BSLA Fieldbook Archive | Page 127

Reed Hilderbrand Halvorson Design Partnership

HONOR AWARD / BSLA

Research
The State of City Soils : Practice + Research Boston , Massachusetts
Landscape architects are dedicated to planting trees in the city , but the contemporary city is not hospitable to healthy , mature trees . In response , we rely on often-competing planting strategies and details . Rarely , however , do we analyze the relative outcomes of our choices of soils systems , pavement details , and management practices .
In response , two landscape architects , an arborist , and a soils scientist joined forces to undertake a comparative study — through fieldwork and laboratory testing — of plantings that have endured the stresses of an urban environment in Boston for between 5 and 45 years . We wanted to understand how the trees have grown and how the soils have performed . Our goal was not to crown one planting strategy superior to others , but to understand the dynamics of these complex systems , including what we can ’ t normally see below grade and to evaluate whether the results are worth the investment .
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
125