LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVES: MAKING COMMON GROUND


2020 Howland Memorial Lecture

























This year’s Howland Panel revisited the themes of equity, inclusion, and advocacy raised in the previous two iterations of the Landscape Perspectives series through the lens of one project: 11th Street Bridge Park. Located in Washington D.C. on the Anacostia River, this project reimagines what it means to engage with communities in placemaking and to create conditions for equitable development and economic prosperity. New public spaces are often proposed as answers to challenges like rapid urbanization and climate change, but they can also become unintended avenues for inequality. We ask what constitutes a truly equitable public space: Who does it represent and how does it function? What conversations should be had, and what tools can be deployed? Our panel of speakers will lead an exploration of these questions within the context of this unique case study in our nation’s capital. 



11th Street Bridge Park, Washington, D.C. (OMA+Olin), Project Link ︎︎︎

KEYNOTE PRESENTERS:

HALLIE BOYCE, FASLA (MLA '92)

Partner, OLIN
Hallie Boyce is a Partner at OLIN and leads the firm’s design team for the 11th Street Bridge Park project. She has directed the design, planning, and construction of award-winning landscapes across the country and abroad. Her work exploring the intersections of ecology and culture in the urban environment includes parks, gardens, memorials, campuses, and waterfronts that strengthen communities. Hallie holds an MLA from the University of Virginia and has previously taught studio courses at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, the University of Virginia, and Temple University.

VAUGHN PERRY

Equitable Development Manager, BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS THE RIVER
Vaughn Perry is the Equitable Development Manager at Building Bridges Across the River and leads the implementation of 11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan, which encompasses initiatives related to workforce development, small business enterprises, housing, and arts and culture. His research interests focus on ecojustice pedagogies, community engagement and green job/skill development. Vaughn holds a Master’s degree in Project Management from George Washington University. A D.C. native, he has lived in Ward 8 for over 20 years.

PRESENTERS:

MARY BOGLE

Principal Research Associate, URBAN INSTITUTE
Mary Bogle is a Principal Research Associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on policies and place-based interventions that help low-income parents surmount the many challenges that often interfere with their efforts to create healthy, productive, and protective environments for their children. Mary received a Master’s degree in Social Services Administration and Policy from the University of Chicago and has worked on a broad spectrum of initiatives to improve the lives of youth and communities throughout her career.

ARIEL TRAHAN

Director of River Restoration Programs, ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY
Ariel is the Director of River Restoration Programs at the Anacostia Watershed Society. She is responsible for education, restoration, and recreation programs, which include activities such as educational boat tours, wetland and mussel restoration efforts, and workshops for students and adults on how they can have a positive impact on the watershed. She also serves on the Prince George’s County Public Schools Environmental Literacy Steering Committee, the Mid Atlantic Environmental Literacy Workgroup, and the board of the D.C. Environmental Education Consortium
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MODERATOR:

ALISSA DIAMOND

PhD Candidate, UVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
PhD Candidate, UVA School of Architecture
Alissa is a landscape architect and candidate in the PhD in the Constructed Environment program at the University of Virginia. Her current work concerns capitalism and the ongoing social construction of race through the landscapes of Central Virginia. Alissa’s teaching, scholarship, and design approach centers on the importance of historicizing understandings of place and space in contemporary life. Alissa earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and an MLA from UVA, and she has practiced as a landscape architect at Nelson Byrd Woltz.