| Given the present environmental crisis it is prudent to re-examine our relationships with the environment and strive to be more environmentally sensitive in everything we do. This includes the way we design and use the open spaces of our cities.;This practicum proposes the use of an ecologically guided process for the design of urban open space. It involves the careful coordination of the physical environment, biological factors, and the human functions that are desired. The hypothesis is that by designing to accommodate the functioning of ecological processes, urban open space can be made more sustainable.;The study examines the benefits of using an ecologically guided design process, and describes the process in detail. The application of the process is then demonstrated through the development of a proposal for a community park in Olympia Fields, Illinois in the "New American Green" design competition.;The proposed design consists of an environmental education and research centre, several existing active recreation areas, and a collection of three ecological communities that are based on indigenous ecosystems of the region. If implemented, it would be a vibrant, constantly changing, and ecologically diverse landscape.;The study concludes by recommending the establishment of regional data bases of potential ecosystems, the evaluation of implementation techniques, and the monitoring of how ecosystems respond to various human activities to aid in future applications of this design process. |
