the landscape project.

The three varieties of trees to be planted include 42 shade trees the western red bud, coastal live oak and sycamore. A wildflower mix on the slope will help stabilize erosion and will be included in the phase.

This is an extension of the jewels of the city and its going to provide trail access and restroom facilities for this part of town, said Frenken. The park is designed for equestrians, hikers and bikers. There are 4.1 miles of beautiful trails.

The project also includes six concrete picnic tables and two combination trash receptacles, which are bear-proof. The irrigation system will be an efficient drip system and is included in the project and will be done by contractor Green Go.

This project, funded by a State Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program grant and Parks Capital Replacement Funds, includes the installation of the irrigation system, landscaping and decomposed granite surfacing at the El Dorado Ranch Park.

The work is slated for completion by early November. The majority of it should be done in time for the Romp, Stomp and Bark event to be held at EL Dorado Ranch Park later this month.

The second phase of El Dorado Ranch Park will include group camping. There is no final design or timetable for the second phase.

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El Dorado Ranch Park gets new landscaping and irrigation

Locals take in the Seven Senses event at Toowong in 2014. Photo: Supplied

When it comes to contemporary neighbourhoods, Tobias Volbert firmly believes we need to go back to the future.

The German landscape architect said the rapid evolution of suburban streets into traffic channels had come at the expense of once vibrant and cohesive communities.

Now, he is leading the charge to resurrect suburban enclaves where children play in streets and neighbours chat over fences.

Tobias Volbert believes having children play in the street will encourage more cohesive neighbourhoods. Photo: Supplied

"If we design our streets so they are more fun, it would populate the streets more and there would be more human interaction," he said.

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"People in cars would slow down because there would be people in the streets.

"We really need to go back to the future, back to community life, to see how can we can engage with our neighbours.

"It's really an urban issue. Hopefully we can engage again."

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Taking back the streets to revive communities

Locals take in the Seven Senses event at Toowong in 2014. Photo: Supplied

When it comes to contemporary neighbourhoods, Tobias Volbert firmly believes we need to go back to the future.

The German landscape architect said the rapid evolution of suburban streets into traffic channels had come at the expense of once vibrant and cohesive communities.

Now, he is leading the charge to resurrect suburban enclaves where children play in streets and neighbours chat over fences.

Tobias Volbert believes having children play in the street will encourage more cohesive neighbourhoods. Photo: Supplied

"If we design our streets so they are more fun, it would populate the streets more and there would be more human interaction," he said.

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"People in cars would slow down because there would be people in the streets.

"We really need to go back to the future, back to community life, to see how can we can engage with our neighbours.

"It's really an urban issue. Hopefully we can engage again."

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Streets key to communities

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Outdoor Kitchens Birmingham, AL | John Russell Landscape Architect
Outdoor Kitchens Birmingham, AL | John Russell Landscape Architect Call 205-515-2684 or visit http://www.jrusselllandscape.com/

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Sonoma Retreat by Aidlin Darling Marion Brenner/Courtesy of ASLA hide caption

Sonoma Retreat by Aidlin Darling

Americans are discovering or rediscovering the allure of outdoor living, according to a 2014 survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Whether the instinct stems from a primordial desire to reconnect with the natural world or to disconnect from in-house clutter and chaos, people who can afford it are transporting traditional indoor areas kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, entertainment centers outside.

"More and more Americans are using the outdoor spaces as living spaces for cooking, dining, lounging and for play," says Jennifer Horn, a landscape architect in Washington, D.C. "With better, more environmentally sound lighting, people can spend time in their gardens well into the night. With features like fire pits, fireplaces and outdoor heaters, people can spend time in their gardens well into the winter. And cooking outdoors has come a long way from a Weber grill. Smokers, eggs, pizza ovens and hybrid grills have all allowed homeowners to build a customized outdoor kitchen. "

Outdoor shower in New Century Garden by Steve Martino and Associates Steve Martino/Courtesy of ASLA hide caption

Outdoor shower in New Century Garden by Steve Martino and Associates

In Texas, the state Association of Realtors reports that developing outdoor living spaces adds value to a home. The HGTV website devotes feature after feature to outdoor rooms.

Some people are even building backyard bathrooms, according to reports in Apartment Therapy and Studio M, giving the outhouse long a symbol of American backwoodsiness a total makeover.

One HGTV video showcases a 1,000-square-foot, million-dollar open-air master bathroom in a Hawaiian mansion. To get to the bathtub, you walk across stepping stones that seem to be floating in deep black waters.

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The Outhouse And Other Rooms Get A 21st Century Makeover

I never knew my grandfather, but when I recently attended a Summit County Council meeting, I was proud to see that our local leaders may walk in his footprints with a recommendation that the High Uintas Wilderness Area be expanded as part of Rep. Rob Bishops Public Lands Initiative.

My grandfather was Howard Zahniser, the chief architect of the Wilderness Act, passed 50 years ago this month. Building on the successes of the early proponents of wilderness, namely Aldo Leopold, Arthur Carhart, and Bob Marshall, my grandfather became the principal leader in the campaign for federal wilderness legislation in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1946 he left a secure government job to work for The Wilderness Society alongside Olaus Murie, who was president at the time.

In 1955 he began an eight-year effort to establish a national wilderness preservation system. After over sixty drafts and eight years of work, it was signed into law on Sept. 3, 1964, by President Lyndon Johnson. My grandmother, Alice Zahniser, was there to receive the honors. Sadly, my grandfather had died of a heart attack four months earlier. My mother told me it was believed that it was her fathers unwavering drive to work relentlessly until Congress supported the bill that brought about his premature death.

I never knew my grandfather; I was born four months after the bills signing. But I have come to know my grandfather through the many stories told and retold. He was a consummate wordsmith. Defining wilderness succinctly and poetically was one of his greatest contributions. In the Wilderness Act he defined wilderness as:

A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.

I have come to know the wilderness areas that inspired my grandfather. My summers were spent at the Zahniser camp in the Adirondacks. It was here that the Wilderness Act was first envisioned, and it was from that modest cabin with a view of Crane Mountain that many passages of the wilderness bill were drafted.

I have learned to embrace my grandfathers values. At the age of 25, I listened to an impulse that urged me to leave Washington, D.C., in search of stillness and beauty. A calm overcame me when I came to Park City in 1989; the mountains impacted me at a deep level. Today, Park City is no longer a sleepy little town, which means I am more grateful than ever to be living 20 minutes from Kamas and the Gateway to the Uintas.

Howard Zahniser never knew any of his nine grandchildren, but because of who he was, all of us know much about him. And if given the opportunity, we will speak on behalf of wilderness as a way to continue his legacy and his vision for the country.

It is a vision that still serves us well. Just as I developed some of my core values and family bonds visiting wild places with my parents, so do many of todays Utah children benefit from family visits to our precious wild lands. We need to ensure that what we have inherited is passed on to those who come after us.

I hope Rep. Bishop develops legislation that protects all of our remaining wild lands in Utah, including those in Summit County.

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Honoring Wilderness Act architect

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This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard give suggestions for creating a big impact in a small city garden. (...

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