August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39

Stewarding
Urban Desert
Park Design
How to create resilient, functional and beautiful
landscapes in an urban desert environment
By Brandon Sobiech, PLA, ASLA
F
irst, let's state the obvious: it's hot out here. And it's only getting hotter. From April
through October, the Phoenix region gets little respite from the punishing heat of
the sun. We're averaging between 104 and 106 degrees every day in the summer.
When you factor in urban heat island effect - which increasingly is becoming a
public health crisis in the summer (tinyurl.com/ysw2d5mr) - and our average of about five
days total of rainfall between April and September, the job of designing and maintaining our
parks is that much more challenging - and important.
All conversations about landscape design
in this environment come back to water.
While the region has made enormous
strides
in
conservation
since
the 1970s
when 80 percent of Arizona residents had
lush turf front and back yards (that figure
is down to 9 percent), the city also has experienced
the largest population increase in
the nation between 2010 and 2020 (tinyurl.
com/52ac7a8z). These conditions compel
us to consider the highest and best use for
our precious resources.
In dense urban environments, city parks
often are the only green space people have
access to on a regular basis. They mitigate
urban heat island effect and support our
public health infrastructure. What's more,
they are one of the last remaining places
where everyone - regardless of age, income,
creed or color - can come together,
interact, socialize and play. The function
parks serve must be deeply considered
against and alongside best practices for resource
use.
So, what does it mean to be a good steward
when designing parks in modern urban
desert environments? While there is no
magic formula for a perfect balance, there is
a framework for initiating the right conversations
in the planning and design process.
Prioritize Shade
In the urban desert, shade is the difference
between a park that offers respite and one
that is utterly uninhabitable in the summer.
While water use and shade creation may
seem at times to be in conflict, we see shade
- whether vegetative or mechanical - as a
vital part of the solution to efficiently use our
water resources to create usable public space.
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | A UGUS T 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
39

http://tinyurl.com/ysw2d5mr

August 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2023 - Parks & Recreation

August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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