emma mchatten // portfolio of work

Portfolio of Work

Emma McHatten

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Featured on the cover and the the right, is the beautiful Reservoir Canyon Nature Reserve in San Luis Obispo, California. Along the trail, hikers have left their mark building structures out of scrap metal and fallen tree limbs. These origami-like structures create interest along the trail and enhance the hiking experience.

Design is origami. The paper resembles the landscape, the people, the resources at hand— as you bend, shape, and fold the paper you slowly begin to create something new of this landscape, these people, these resources.

As an undergrad student in the Landscape Architecture Department, and as a member of Cal Poly’s 5+1 Master’s in City and Regional Planning program, I have had the great opportunity to develop my interests and abilities in experiential design development and systems thinking. This school of thought deeply recognizes the environment and the people it serves. Just like these origami structures in Reservoir Canyon, I see the design fields as a constant reshaping of the landscape and the experiences within the landscape.

My goal, as I complete my education at Cal Poly, is to take on the challenges of further developing our communities in ways that are empathetic and thoughtful towards both the communities they serve and the environments they are settled upon.

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Contents

Conserving Spaces, Making Places [Senior Capstone Project]..........................................

Research + Analysis.............................................................................................................................. Conservation Development Guidelines ..........................................................................................

Otay Bayfront Park.......................................................................................... Narrative Landscapes [Watermark Competition]........................................................................... Ecological Justice [GIS Analysis].......................................................................................................

Los Osos Neighborhood Project.................................................................... Natural Capital [Onsite Exploration]................................................................................................

Dana Adobe.................................................................................................... The Interpretive Experience .............................................................................................................. Planting Plans [Hand Rendered]........................................................................................................

The Living Street............................................................................................... Margarita Street..................................................................................................................................... LOVR [Los Osos Valley Road]..........................................................................................................

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14-19

20-23

24-29

30-33

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Emma McHatten555 Westmont Ave. #122San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

[email protected](559) 824-2329

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (2010-2015) Bachelor’s in Landscape Architecture (BLA)

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (2014-2016) Master’s in City and Regional Planning (MCRP)

Education

City of San Luis Obispo (Apr 2014-Nov 2014) Natural Resource Department Intern • Site Visits• Renderings (Hand + Digital Work) • Site Research + Design • Design Presentation EcoSLO Intern (Jan 2012-Apr 2012) • Data Organization• Event + Program Planning• Research

Professional Experience

Design Week —2015• Collaborative Group Work• Partnered with Design Workshop• Urban Planning/ Land-Use Planning• Design Charette Dana Adobe Historical Restoration —2013• Interpretive Program Design• Historical Research and Design• California State Parks Interpretive Display• Earned the DANA a $15,000 grant • Watermarks Competition —2013• Bayside Park Design • Narrative Landscapes• Ecological Justice• GIS Analysis St. Croix Virgin Islands Design Competition —2012• Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Group Work• Campus Design • Land Use Planning • Environmental Research and Planning

Project Experience

• Microsoft Office Suite• iWork Suite• Adobe Suite (Photoshop + InDesign)• Sketchup• Autocad• GIS• Grading + Drainage• Hand Drawing + Drafting Skills

Technical Skills

Landscape Architecture Foundation Scholarship Recipient (2014) [Courtland Paul Scholarship]Women’s Business Association Scholarship Recipient (2012)

Honors

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Conserving Spaces, Making Places

For my senior capstone project I extensively studied conservation development as a land-use planning tool. I analyzed the success and performance of conservation development and saw that in theory conservation development can create ecologically sensitive communities and subsequently improve the quality of life. Unfortunately often times this form of development is often times misinterpretted during the design and development phase. For my senior capstone project I analyzed the potential for conservation development and created guidelines for the improvement of conservation development projects into the future.

Senior Capstone ProjectLivability

EcologyEconomy

Equity

gentrificatio

n conflicts preservation + conservation conflicts

grow

th c

onfli

cts

Conservation Development

22% of all conservation sites in the nation are conserved via conservation development.

Conservation based development can help to bridge the gap and reduce conflicts between livability or quality of life and concepts of equity, the economy, and ecology.

The Livability Pyramid

If development trends continue, we can expect an additional 8 million ha of land by 2045 to be conserved via conservation development techniques. That equates to nearly 20% of the entire state of California.

The Future of Conservation

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CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT: CONSERVING SPACES, MAKING PLACES

Conservation development is a land use planning tool with the goal of conserving land and its associated resources and ecological functions while allowing for compatible development on a portion of the land.

STAKEHOLDERSSTAKEHOLDERS VALUE MATRIX

PRODUCTS ACTORS BENEFITS

Economy

Savings

Value

Health

Habitat Rehabilitation

Air Quality

Water Infiltration

Connectivity

Land

Housing

Commercial/ Retail

Experience

Community

Environmental Goods + Services

‣ Site land owner‣ Surrounding site owners

‣ City / Private Planners‣ Elected Officials

‣ Residents‣ Representative Government

‣Site Developer‣Land Owner‣Private Planner / Designer

‣ Nonprofit Groups ‣ Public Service Providers

LAND OWNER

LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

DEVELOPER

PUBLIC

LAND TRUST

Development is good, it supports social and economic growth that benefit many. Conservation development supports the same growth as traditional development while also benefitting the environment and the public in additional ways

Development in its nature provides a community with many benefits. Growth and development are good. Conservation development multiplies the benefits of development by compunding the benefits of growth with the benefits of conservation. Conservation development allows for the growth that communities need while also meeting their conservation and resource managment goals.

VALUE MATRIX

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THE DRAWBACKS:MISUSE AND MISINTERPRETATION

1 MONEY ON THE MIND

Less development often times means less money in the pockets of the developer. If a great portion of the site is devoted to conservation the developers has fewer units to sell.

Areas of Conservation= 0 units sold

To ensure large profits developers utilize an exurban scheme that involves extremely low density with high value homes. Though a great portion of the site remains undeveloped, it also leads to fragmentation and need for the expansion of public utilites.

Developer’s may also overdevelop limiting the ability of the environment to carry on the functions as purposed by the practice of conservation development.

Exurban Development Overexploitation of Land

Developers invest in development that they know will make them a profit. Conservation development may often times be misinterpreted by developers as a money pit as they are missing out from profiting from a large portion of the site devoted to conservation. In the developer’s perspective, the opportunity cost of not developing is huge. This desire to pull a larger profit often times pushes developers to develop via an exurban development scheme. Exurban development is a practice of developing with extremely low density. These sites often times have high valued homes on high valued land. Though a great portion of the land remains undeveloped with this method, the ecological function is greatly damaged due to fragmentation or the lack of connectivity. Open space becomes less productive in terms of ecological goods and services due to this lack of connectivity. Developers may also overexploit the land by overdeveloping. In this case, developer’s push minimum conservation requirements in order to build and sell more units compromising the goal of conservation.

(Turnstone Group).

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2 ECOLOGICAL INSENSITIVITY

When developing on ecological sensitive sites for the purpose of conservation development it is important to maintain the dual goal of development that meets the communities needs and conservation that answers to resource conservation and the continued success of ecological systems. Development in its very nature devastates the environment. This is why it is especially important to design with sensitivity when developing conservation development projects. Often times developers enter conservation development projects with the mindset that if they are not developing on a sufficient portion of the land that they are performing proper conservation and being ecological sensitive. Conservation and ecological sensitivity go beyond land-use distinction and respond to the design and development of the human-nature interface and management plans for conservation. Often times the misinterpretations of conservation lead to developers causing fragmentation of ecological systems and the deterioration of resources. Developer’s often times create pockets of “conserved land” that are scattered across, unconnected. These pockets of land may or may not be areas of high environmental value and are often chosen haphazardly or based on components that deem areas undevelopable such as steep slopes, contaminants, or other constraints. Developers may also count parks and sports fields as a portion of the land base to meet their minimum conservation requirements even though those functions often times deteriorate all ecological function and environmental goods and services.

Insensitive design and development may lead to fragmentation, deteriorated environmenatl resources, and is not pursuant to the goals of conservation development.

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3 LACK OF POLICY

Usually when a community wants to begin practicing conservation development thaey will implement a conservation development ordinance. This ordinance is often times not sufficient in defining what is expected out of the design and development of conservation sites allowing for too much room for interpretation and not enough guidance. Many ordinances lack basic policy that protect the functionality and duration of conserved landscapes. The majority do not require management plans for protected lands and allow for proteced lands to be split into multiple parcels and not contiguous. Better policy and guidelines on conservation development can help to guide projects into a positive direction for the community. Strong policy and guidelines also helps to maintain the integrity of projects with goal-focused design and development that has a clear and concise desired outcome.

Allow for protected lands to be con�gured into multiple parcels instead of being contiguous

97%Do not require management plans of protected lands

72%

Do not specify a duration for land protection

37%

Require ecological site analysis and mapping of features to be protected

Recommend consultation with a biological expert or a conservation plan to guide the design

13% 8%

Require ecological site analysis and mapping of features to be protected

Recommend consultation with a biological expert or a conservation plan to guide the design

13% 8%

Allow for protected lands to be con�gured into multiple parcels instead of being contiguous

97%Do not require management plans of protected lands

72%

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Process

Appropriate Sites

Defining the Boundary

Human-Nature Interface

Development Models

Management Models

Wednesday, December 31, 2014






The Guidelines for Conservation Development are meant to be simple conveyances of how to properly design a conservation development. Following is an example of the content within the guidelines.

Communities who wish to implement conservation development practices, should create a conservation development ordinance for their community that uses these guidelines or a similar guidelines as a reference and design tool.

The guidelines include a basic city planning process to which conservation development projects are implemented in terms of these guidelines and the community’s conservation development ordinance. It also includes information on: • How communities should choose appropriate sites for

conservation development • How to define the boundary between conserved lands and

the developed land• How to design the human nature interface• How to appropriately manage the conserved lands• How to choose appropriate development models that meet

development and conservation needs simultaneously.

The Guidelines

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ISSUE + OBJECTIVE FUNCTION

Terrestrial Open Space

- Enhance terrestrial habitat- Preserve valued ecological

functions - Protect valued landscapes

- Increase habitat area- Restore sensitive habitat- Restore connectivity- Increase access to resources- Protect soil and plant resources- Manage microclimate

Aquatic Open Space

- Reduce erosion and runoff sediment, nutrients, and other potential pollutants

- Remove pollutants from water runoff and wind

- Enhance aquatic habitat

- Slow water runoff to enhance filtration- Trap pollutants in surface runoff- Trap pollutants in subsurface runoff - Stabilize soil - Reduce bank erosions- Manage microclimate - Enhance terrestrial habitat for aquatic habitat

support

Rural + Agricultural Resources

- Increase productivity - Protect surroundings from

harmful pollutants - Protect and enhance soil and

crops from wind and animals

- Vegetation to reduce wind energy- Enhance habitat for predators of pests- Reduce flood water levels and erosion - Trap pollutants before leaving site - Provide barriers where necessary to protect

crops from animals

Historical + Cultural Resources

- Promote nature- based recreation

- Enhance or protect visual quality

- Protect historical features - Improve environmental

stewardship

- Increase and protect natural areas- Enhance recreational experience- Create a sensitive interface for nature-based

recreation - Enhance visual interest- Screen undesirable views- Separate human activities

By identifying a conservation theme, project overseers ensure that the approporiate land base is being conserved on the site. Through site analysis and by analyzing impacts through an Environmental Impact Report, project overseers can get a thorough understanding of site features and active or historical systems.

In indentifying these features, developers better understand what the primary conservation area should be. The primary conservation area is defined as the area with the most or the most important features for conservation. Often times sites may also have one or more secondary conservation areas. These areas and portions of the site that also are rich in ecological goods and services but may not be the overwhelming concept for conservation.

The table to the left expresses the conservation themes and their buffer needs/ functions.

Conservation Themes

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Slows runoff

Filters pollutants

Provides Habitat

Manage Microclimate

Split Buffer

Primary Buffer Secondary Buffer

Reduce Visual Impact

The design of buffers along conserved landscapes follows different methods and practices to allow for distinct fuctions to be performed. To the left is an example of how buffers should be developed and with what functions based on the conservation themes of Aquatic Resources and Historical + Cultural Resources. The guidelines present information on how to create a sensitive human-nature interface and appropriately draw

Buffer Functions

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OTAY BAYFRONT PARK

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Chula Vista Park QualityOTAY BAYFRONT PARK

The Project: The Otay Bayfront Park revitalizes an underused industrial site and transforms it into a public resource for the Chula Vista community. The project’s goals were to restore a great portion of the landscape that had been destroyed by the processing of oil and generation of energy while providing the public with accessible amenities including park space, multi-use trails, a sports complex, and business/ retail park.

Business + Retail Park

Recreation/ Park

Narrative Walking Trails

Restored Landscape + Trails

Parking

Lemon Grove Picnic Area

Sports Park

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Otay Bayfront Park

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OTAY BAYFRONT PARK

NARRATIVE LANDSCAPES

The Otay Bayfront Park site design was in part developed for the Watermark’s Competition. The Watermark’s Competition is meant to bring awareness to climate change and sea level rise. I wanted to bring awareness of this grave problem through a narrative landscape.

My inspiration for the watermarks competition was the resilience of nature. Floods and water related catastrophes cause so much damage to our human infrastructure, but what about all of the damage that we as humans have on nature? Due to climate change, the Earth’s sea levels are rising. Some predictions show that the sea level may rise up to 2 feet by 2050 and by up to 6 feet in 2100. How will this effect our landscapes? How will this effect our coastal communities and our world as a whole? The concept behind the Resilience of Nature Ribbons is to be a bold statement of sea level rise. The ribbons run across the estimated 2050 and 2100 sea level lines. The lines will be bold and uninterrupted by human infrastructure to showcase that when the sea level rises it will not stop at any human infrastructure, but instead it will invade it just as humankind has invaded and interrupted the balance of nature. the ribbons create and arch over the creek and the bay. This creates visual interest and creates an opportunity for visitors to better understand the implications of global warming.

Watermark

Frid

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2050 Sea Level2100 Sea Level

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Chula Vista Parks

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I performed an analysis of Chula Vista City Parks to complement my work on the Otay Bayfront Park. I performed a GIS analysis to get a better spatial understanding of where public parks were located as well as analyze how these parks were effected at a socioeconomic level.

The Project

The Rationale

The Findings

CHULA VISTA PUBLIC PARKS

The concept for my project on the Otay Bayfront Park was Ecological Justice. I performed extensive research on topics of Ecological Justice and wanted to implement its theories onto the Chula Vista site. Ecological justice refers to a social movement in providing equal access to open space and parks to everyone regardless of demographic background. It also involves stewardship to the land and healthy living and coexistence of humans and nature. The purpose of this study was to find areas in Chula Vista with the most need for new park development or the revitalization of existing parks.

I first began by finding all of the city owned and operated parks. At first glance I was highly impressed by the amount of parks in Chula Vista. I was happy to see so many within this small town. I found it important to look beyond where the parks were located and deeper into how these parks are effected by the socioeconomic system.

ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE

Chula Vista Parks

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Park DensityNone

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Medium

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Chula Vista Park Density

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Park Density

My initial analysis of the Chula Vista parks is in general a positive result. Chula Vista offers many parks to its residents and they are fairly well distributed all over the city except for a gap on the western end of the city.

Initial Analysis

I analyzed the park locations further by performing a point density analysis and seeing where the city parks were concentrated most. In general they are fairly well spread around the city with a couple hot spots such as the southern most end of the city. There was also a pretty large gap in parks towards the western end of Chula Vista.

Park DensityNone

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CHULA VISTA PUBLIC PARK Density

Park DensityNone

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Chula Vista Park Quality

Quality Analysis

I designed a scale to rank the parks as bad, poor, fair, good, or excellent. Parks earned or were deducted points based on park amenities, features, and recreational opportunities. Parks got extra points if they were within a block of an elementary school. Parks were also judged based on how well the city maintained the parks and wether or not it was a park that I would like to go to. I felt like it was fair to base my analysis on subjective data because it is people after all that use these sites so the opinion of people is very influential to the success of a park.

The Scale

I then began to look at each park individually. I rated the parks on a subjective scale system ranging from bad to excellent. I began to see a trend that the bad, poor, and fair parks were distributed further to the western side of town while the good and excellent parks were distributed further to the east side of town.

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CHULA VISTA PUBLIC PARKS Quality

ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE

ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE

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After identifying the parks based on quality I was then able to take my findings and compare them to demographic information on income levels in Chula Vista. The blue shaded areas consist of homes with income levels below $36,000 per year. This also happens to be where the hot spot for high density park sites is located. At first this is exciting, especially through the scope of Ecological Justice where, in general, findings show that lower income neighborhoods usually have fewer parks. However, when we analyze the quality of the these parks we also find that the “bad” ranked parks are focused in this area as well. We also see that the gap in park sites is located along the edge of this low income neighborhood. These findings help to rationalize the need for revitalization efforts and possibly new parks in the Chula Vista area. It also rationalizes my project in Chula Vista to create a bayfront park on the western edge of the town.

The Findings

PARK QUALITY FINAL ANALYSIS

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Income Level is less than $36,000

Friday, January 9, 2015


The Findings


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CHULA VISTA PUBLIC PARKS Quality


Final Analysis


The Findings


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ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE

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Dana Adobe

Dana Adobe

Tallow Vat

Rodeo Venue

Historical Captain’s Sycamore

Parking

Groundskeeper’s Home

Barn and Support Buildings

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Nipomo, CA

The historical Dana Adobe in Nipomo, CA has been restored and the DANA (Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos) want to restore the greater landscape to a period of significance of the 1850s. The project included extensive research of the historical and current site conditions. The site design attempted to maintain historic character while allowing for modern day business opportunities for the DANA to run off of including opportunities for an interpretive, historical experience and a wedding venue. This was a 3rd year project.

The Project

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The DANA desired a historically relevant planting plan. I studied planting composition and historical plant palettes to help develop a planting plan that would compliment the restoration of the Adobe. I hand rendered the planting plans.

Planting Plan

Dana Adobe

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D R Y F A R M I N G

INTERPRETATIONThrough vigorous research it has been decided that the period of significance to which the dana adobe is to be restored to is somewhere between the 1850s and the 1880s. Research through oral and written history, pictures and art, and other historical data helps us to better understand what the landscape of the Nipomo Rancho looked like. Of course, it is impossible to have it look exactly as it once did. Conditions today are different. The Dana Adobe survives today in a whole new context and culture. Thus it is necessary to interpret this research and showcase it to visitors as to tell the story of the dana family and life on the ranch.

[DANA ADOBE & ECOHISTORY]

After the drought of 1864 the dana family had to find a different way to produce food, thus they made a lifestyle change and began to practice dry farming. Dry farming is the perfect showcase of how the Dana Family lived in relationship to the landscape rather than owning it.

An interpretation of dry farming techniques will be placed on site. It will be seperated away from the adobe itself as though it can be a great educational tool the ornamental value of the dry farm bed may or may not be appealing to the eye depending on the year and time of year. Thusly the garden will be placed South of the visitors center along the trails and be a good educational stopping point for interaction with the crops.

Groups will be able to see first hand how the fruits and vegetables differ from heavily watered gardens. The garden will offer users a better understanding of dry farming techniques.

The stagecoach was an important aspect of the culture of the 1880s. It was a popular form of transportation. In order to showcase this important advance in transportation it may be neat to have an actual, sedentary stagecoach on site that visitors could experience. Visitors could enjoy sitting on the stagecoach and children could enjoy pretending and playing on it. Existing stagecoah ruts left from the historical vehicles should be preserved and trails should pass by showcasing this amazing piece of history.

The Dana Adobe is very famous for being the stopping place for the first mail route. Horse back riders would collect and carry mail in their saddle bags and deliver it to another rider in another town.

In order to interpret this amazing piece of history student viistors could practice their letter writing in class and bring a letter ready to send to the dana adobe when their class visits. They could then drop the letter into a saddle bag in which the dana adobe would later send through the postal service. This would give students the opportunity to learn about this great part of history as well as offer a great framework to teach letter writing.

The railroad was an important advancement in the transportation world. It allowed for quick transportation of people and goods. In order to allow visitors to experience the railroad and understand the spirit of the times the railroad berm shall be preserved and interpretive signage will help visitors to understand the significance of the Pacific Coast Railroad.

The vaquero lifestyle greatly influenced culture and the land. cowboys would ride around the ranch working the land and herding the cattle. There simple presence on the land effected its ecology. In order to portray this culture and allow visitors and students to better understand the lifestyle, visitors will learn how to be a vaquero. This activity could include roping demonstrations or riding demonstrations.

Pictured above is tallow from the cattle. The cattle that the dana kept were not necessarily used for meat or dairy. Rather their tallow was collected and it was used to produce candles and soaps that the dana family would then sale to help them work within their ecosystem,

In order to express the importance of the tallow visitors will be able to go down and view the restored tallow vat and purchase tallow soap and candles from the gift shop.

The cattle ranch is an ecosystem within itself. The cattle greatly effected the nipomo rancho. Cattle can be very hard on their environment. They require a lot of food resources and wear on the land. The cattle actually helped to devastate the oak woodland. They also provided for the food and money system of consumption for the dana family. The cattle had a huge effect on this ecosystem. In order to showcase the systems of the cattle, interpretive signs will be place looking out into what would have been their pasture.This sign will give information on the outputs and imputs of the cattle within the system.

S T A G E C O A C H R U T S

M A I L R O U T E

R A I L R O A D

V A Q U E R O T R A I N I N G

T A L L O WC A T T L E

View looking out from the front of the DanaAdobe. THis space has potential for small events or quite pondernig of the historical relevance of this site.

The grass field could make a perfect rancho setting to hold larger events such as weddings or concerts.

ECOLOGICAL HISTORYEcological history [is] a tool to identify and characterize appropriate targets for restoration efforts. [It] reveals deep human imprints on many ecological systems and indicates that secular climate change has kept many targets moving at centennial to millennial time scales. [...] Ecological restoration efforts should aim to conserve and restore historical ecosystems where viable, while simultaneously preparing to design or steer emerging novel ecosystems to ensure maintenance of ecological goods and services.

S I T E R E F E R E N C E

S I T E I N V E N T O R Y

CLI

MATE

H U M A N + C U L T U R A L E C O L O G Y

W O R K I N G S Y S T E M S

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

NIPOMO

DANA ADOBE

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NIPOMO RIVERADOBE CREEKCARILLO RIVERPACIFIC COAST RAILROADSTAGE COACH ROUTEDANA ADOBETALLOW VATCAPTAIN’S SYCAMOREWINDMILLUNPAVED ROADBLACK LOCUSTEXISTING EUCALYPTUS

AVERAGE JULY HIGH:73AVERAGE JANUARY LOW:37.6 (units degree farenheit)

289 days

per year

52 days

per year[14.4 in.]

EARTHQUAKE1857

Earthquake left one a major crack in the outer wall of the adobe

DROUGHT1864

Heavy flooding was followed by a period of heavy drought killing plant and animal life.

The Dana Adobe is a part of a rich cultural history. The history of the site and the daily living of the Dana Family and the many comings and goings on the Nipomo Rancho including visitors, the stage coach route, the mail route, and the railroad had a lasting effect on the ecology of the landscape.

How people use the land and has historically changed over time. Now-A-Days we alter the land to suit our needs where as in proir times, and in the peak years of the Dana Adobe, the land was used as a resource. The Dana Family had a strong relationship with their land. And cared for it as a resource and a life source. In order to recreate the ecology of the site circa 1880s the human ecology must be taken into account. The ecosystem is not without human influence but is deeply intertwinded with human existance. It is impossible to seperate.

land and has historically changed over time. Now-A-Days we as a society, we alter the land to suit our needs where as in proir times and in the peak years of the Dana Adobe the land was used as a resource. deeply intertwinded with human existance. It is impossible to seperate.

[DANA ADOBE ]

CULTURAL REFERENCEVAQUERO

TALLOW GATHERING

CATTLE RANCHING

STAGECOACH ROUTE

MAIL ROUTE

PACIFIC COAST RAILROAD

The River system is an important feature on the Dana Adobe site. THe River was a major life source for the dana family, visitors, and livestock. The river provided water for the gardens that provided food for the family. THey provided water for the animals that provided transportation and profit for the family. The river is also a great natural resource full of diverse plant and animal life. The river is a very valuable system offering biodiverse life within itself and also offering life to the Dana’s and other settlers.

Research shows that there was an oak woodland on site of the nipomo rancho. Much of California was once covered in oak woodlands and now only 13% of California remains inhabited by oakwoodlands. The woodlands created habitat for animals and diversified the available plant species. Much of the oak woodland was cut down to supply wood for the family and some of the oaks died during the intense drought of 1864.

Nipomo comes from the chumash word nipomu meaning foothills. the foothills acted as a fence line so to speak, that kept the animals and plant life within the nipomo rancho. Up into and over the foothills, the plant and animal life diversifies and changes further. The great view of the foothills is also much of the reason the dana family chose to plant their roots within the rancho. The dana family,with their lifestyle of vaqueros and cattle ranchers and their physical needs of food and water they became a part of the system.

LIFESTYLE

Interpretive Experience

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The DANA chose to work with me to develop a display to present to California State Parks. The purpose of the boards was to showcase the historical and ecological components of the site while showcasing the interpretive opportunities on the site. To do this, I developed a program for the DANA including 4th grade programming, wedding venue opportunities, and an interpretive trail experience. The display and presentation helped the DANA to earn a $15,000 grant from California State Parks to continue the site restoration project and develop programming .

Interpretive Experience Development

Sketch of the Dana Adobe

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LOS OSOS NEIGHBORHOOD

The Project

Los Osos, CA

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Los Osos, CA Site

Ramona Ave.

Pismo Ave.

Los Osos, CA is a small unincorporated town in San Luis Obispo County. The community hugs the coast line of California adjacent to Morro Bay. The site lies west of 11th street in between Pismo Avenue and Ramona Avenue. The site ends at the front door of the Sweet Springs Nature Preserve which runs along the Morro Bay Estuary. Currently, the site is a residential, single family home neighborhood that is prone to flooding. This design helps to reduce the flooding issues while providing recreational features for the residents and visitors of Los Osos, CA. The concept of the design embraces nature and its resources as a part of the human experience, not separate from it.

Sketch of Los Osos Neighborhood Revitalization Project

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HUMAN NATUREEmbracing nature and its resources + systems as a part of the human experience, not separate from it.


Recreation/ Park



Parking

Lemon Grove Picnic Area

Sports Park

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LOS OSOS NEIGHBORHOOD

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Improved Water Quality Flood Control Improved Plant and Animal Habitat

Presedimentation Basin: Requires maintenance access in order to dredge out sediment. e pool will collect heavy sediment and clean the water before it begins to enter the rest of the system

Final Pool:e final pool is a large pool that will help to slow and clean the water before it enters the bay so to improve the water quality.

Flow of Water is East to West

Constructed Wetland Design:e constructed wetland is designed to manage and improve water quality for water quality specifically. e pools are sized for a 100 year storm lasting for 20 minutes. e estimate peak flow rate is 103 cubic feet per second and the channel and pools can hold a capacity of 74400 cubic feet of water

In order to manage the flooding problem that the neighborhood was facing, the project required the development of constructed wetlands. The wetlands would be dry for the majority of the year but would provide important flood control and water improvement services during the rainy season. The Constructed wetlands also provided opportunities for improved plant and animal habitat. The constructed wetlands would provide ecological improvements while servicing the community of Los Osos with flood control and a beautiful neighborhood amenity.

Constructed Wetlands

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Sunday, June 1, 2014

Improved Water QualityImproved Plant and Animal Habitat

Carbon Sequestration Improved Air Quality

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Active Recreation Promotes Stewardship Educational OpportunitiesPassive Recreation

Large expanses of the site were designated as landscape restoration. These connected zones help to improve plant and animal habitat, carbon sequestration, air quality, and water quality. The restoration zones connect with the nature reserve at the western end of the site that meets the bay. In addition to the great ecological opportunities that the site restoration has to offer, the restoration zones also provide the community with a beautiful nature-scape to enjoy. The restored landscape would create a unique trail and play experience for the residents of Los Osos.

Landscape Restoration

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Human Nature Synthesis Eco-Restoration Scenario

Recreat

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Increased Home Value

25-35% 25%expected increase in home value.

expected increase in home value.

*based on case studies from the NPS

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Improved Water QualityImproved Plant and Animal Habitat

Carbon Sequestration Improved Air Quality

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Active Recreation Promotes Stewardship Educational OpportunitiesPassive Recreation

The current Los Osos neighborhood does not provide many recreational opportunities. Streets are rough and broken making it uncomfortable to bike let alone drive on. The only park space is at the elementary school blocks away. By providing safe multi-use trails and recreation space for the residents along the constructed wetlands and restored landscapes on the site you promote stewardship to the landscape and provide educational opportunities along the trail.

Recreation Opportunities

Studies show that property value increases by at least 25% when located near open space amenities. Implementing this design scheme to the neighborhood site would help to enhance the community’s living experience and quality of life while also improving their home values which have slowly been losing value due to issues with the septic system in Los Osos.

Property Value

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Living streets or woonerfs are streets that are designed with people and systems in mind while still allowing cars. The goal is to take over the streets that are often times ruled by car traffic and parking and allow for a greater recreational experience for people. I focused on the concept of living streets on two separate projects, the Margarita Street Plan, and the LOVR site. Both utilize traffic slowing techniques and the broadening of the recreational experience for the community members.

Living Streets

Living Streets

Margarita Living Street

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The Margarita Street project is an example of a living street adapting design solutions for traffic slowing, street narrowing, and street based recreational opportunities. The project developed a linear park with small recreational spaces throughout including picnic spaces, dog runs, and natural playscapes. The Margarita Street project also incorporated low impact development techniques with curb cuts, LID planters, and pervious surfaces.

The Project

Margarita Street

SLO, CAMargarita Street

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The LOVR (Los Osos Valley Road) site is in between a residential neighborhood of single-family homes and apartment buildings and the busy Los Osos Valley Road. The goal of the project was to take a side street off of Los Osos Valley Road and develop it as a living street or woonerf. In order to provide a safe, recreational experience for nearby residents screening and street narrowing were important. The site design offered multi-use trail experiences that connected to nearby bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. The site included a large expanse of land nearby a high school. This portion of the site offered greater recreational opportunities for a mountain bike skills course.

The Project

Los Osos Valley Road

SLO, CALOVR SITE

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One of my goals during the living streets project was to improve my digital rendering abilities. I practiced model building in SketchUp and my Adobe Photoshop abilities. Design communication is a key component of the design and bidding process. Building quick SketchUp models and utilizing Photoshop is a great way to deliver design solutions that gives a quick spatial understanding of how the site can function.

Digital Rendering Techniques

For the LOVR project I got an opportunity to develop Bike “Lovr” Park. As a avid cyclist myself I was excited to be able to develop a mountain bike skills course, pump track, and boulder hop course. The site along LOVR is nearby many popular mountain biking trails including Johnson Valley Ranch, Irish Hills, and Madonna Mountain or Cerro San Luis. The Bike “LOVR” Park provides a safe and accessible experience for mountain bikers at all levels to come and practice skill building techniques.

Bike “Lovr” Park

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Thank you for taking the time to view my portfolio of work.

emma mchatten // portfolio of work

Documents

origami structures

san luis obispo

design fields

mark building structures

osos neighborhood project

research analysis

hiking experience

interpretive experience