Comments on: The Crack Garden? Seriously? http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/ Plants and Stone for California Gardens Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:14:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: ryan http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-702 ryan Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:09:00 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-702 The ghost of Olmsted speaks! I totally agree with your third point. It was great to see a project with a small budget included. I offered Plantsf.org merely as an example of someone doing the same type of project in the same neighborhood, but going much further with their "intervention." They are actually the smaller organization, a small, recently-created non-profit while CMG is an international landscape architecture firm. The ASLA and their "Jury of Leading Design Experts" present themselves as representatives and spokespeople for the larger landscape architecture community. There are of course members within the ASLA who show better awareness of urban issues than the jury. Walter Hood is a great example, I really like Splash Pad Park that he designed in Oakland, for instance. It's a great name, and as someone using the Olmsted name must be aware, names do matter. Thanks for the dissent. The ghost of Olmsted speaks! I totally agree with your third point. It was great to see a project with a small budget included.
I offered Plantsf.org merely as an example of someone doing the same type of project in the same neighborhood, but going much further with their “intervention.” They are actually the smaller organization, a small, recently-created non-profit while CMG is an international landscape architecture firm.
The ASLA and their “Jury of Leading Design Experts” present themselves as representatives and spokespeople for the larger landscape architecture community. There are of course members within the ASLA who show better awareness of urban issues than the jury. Walter Hood is a great example, I really like Splash Pad Park that he designed in Oakland, for instance. It’s a great name, and as someone using the Olmsted name must be aware, names do matter. Thanks for the dissent.

]]> By: Frederick Law Olmsted http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-698 Frederick Law Olmsted Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:03:47 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-698 I think it's rather unfair that in order to proselytize Plantsf.org (whose mission is very admirable for sure), you have to kick CMG's garden down a peg or two. Plantsf.org is such a bigger entity than CMG. Clearly Plantsf.org has a bigger impact to the environment than the small family who hired CMG. Unless, of course, you're suggesting that the efforts of individuals with their limited resources to do their part to help the environment could not be deserving of recognition? Or only when Plantsf.org win "an award for this type of project" could the little people doing their bit in their own small ways could then win the award? The Crack Garden does take into consideration its larger urban context, but it's private and for personal use. Plantsf.org works in a much higher scale. I thint it's also unfair that you would lump all landscape architects (or is it just the ASLA? Or CMG?) as "people who are designing our urban spaces, and yet they [unclear as to who is "they"] don't seem very aware or sensitive about urban issues or urban communities." If you are talking about LAs in general, then google the earlier works of Walter Hood and all those by the East St. Louis Action Research Project for socially-engaged and yes, socially-sensitive works by LAs. I could give more, but why should I do your work for you? Anyway, I'm glad the Crack Garden got the award. It was such a refreshing sight to see it in a category USUALLY filled with hyper-designed gardens of the rich for their McMansions in car-friendly suburbia and paid for with now toxic loans -- you know, those same developments of the boom years that went bust in the Financial Apocalypse of 2008. If anything, criticize those gardens! Stop ganging up on the Crack Garden. Or at least get past the title. Seriously. I think it’s rather unfair that in order to proselytize Plantsf.org (whose mission is very admirable for sure), you have to kick CMG’s garden down a peg or two. Plantsf.org is such a bigger entity than CMG. Clearly Plantsf.org has a bigger impact to the environment than the small family who hired CMG. Unless, of course, you’re suggesting that the efforts of individuals with their limited resources to do their part to help the environment could not be deserving of recognition? Or only when Plantsf.org win “an award for this type of project” could the little people doing their bit in their own small ways could then win the award? The Crack Garden does take into consideration its larger urban context, but it’s private and for personal use. Plantsf.org works in a much higher scale.

I thint it’s also unfair that you would lump all landscape architects (or is it just the ASLA? Or CMG?) as “people who are designing our urban spaces, and yet they [unclear as to who is "they"] don’t seem very aware or sensitive about urban issues or urban communities.” If you are talking about LAs in general, then google the earlier works of Walter Hood and all those by the East St. Louis Action Research Project for socially-engaged and yes, socially-sensitive works by LAs. I could give more, but why should I do your work for you?

Anyway, I’m glad the Crack Garden got the award. It was such a refreshing sight to see it in a category USUALLY filled with hyper-designed gardens of the rich for their McMansions in car-friendly suburbia and paid for with now toxic loans — you know, those same developments of the boom years that went bust in the Financial Apocalypse of 2008. If anything, criticize those gardens!

Stop ganging up on the Crack Garden. Or at least get past the title. Seriously.

]]> By: michelle d. http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-643 michelle d. Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:51:37 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-643 the asla must be on crack. what a disgrace. makes me feel good to know I just threw their invitation to join their club in the round file. I should have scrunched it up into a ball, put in in a big ass spoon and lit it on fire. the asla must be on crack.
what a disgrace.
makes me feel good to know I just threw their invitation to join their club in the round file.
I should have scrunched it up into a ball, put in in a big ass spoon and lit it on fire.

]]> By: BGD http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-637 BGD Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:31:24 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-637 HAHAHHAAA! You said Crack Hoe. I like your style and your blog. Thanks for good content. HAHAHHAAA! You said Crack Hoe. I like your style and your blog. Thanks for good content.

]]> By: [ Lost in the Landscape ] » reclaimed from concrete http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-629 [ Lost in the Landscape ] » reclaimed from concrete Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:38:37 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-629 [...] awards program that made me think in a new way about dealing with too much concrete. Ryan over at Dry Stone Garden has some different thoughts on the project that are worth [...] [...] awards program that made me think in a new way about dealing with too much concrete. Ryan over at Dry Stone Garden has some different thoughts on the project that are worth [...]

]]> By: Susie http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/06/the-crack-garden-seriously/#comment-625 Susie Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:53:45 +0000 http://drystonegarden.com/?p=1960#comment-625 Really unfortunate choice of names....but besides the name....really is this a usable garden space? Not one that I care to sit in for very long.... Really unfortunate choice of names….but besides the name….really is this a usable garden space? Not one that I care to sit in for very long….

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