<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="65001"%> Research || Jack Ahern, PhD, FASLA, Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst || Curriculum Vitae || Research || Publications || Teaching || Links

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Research

Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure

Biodiversity Planning and Design

Native Vegetation Establishment and Management

 

 

 

Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure

The emerging 21 st Century landscape of Massachusetts faces important challenges to move towards a more sustainable condition.   Landscape urbanism concerns planning for compact, efficient communities, addressed in terms of land use patterns and density, composition and configuration of open space(s) and new concepts and strategies for providing ecological functions in predominately built-up environments.

Green infrastructure is another, related emerging area of international research and practice in applied landscape architecture and landscape ecology. I define green infrastructure   as "designed and managed systems that provide multiple ecological functions in human-dominated landscapes". The focus is on examining cities, metropolitan areas, and suburban areas -(i.e. multiple scales) -   to identify strategies, patterns and practices that can provide explicit, legitimate, measurable   ecological functions, while also satisfying human expectations for comfort, safety and economy. The suite o f functions can be broadly classified as: hydrology, biodiversity and human-ecology.   The ecological infrastructure concept, arguably, is an important strategy to move built landscapes metropolitan regions, and cities towards a more sustainable condition.

Research Questions:   Landscape Urbanism presents new challenges for planning sustainable landscapes, in terms of:

Activities:

Publication: Green Infrastructure for Cities: the spatial dimension (In Press).  

Course:   Green Urbanism Seminar, UMass Amherst (See Teaching, LA 597F)

Conference Presentations: Guelph Royal Botanical Garden, April 2007, Smith College February 2007, IALE World Congress Symposium, Wageningen, Netherlands, July 2007.

Projects: Greening Plan, City of Chicopee, MA 2006.

Feasibility Study for a combined Wildlife-Recreational Highway Passage, Walden Woods, Concord, MA (2006-2007).

 

 

Biodiversity Planning and Design

Much of biodiversity planning has been aimed at protecting "hotspots" and large intact areas where high levels of biodiversity exist.   This attention has overlooked the potential for human-dominated landscapes to support significant (albeit limited) levels of biodiversity. While much has been learned through "reactive" efforts: endangered species, buffer zones, mitigation; the potential for proactive strategies and actions has received less attention. Impacts of human uses, including those practiced by landscape architects are being identified by scientists (invasive species, fragmentation).   This research aims to promote more   proactive approaches would apply this knowledge in landscape planning and design.

Research Questions:

Activities:

Publications: Biodiversity Planning and Design. 2006. Island Press (See publications)

Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Protection. (In Press, 2007) McGregor, Sharon and Ahern Jack. In Preserving and Enhancing Communities . E. M. Hamin, L. Silka and P. Geigas, Editors. Massachusetts. (See publications)

Measuring Landscapes . 2006. Island Press (See publications)

Leitao and Ahern. 2001.   Landscape ecology metrics, Landscape and Urban Planning Journal (See publications)

Course: Landscape Pattern and Process (LA 547 See Teaching)

 

 

Native Vegetation Establishment and Management

Despite the efforts of public agencies and private institutions, the establishment of native plant communities pales in comparison with the amount of conventional landscape plantings installed routinely.   This has significant costs and impacts for biodiversity, nutrient use, water consumption and lack of regional landscape identity. Regionally-appropriate strategies and practices are needed to enable and promote the use of native vegetation across a broad range of landscape contexts, that meets public expectations for appearance and maintainability - in support of sustainability.  

Research Questions:

Activities:

Publication: Wildflower Meadows as Sustainable Landscapes, the Ecological City, R,. Platt, Rowntree, Muick, editors, UMass press. NEWF Chapter

Course:   Establishing and Managing Wildflower Meadows, Harvard University Continuing Education.  

Conference Presentations: Connecticut College Symposium, Univesity of Guelph, March 2007.

Projects: Research for Massachusetts Highways Department on Wildflower Meadow Establishment (1987-1990).

Consultation with Landscape Architecture Offices on Wildflower Meadow Design and Establishment (1995-present) including:   Susan Childs Associates, Boston, MA; Reed Hilderbrand Associates, Watertown, MA;   Halvorsen Design Associates, Boston, MA.   Advisor to The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT on meadow design, establishment and educational programming (2004-2006).

Director of the University of Massachusetts Frank A. Waugh Arboretum