2020 Annual WASLA Conference

Seattle Airport Marriott, March 27, 2020

Olmsted's Legacy Reimagined

Description:

Our public agencies are guided by a mandate to build more resilient infrastructure mitigating for impacts to cultural landscapes and the environment. Built out of robust community involvement over the last two decades, one such highway program looks to complete a never-realized Olmsted Brothers plan with a modern sensibility across some of Seattle's most historic neighborhoods. Designers working closely with the public and City, Regional, and State agencies have crafted a framework drawing upon native cultures and the Olmsted's vision to connect a series of parks and opens spaces with a network of paths, park system linkages and boulevards. This restored park system is facilitated by two park-like lids in Seattle's Roanoke Park / North Capitol Hill and Montlake Neighborhoods featuring 'living room' spaces, curated vistas and paths designed to celebrate the social life of the place and enhance access to park lands. The robust public process serves as a lesson in the role of allied design professionals as critics to shape project scopes over decade long projects as a way to elevate equitable solutions.

Speaker Bios:

Matt Gurrad, Senior Landscape Architect, HDR Inc.

Matt brings a wealth of experience in large scale urban design and landscape architecture development in municipal and institutional project settings. Projects he has completed display his attitude towards forward looking design, innovative project solutions and design responses balanced in community, environmental and client needs. He maintains licenses Landscape Architecture licenses in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, and leads HDR's Landscape Architecture group for the Northwest.Matt is a robust advocate for Landscape Architecture's role in city shaping projects, particularly to ground infrastructure with a focus on respect to context, experience and nature.

Adam Amrhein, Associate Urban Designer, LMN Architects

Adam brings systems thinking to bear on city infrastructure, planning, and design problems. He has a background in district-scale sustainability and has worked closely with communities, institutions, and governments as a planner, designer, and facilitator. His project experience includes project management, design development, support and documentation, urban design policy writing, sustainability policy development, public outreach and engagement, and program development. On each assignment, Adam seeks to leverage abstract policy imperatives with stakeholder goals to create highly-valued, deeply sustainable, people-centric places.

Lyle Bicknell, Principle Urban Designer, City of Seattle

Lyle Bicknell is Principal Urban Designer with the City of Seattle's Office of Planning and Community Development where he promotes urban design excellence throughout the built environment. He has served as the City's urban design lead for large transportation projects, transit oriented neighborhood planning and major center city redevelopment initiatives. Lyle is a member of the executive board of Seattle's Allied Arts and was recently named a Southeast Asian professional fellow by the US State Department.Lyle is an affiliate faculty member of the University of Washington's College of the Built Environments where he received his architectural degree.Lyle is an affiliate faculty member of the University of Washington's College of the Built Environments where he received his architectural degree.

Learning Objectives