After meeting with a landscape architect, I learned about several ways that storm water contamination and flooding issues could potentially be solved. In order to filter dirty water that accumulates after rainfall on impervious surfaces, the key is to slow down the water before it reaches a larger, more sensitive body of water. The process of slowing the water down includes inserting landscaped drainage along streets and existing parks. In this site’s case, much of the storm water runoff finds its way into Kearny Marsh, concentrated at Frank’s Creek.
A topography study revealed that most of that water starts along Kearny Ave to the west. Because there is a big section of residential streets in between the Kearny edge (Schuyler Ave) and the highest point in elevation where storm water begins to run from (Kearny Ave), I decided to include that section as one area for intervention. The idea is to reconsider the design of streetscapes and small existing parks in a way that is conscious of filtering dirty storm water.
In regards to the flooding issue that Kearny’s edge experiences during big storms, I developed an idea that calls for softening the current edge where an abandoned railroad sits amongst a thicket of plant overgrowth. In order to accomplish this, the idea is to slightly bring the wetlands into the land at two points along the ¾ mile strip, so that the flow of water from Kearny is a little more evenly dispersed along the waterfront. One point would be at Frank’s Creek where water already passes through, and the other would be at Gunnel Oval Park, to the north. After passing through efficiently landscaped streetscapes, the water would then be further filtered at these two wetland zones where an abundance of plants greatly contributes to cleansing the water.
In response to the concern over bringing not only water but also people to the wetlands, the answer is rather simple. Because there are two existing parks along Kearny’s edge, the idea is to utilize these spaces as entrances to a waterfront greenway that includes interaction with the recreated wetland zones and the spaces in between. The greenway could manifest beautifully if design consideration is applied to a storm water experience where the landscape deliberately changes during periods of heavy rainfall. Ultimately, the edge can become a haven for a small set of programs. One idea is to construct a kayak/canoe center where people can actually get the chance to venture into the marsh. Also, because the two current parks are used for sports, which are important to the town, an empty lot can potentially transition into some passive green space.
Lastly, plans discovered in the research for Keegan Landfill regarding a solar energy farm inspired me to intensify the productivity of the space. Current plans state that a mere 13 out of 100 acres will be dedicated to solar energy production. If things were ideal, much more of the acreage could be appropriated for solar energy use that can feed into the surrounding power grid. Ironically, the current solar farm is to be co-owned and operated by PSE&G, which is the backbone behind the controversial power plant to the east and along the Hackensack River. Perhaps greater energy production at this site could make up for losses that may occur at the power plant. In addition, my idea is to also bring people to this more expansive solar farm. Sites of energy production are often alienated from communities, and because this particular type of energy production is fascinating and in some ways innovative, why not foster awareness and educate the people who live in the region? There is no better way to get to know a new neighbor than to simply go over and say hello, learn more about them, and ultimately consider the friendly and mutually productive relationship that you can both share. The vision for this interaction includes a possible education center onsite, meandering paths through large swaths of solar panel rows, and some passive space along the edge of the marsh.
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