Designing for ecology : the ecological park

Abstract

This thesis aims to define a) what an ecological park is, and b) whether it is a new model in park design. Reference to the literature on landscape ecology is used to analyze the natural ecological merit of these parks, while reference to the literature on communicative elements of the landscape is used to analyze the pedagogic, or socio-cultural merit of these parks. Two case studies of recently built ecological parks - Xochimilco in Mexico City and Crissy Field in San Francisco, are analyzed and compared to two older picturesque parks - Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and the Back Bay Fens in Boston.The analysis shows that the ecological park is indeed a new phenomenon and model of park design.This new model redefines the relationship between park and city by connecting the cultural and natural ecological aspects of the park's site with a larger context.The ecological park model moves beyond the experientially isolated urban parks of years past, providing society instead with a sustainable, ecologically viable, self-replicating vehicle to improve the links between the built environment and the landscape.