Graduate students and Professor Victoria Chanse pose at Long Wharf Park in Cambridge.
Image Credit: Anne Roane
Graduate landscape architecture students from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources are putting their skills to the test and working together to beautify a piece of waterfront property in Cambridge, Md.
A group of students recently hosted a two-day public workshop at Long Wharf Park & Marina to learn how Cambridge residents use the space and envision the future of the park.
Students in their final studio course, LARC748: Advanced Special Topics Studio, are developing designs for the master plan of the park, which currently features a marina, a lighthouse, and spaces for recreation and community events, such as the farmer’s market and concerts.
Victoria Chanse, an assistant professor for the Landscape Architecture program, was looking for a public participation project for the studio class and contacted planner and landscape architect Anne Roane, who suggested Long Wharf Park & Marina.
The public workshop, also known as a charrette, is an intense planning session that requires input from community members to complete a design. Chanse said that a public forum is essential when planning a redesign, especially when community members have competing ideas.
Approximately 30 Cambridge residents came out to the workshops each day, which included various presentations, walking tours of the space and an activity called Photovoice, where residents shared how they see the park by taking photographs.
“What we didn’t realize going into this was just how precious this space is for an array of people,” said Sarah Watling, a third year graduate student.
In the landscape architecture master’s program, students focus on perfecting design techniques and do not interact extensively with community clients until their final studio class.
“This was the first time that most of us had done it,” said Risa Abraham, a third year graduate student. “Frankly we were all nervous about it.”
Emilie Carter, also a third year graduate student said that working with an entire community to develop a design is not much different from working with a single client.
“One of the most important things I’ve learned from landscape architecture is there are very few places where you can design work without affecting a lot of stakeholders,” Carter said.
At the end of the day, Watling said, the goal is to always let the client “tell you what their dream is” and help them realize it through a design.
Chanse said that the charrette’s success and the students’ accomplishments so far exceeded her expectations.
“This group developed a very significant approach that really is unprecedented,” Chanse said.
“I have so much respect for them because they really pulled it off,” she added.
The students are now working individually on their design ideas for the Long Wharf Park master plan. They will share their final products with the Cambridge community and present their ideas in College Park in December.
