introduction
The over-arching design proposal for Pt Pleasant Park is based on the idea of breathing. To live is to breathe: new life back into the Park, new interest in its landscape, and the rhythmic pulsation of spaces, activities and experiences.
to live is to breathe
The Masterplan for Stage 1 of this Competition outlines the requirements to undertake progressive rehabilitation of Pt Pleasant Park, offering significant monitoring, maintenance and management rewards.
It also proposes an 'engagement plan'; land-use strategies to increase interaction with the Park's natural assets, promote wider community ownership and provide active and passive interests for return visitation.
The critical understanding that must be achieved by all parties is the prioritisation of the restoration strategy first, and amenities landscaping second. For without the sustained growth of this natural landscape, the people of Halifax will have no Park.
The uniqueness of Pt Pleasant Park is its natural dimensions: an ancient elevated nature-scape continuing through the city's natural and cultural history. Anthropogenic and natural disturbances resulting in dramatic changes to its natural environment is self-evident. While it is recognised some efforts have been made to remediate worst affected areas, this Masterplan has acknowledged the fundamental project driver to describe and interpret the ecological patterns and processes operating within this environment, and structure a staged plan for implementation to ensure synergy between natural and urban practices.
assessing historical and current management and maintenance methods
A key focus of the restoration process will be to measure the over-all dynamics within each proposed Zones of Studies. Where controlling or containing natural systems can rehabilitate one zone, this might not be the case in other zones. Ultimately, it is about working with the natural conditions to minimise and balance the impacts.
jurisdictional and intellectual programming
A definitive steering committee specifically for the Park should be established, along with the development of a research sector with close links, possibly as Business in Partnership or not-for-profit, with local universities. This research sector will have the primary task of commencing, developing, accumulating and sustaining the database of information that makes up the Park, along with extrapolations to nearby or similar natural systems. Located adjoining the maintenance facility [ref: Land-Use], amenities should include as a minimum: laboratories and associated facilities, nurseries + green-houses, herbarium, samples storage, and a library. The Research Team should be multi-disciplined with the capability to examine ecosystems of the Park across all temporal and spatial scales. A typical Team should comprise of disciplines within the following:
• Hydrology;
• Coastal Processes;
• Nutrient Cycling;
• Pedogenesis;
• Geology + Geotechnical Stability;
• Vegetation [synecology + autecology];
• Broader Climatic Changes [advisory];
• Human Usage I Impacts [advisory I monitoring];
The Zones of Studies and Implementation Stages have been developed mindful of the above disciplines. (Syrinx Environmental PL)
5 scanned / 4 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel Excerpt
- Presentation Panel Excerpt
