Interrupted ecologies

Interrupted ecologies

I. Introduction:

Critital Postion:

California is in a stage two drought, yet residential and business developers throughout San Diego (i.e. Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, and Chula Vista) continue implementing/ and or using automated irrigation systems that tap into San Diegos’ now lowered water supplies (www.sandiego/water). “Recent regulatory restrictions on water deliveries from Northern California are limiting water supplies and rapidly depleting water storage levels across much of the state. To make matters worse, the regulatory restrictions are making our state system for managing water more vulnerable to weather changes. This will make it more difficult to cope with and recover from dry conditions in the years ahead.” (San Diego county water authority)

Problem: Master-planned developments build-in automated irrigation systems to the homes and businesses that use more than adequate water amounts that tap into our now scarce water supplies to create lush green lawns an attitude ‘deeply imbedded in the American psyche’ (according to Louise Sandhaus)--- a mostly aesthetic contribution to what constitutes a house or home for Americans.

Design objectives

A. Changing the ideal of lush green lawns Plan and design (3) billboards as a communications system such that different audiences with differing values about lawns and lifestyles can become more aware of our state wide drought. Position them s trategically within the context of the problem: areas with dense masterplanned housing managed by private sector developers.

B. Address different stakeholders

For example Gardeners (the base workforce that need to become acquainted with the planting and maintenance of California native plants fit for the specific project) and retailers (who would provide access to the products that contribute to change), environmental designers, engineers and architects/ landscape architects that implement specific designs.

III. Fundraising A City’s water department’s advertising budget as a collaborated marketing effort with Rebuild AFH to plan and design messages along designated San Diego freeways.

B. Private building development agencies, landscape architects/ planning firms, environmental engineers/ designers, independent gardening contractors.

Interrupted ecol

Background of the Problem:

Historical

Presently, we at the base of our global, national statewide and local problems which include a flu epidemic, housing crises, and deteriorating educational insfrastructure to name only a few of the issues Californians face. When viewed in the context of the worst American economic recession since the 20th century, what emerges is a fundamental disconnect in our societal approach or lack thereof toward improving the issues that plague our local communities: essentially, we seem to not recognize that our problems cannot be isolated from their context.

Environmental

“The San Diego region is experiencing an unprecedented water supply crisis. There are environmental stresses, includ-ing the ongoing drought in the Colorado River basin and reduced snow pack and runoff in Northern California. In addition to these environmental stresses, court-ordered pumping restrictions on the State Water Project have contin-ued to reduce the amount of water that can be delivered to our region. San Diego's water wholesalers have already announced that they will reduce their water deliveries to the area. Since San Diego imports 85-90 percent of its water, these conditions put considerable stress on the City's water system. Due to these circumstances, and the threat of further limitations on our water supplies, the City of San Diego has declared a Level 2 – Drought Alert. All customers now have restrictions on how they can use water. Please go to the Drought Alert page to see how this impacts you.” (www.sandiego.gov/water)

“Like any bounded site, the earth and its systems is what is known in complexity sciences as a complex adaptive system comprised of many interconnected elements and having the ability to change and grow”-(Joe Brown). By this logic, we can better understand how it is that our water use issue contributes to larger environmental problems, such as atmo-spheric pollution. But, we can begin to improve if onlyby looking at our very own lawns...

A 10FTX10FT LAWN WASTES 3,650 GALLONS A YEAR

Interrupted

Background of the Problem: cont’d:

Socio-cultural Lawns serve as mostly an aesthetic contribution to what is an American value, and a Californian ideal that developers both private and government have design to appeal to the ideal. According to Louise Sandhaus (LSDLouise Sand-haus Design) lush green lawns are part of what consitutues “house and home” for Americans. Since post WWII, devel-opers have been cashing in on this ideal. This is an attitude that is deeply embedded in the American psyche---in part driven by Hollywood and the story of westward expansion. Where once , there was open and available land, there now exists the ideal of a uniformly manicured lawns. American neighborhoods that exhibit the uniformity of mani-cured lush lawns demonstrate an American tradition and value that may be traced to the centuries of our nation’s colonization and the need to turn chaos into order, through our tendency to interrupt native ecologies with neatly manicured lawns.

Aerial Map of San Diegoshowing masterplanned regions

Billboard Targeted freewaysfrom the top: 15 near Escondido,middle: 8 freeway, and 125 nearRancho del rey

Plant NATIVE plants and flowers

Interrupted ecologies