South Australian Sites
Windsor Street Linear Trail
introduction / overview / images / location / SA-Projects
Landscape Architect: OXIGEN
Location: Windsor Street, Parkside (Adelaide)
OVERVIEW
Responding to change is easier if the resulting change can be seen or known. Consultation with the local community about the Windsor Street Linear Trail was overwhelmingly positive, but there were some residents that wanted to retain the existing Elm trees and mulched verge longer than others.
The first stage of construction at the northern extent of Windsor Street, with the least existing amenity, was to be a test case that would decide the overall future of the project. This required the realization of the design to communicate to residents and Council how the creation of biodiversity could be achieved and also provide an attractive, easily maintained, usable space for the community.
Following construction of the paths and planting in the first stage residents had a clear vision of how the whole trail would look and function and minor concerns were addressed. The communication of landscape architectural principles inherent within the Windsor Street Linear Trail is most clearly understood by the experience of walking along the trail, observing the diversity of indigenous planting and understanding the possibilities of a wide, mulched verge that stretches for almost a kilometre through an inner-city suburb.
As the trail has been implemented over the last five years, it has been used by Oxigen, the City of Unley and the State Government to educate and inform government managers, private industry clients, school students and the wider community of the benefits and possibilities of employing biodiversity principles in public space design. More recently, the trail was featured on a national television show broadcast internationally. (A copy of this program is included in our submission).
Oxigen views this park as an exemplar for our clients and the wider community promoting the benefits of contemporary native gardens that are attractive, functional, educational and provide an asset to the community.
The project encompasses our practical research into horticultural techniques for the implementation of native gardens and our desire to achieve projects that communicate the cost effective re-use of materials and the creation of biodiversity and habitat anchored by the simple strength of a design responsive to local climate and place.
Importantly, we have had the opportunity to monitor reactions to this landscape by the community and gain an appreciation of how people currently perceive the contemporary native Australian garden. This project can be seen as promotion of biodiversity and the use of native plants in a structured and designed way. Feedback received has been positive and highlights a shift in the public perception of what a local park should be.
Critical factors in the design of the Windsor Street Linear Trail are the conversion of un-used public space into an attractive, easily accessible native corridor linking the Adelaide Park Lands south towards the Urbrae wetlands and ultimately to the south-east foothills of the Adelaide Hills.
The physical structure of the reserve is challenging, being 950 metres long and 8 – 10 metres wide, broken at 100 metre intervals by intersecting streets. Coupled with this, there is a 3.0 metre wide concrete culvert 300 mm beneath the existing surface.
To overcome theses challenges Oxigen either directed the path over the culvert or constructed low mounds to give visual contrast and provide increased planting opportunities.
BUDGET:
Windsor Street Linear Reserve - $450,000 over 5 years
The project demonstrates a developed and consistent approach in the implementation of sustainable native gardens that are functional and contemporary and meet the needs of both the community and the Client. The project encompasses practical research into horticultural techniques for the implementation of native gardens, provides an educational tool for the community and respnds to local climate and place whilst also reinforcing a sense of place. The trail also aims to change the perception of native planting and encourage people to re-assess the way they view the Australian landscape.
The Windsor Street Linear Trail was constructed using site topsoil, with minimal replenishment, and designed not to be irrigated. The trail was set up with irrigation for establishment purposes only. A thick mulch layer was provided from the existing trees that were removed and mulched. This enables a high level of moisture retention and re-uses site materials. Where possible, local materials have been used, and in situ concrete paving has been used for durability and variety of finishes available.
Local provenance plants have been sourced to improve biodiversity and provide an exemplar to the local and wider community of the benefits of using plants endemic to their region.
The project demonstrates the success of using local plant species and durable materials within an urban context that can be appreciated by local communities and government bodies.
The project demonstrates a successful, cost-effective example of how to achieve biodiversity in a small urban park. The presentation of the park is defined by the plant structure and selection contrasted with the simplicity of the materials and the spatial qualities inherent in the design.
The trail provides a living example of a low-budget local park where simple, contemporary design and a palette of indigenous native plants can provide a successful local resource. They are positive examples to the community and government bodies that successful landscapes which are attractive and functional can be achieved without using lawn and irrigation.
The success of this project is a reflection of the direction we are heading in our perception of what public open space is and how we can effectively use small suburban open spaces for recreation, amenity and biodiversity. Small pocket parks are often grass with scattered trees for ease of maintenance, yet do not offer the community or the environment any benefit. In the process of designing the Windsor Street Linear Trail, and the partnering with willing clients, we have a broader understanding of the successful implementation of these native landscapes and, in turn, the knowledge and confidence to push these ideas further to promote a sustainable, contemporary Australian landscape character on a local, national and international level. Further to this we have promoted these principles and values to international audiences through conferences, publications and the television media.
The Windsor Street Linear Trail promotes the values of local species, site specific design and low water use public space. The successful implementation of the project broadens the communities understanding of the role of landscape architects as innovators in contemporary open space and urban design.
The philosophical approach applied on this project has broader applications for larger public open spaces as well as urban spaces. Both the horticultural techniques applied and the philosophical approach of structured native planting can be applied to a variety of situations. What is important about this project is the role it plays in the broader understanding of a contemporary Australian landscape and people’s perceptions of parks and gardens generally.
The Windsor Street Linear Trail embraces the following principles:
- Water Sensitive Urban Design (detention systems, dry creek beds, reduces resource intensive landscapes, employs permeable surfaces and groups plants according to water needs)
- Biodiversity (promotes biodiversity and supports local ecosystems and habitat creation using local provenance plants and improving degraded sites, provides a seed source for indigenous plants)
- Landscape Materials (use of recycled materials in bridge and wall construction, particularly re-use of existing trees that were mulched after removal, and improvement to soil)
- Microclimate (creates microclimates that improve environment for people and creates habitat for animals)
- Food Growing and Waste Recycling (vegetative site waste is re-used and fruiting plants feed animals)
- Energy Use and Maintenance (reduces the need for intensive maintenance and uses the existing adjacent street lighting)
- Communications (interpretative signage is provided along the length of the trail as well as broader promotion through media)
The Windsor Street Linear Trail promotes and communicates the implementation of biodiversity principles, the support of local ecosystems and the use of sustainable materials . It has successfully re-introduced endangered plant species into the City of Unley and provided a engaging environment for education and recreation.
introduction / overview / images / location / SA-Projects
2008
