Designed experiments: new approaches to studying urban ...

AJ Felson and STA PickettDesigned experiments in urban ecosystemsMatilsky 1992). Thus, in addition toshowing the role art can play in generatingresearch with cultural meaning, hisefforts also represent an alternative routeto funding urban ecological experiments.553East River marsh planterThe marsh planter project illustrates howexperiments can combine education andaesthetics while acting as a functioningresearch tool. In addition, it shows thatinstalling experiments in active urbanzones creates opportunities for connectingthe public with ecological research. Theproposed project consists of a small-scale,experimental saltwater marsh planter tobe constructed on Manhattan’s East River(Figure 4). The design, conceived by thefirm Ken Smith Landscape Architect, isintended to bring together aesthetics andfunction (Amidon 2005). With the EastRiver banks converted to vertical wallsand ocean-going boats creating severe wakes, the riparianedge is no longer hospitable to plant growth. Therefore,eight wooden planter boxes are to be placed on a pier,above mean high water, to avoid detrimental river conditions;saltwater grasses planted in the boxes will be grownin a sand and organic compost mix, with a bottom layer ofwater-retaining polymers that substitute for the mud layer.The irrigation system will be flexible, including bothfreshwater sprinklers and an exposed saltwater system thatpumps water from the river into the planters. Floodingwith the brackish East River water introduces nutrients,larvae, and minerals into the constructed wetland.Scientists can develop small-scale controlled experimentsto study salinity gradients or to test restoration techniquesand observe the creation of a mineral andnutrient plume below the planter, whichwill attract small bait fish and, in turn,lure larger predatory fish.Watershed 263Figure 3. Mel Chin’s Revival Field exemplifies an interdisciplinary approach tourban research. Built between 1990 and 1993, it is located on Pig’s Eye Landfill inSt Paul, Minnesota.Long-term, large-scale, and planned mitigationsprovide an opportunity to buildand test multiple experiments within awatershed. Civic community engagementalso has a role to play in facilitating urbanexperiments. The “greening” of a 367-hastorm drain watershed in Baltimore City,MD, is intended to reduce stormwaterflow and improve its quality (Figure 5).Plans involve increasing canopy coverand reducing the impervious cover onpublic lands. Numerous vacant lots, milesof piped streams, and under-used buildingsand infrastructure provide potential locations fordesigned experiments. Alterations in biodiversity, heavymetal pollution, microclimate, and a host of other factorscan be measured, along with the master variables of waterflow and quality, as greening in different sub-catchmentsproceeds. Through a partnership between ecologists anddesigners at Columbia University’s Graduate School ofArchitecture, Planning and Preservation, students areexploring experimental approaches for neighborhoodswithin the watershed (McGrath et al. in press).Partnerships between the city managers, not-for-profitorganizations, and community groups are also proving tobe important for the planning and maintenance of ecologicalexperiments.Courtesy of M ChinFigure 4. The saltwater marsh planter by Ken Smith Landscape Architect,scheduled for construction in 2007, is an aesthetic research tool adjacent to the 34thStreet Ferry Terminal on the East River in Manhattan. Drawing by author.© The Ecological Society of America www.frontiersinecology.org