Dwelling Ecologies

Combinded Hybrid Map

This is our 'Combinded Hybrid Map' that included all the information as one lay out.
We not only combined our information, but also connected to each others.
These are like an information tree.
It makes easier to read how our research went through from big scale in to small details.

Dwelling Ecologies

Infographics

This is our "Infographics" that included specific facts and stats about dwelling conditions in Harrison, NJ.

2D and 3D models indicates actual structure from one of new and old residential buildings.

Graph supports basic facts about people in Harrison, NJ; such as populations and incomes.

Diagram in the middle offers specific information about old and new housings, such as price, materials, stories, features and sizes.

Dwelling Ecologies

Power/Economies Map

This is our "Power/Economies Map" that included information about commuting systems and flows in those two old and new residential areas. Our map shows building structures in central business district and all of specific traffics and transportation systems in Harrison, NJ.

Dwelling Ecologies

Ecology Map

This is our 'Ecology Map' that included information about ecological conditions in both Old and New dwelling areas.

We actually found great points from creating this map.

First of all, by pulling each elements up, we were able to find clear differences in green spaces in both Old and New areas.

There are private gardens in old dwelling area, structured with complexity. There are public type of garden in new dwelling area, structured as one large place where residents can share green spaces.

Great part of this 'Ecology Map' is that we were able to compare those two conditions by looking at

scales, themes, uses and structures.

Dwelling Ecologies

Structure Map

This is our 'Structure Map' that included specific changes of urban elements in Harrison, NJ.

We included information about construction statuses, such as area that is in a process of constructing

and buildings that had been reconstructed.

General graphical idea was to compare structure conditions in 1995 and in 2010.

By pulling out one specific area and observing through changes, we found great ways to learn the city,

and it was the key point of creating this structure map.

Dwelling Ecologies

Base Map

This is our 'Base Map' that includes information about dwelling conditions in Harrison, NJ.

We tried to find specific conflicts between 'New residential area' and 'Old residential area.'

Red zone indicates location of 'New Residential Area'and yellow zone indicates location of 'Old Residential Area.'

Our map includes different stories of housing buildings, different type of streets,bridges, highways, parks and general geological elements in two zones.

Commercial Ecologies Diagrams

NJ Productive Ecologies VI - Conflict in Kearny

Our understanding of the site has improved immensely due to the sequence of maps/diagrams that we designed in conjunction with our research. Identifying key structures, examining how they affect the natural environment (which was always a large part of our thesis), and connecting socio-political forces with economic conditions ultimately led us to make a decision to further focus on an area of our site that revealed significant conflict- the Kearny edge. The following quotes are important to consider before understanding the next step we would choose on our mission to successfully map conflict at our site.

Scientific Findings:

The following quotes can be found on page 6 of this Rutgers University study, completed in 2008.

“The majority of the Kearny Marsh stormwater contaminant loadings occur to be appearing at the Frank Creek’s interface...”

“Due to the impairments being caused as a result of water flowing into the marsh from Frank’s Creek, we recommend that this connection be severed. Should the connection remain, it needs to be physically controlled, so that water can drain out of the marsh, while water flow into the marsh is restricted during storm events...”

Conflict:

The following quotes can be found in this article by The Jersey Journal in 2011.

“Kearny is seeking funding for a new $1 million pump station after Hurricane Irene dumped up to three feet of water in some basements east of Schuyler Avenue.”

“A pump station would pump water into Frank’s Creek,” said Town Engineer Michael Neglia.

The town has collected $250,000 toward the new pump station from Russo Development, a firm that is constructing a new mixed-use commercial and residential complex on Schuyler Avenue.”

“Mayor Al Santos said Kearny is requesting that other developers with pending projects in town also contribute to the fund.”

By re-examining our data, we realized that there was substantial conflict between remediation efforts on the marsh (New Jersey Meadowlands Commission) and redevelopment efforts by the municipality of Kearny and a private development company- Russo Development. Seeing that the Rutgers University study proved that there was a highly concentrated area for stormwater contaminants at Frank's Creek, and Russo Development/Town of Kearny have plans to pump even more water through that specific site, it is clear that there are two conflicting forces working to revitalize 'something'. Combine this idea with the notion that there is general lack of access to the wetlands and you have a picture that portrays true conflict.

The following model seeks to highlight themes within the conflict along Kearny edge. It can be thought of as a 'hybrid' map, pulling from the previous diagrammatic maps that we used to get to this point in the first place.

NJ Productive Ecologies II - Citizen Interview/Access to Marsh

Because we had previously visited the areas of our site along the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers on a studio boat tour in September, we decided to make an early October visit to the Kearny section to try and get a peek of the marsh.

Using the world wide web, we found complicated directions to our destination at Gunnell Oval Park.

What we found was a very discreet "trail" that led us to the marsh. We were determined to walk through the overgrown grasses, albeit some harassment by the hungry mosquito population.

We decided to document the current access conditions at Gunnell Oval Park, from start to finish (finish being the first sight of the marsh). Later that day, we came across a citizen of Kearny at the park and decided to muster up enough guts to ask him some questions for our research. We were not entirely surprised to learn from him that Kearny residents have very little connection to the wetlands, and the landfill itself...let alone the construction of "cool" projects regarding energy efficiency.

Unfortunately, we did not think to ask for his permission to post the brief interview online so we decided to create a mash-up of the access video and interview audio.

Take a look...

Access to Kearny Marsh from Laura Moen on Vimeo.

NJ Productive Ecologies V - Powers in Struggle

The next step in our project was to identify the bodies of power, regulation, and activism that relate to the thesis that we were trying to make visible.

Research on the landfill’s history and current occupation revealed startling information. Firstly, it’s important to once again clarify that we were now looking at not only the landfill itself, but the adjacent Kearny edge, which includes park spaces and other more confined industrial sites. Through online research, we found that there is a current redevelopment plan underway for the area of Kearny along Schuyler Avenue, which can be contextualized in the Relevant Structures blog post. This development is being facilitated by a firm known as Russo Development. Furthermore, our research revealed that flooding concerns that were recently sparked by Hurricane Irene in late August have generated a pump station proposal to deal with the excess water in the low-lying area east of Schuyler Avenue. This online article revealed that the pump station will potentially direct all flood water through Frank’s Creek, and ultimately into the wetlands. Given the data we collected by the Rutgers team, it was obvious that this proposal would be a huge issue in terms of amplifying the contamination that enters the wetlands.
Some separate supplemental research found that there is currently a solar panel project underway at the landfill. Yet another online article revealed some potential judgement that can be made due to the way in which the solar farm is advertised. Prior research told us that the Keegan Landfill is a 100 acre site. The online article boasting about the solar farm reveals that it will only occupy a mere 13 acres of the site. Furthermore, the article makes it seem as though the landfill is not currently active, which is not the truth. Although the solar project is innovative in the way that it provides renewable energy, which is considered to be a more sustainable energy source, the public relations surrounding its construction ultimately seem to blanket the issues that surround the landfill itself.

In regards to the power plant, we found that it is owned by Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), which is a publicly traded company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The large map above shows the four levels of ownership and regulation occurring within this particular site. They are private, city, state, and federal. The site is monitored closely by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retain proper emissions standards. PSEG was required to pay a fine to the city of Newark, The State of New Jersey, and the EPA. In 2012, they are scheduled to receive 180 million dollars to aid in plant operations and possibly will receive 220 million the following year.

Over the past one hundred years, the Standard Chlorine Site, Kopper’s Coke site, and Diamond Shamrock site have changed hands multiple times. The Standard Chlorine site, though owned by the Standard Chlorine Chemical Company, Kearny, NJ is watched closely by the EPA who is facilitating the remediation of the site. The Kopper’s Coke site, currently owned by The Hudson County Improvement Authority, has hopes of being purchased by New Jersey Transit for redevelopment according to an article written by The Jersey Journal. The Diamond Shamrock site, formerly owned by Chemical Land Holdings, is now owned by Terra Solutions. Together these three sites comprise just over 180 acres of land. Designated as potential sites of development, little to no action. In a report completed by the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the sites are good contestants for infrastructure development in relation to growth development.

NJ Productive Ecologies IV - Contamination Alert

At this point in the studio project, we realized that it would be helpful to break apart our site into three pieces for closer study: the power plant, the super fund site, and lastly the landfill and its relationship to the marsh and Kearny’s edge. As we continued to develop our research, we discovered information that focused more specifically on how our sites of study affected the natural ecosystem(s) around them.

Upon conducting research on the landfill, data was retrieved from a Rutgers University study that focused on the way development around the wetlands has contributed to contamination. Interestingly enough, we found that there was indeed a source of contamination coming from, what we now know to be, the newly re-operated landfill; however, the data further informed us that there was also a significant amount of contamination coming from municipal stormwater inputs as a result of development occurring in Kearny. This data basically suggested that there was a large concentration of contamination from this stormwater at the site of Frank’s Creek, which can be contextualized in the Relevant Structures blog post. In addition to deriving this substanital set of information, a brief inquest was done to determine the types of waste being put into the landfill by external sources.

Regarding the power plant, research was done on the integral way that the energy-producing site both takes and gives back to the Hackensack River. Better known as the Hudson Generating Plant, operated and owned by PSEG, is located on the eastern bank of the Hackensack River. Research showed us that the power plant uses water from the river in its cooling process, which is then excreted back into the river. This coal-powered generating station was declared one of the top 10 biggest pollution agents in the United States and was involved in a law suit with the EPA, the state of New Jersey and the city of Newark in 2006 due to their lack of sufficient cleaning procedures. Because of this, PSEG installed a 700 million dollar selective catalytic reduction system. We found that this system was ultimately able to reduce their emissions by 88 percent in 2010. All data found here.

The Standard Chlorine Site was deemed a Superfund Site by the EPA in 2001. According to a Public Health Assessment released in 2005 by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the 25-acre site contains tanks and drums holding dioxin and asbestos contaminants, soil filled with various contaminants and PCB in the vicinity of a former transformer. As stated in the report, all areas of this site appear to drain directly into the Hackensack River. This possesses an environmental health threat which has warranted warnings against the consumption of fish, especially crab, from the Hackensack River. On either side of the Standard Chlorine Site sit the former Kopper’s Coke and Diamond Shamrock sites. A 2003 study conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Inc. shows that although the Kopper’s Coke and Diamond Shamrock sites have not been given Superfund status, they also hold toxins in the soil which poss a threat to the river.

NJ Productive Ecologies III - Identifying Relevant "Structures"

The map above highlights structures that we considered to be relevant to our overarching thesis, which is that current urban infrastructure (industry, etc.) is not only imposing on the natural wetlands, but ultimately creating a barrier for residents around them. This barrier is crucial to examine because there is more meaning to the idea of having ‘access’ to a natural ecosystem than to perceive it as a mere physical connection. It’s more-so about how that physical connection can create a way of thinking for people, which will help to not only protect the wetlands from further contamination, but to connect people to the natural environment that they often don’t realize they are a part of.

NJ Productive Ecologies I - Making Observations

One of the first ideas that came to mind as we looked closely at our site both online (via google maps) and on the ground*, was that we would be looking at existing conditions around the overall edge of the wetlands that could potentially reveal the conflict that our studio sought to analyze. Using prior knowledge and experience, we quickly predicted that there were issues concerning human access to the natural ecology in the area, but also that there was probably some significant contamination coming from the series of industrial sites that find themselves along different parts of the wetland edge. These sites include the former 1-A Landfill, also known as Keegan Landfill, the Kopper’s Coke and Standard Chlorine Site, which has been designated a superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and also the power plant along the Hackensack River, which most people refer to as the Hudson Generating Station.


*check out this blog post for on-site footage of our walk through the access point at Gunnell Oval Park

JCS: Mapping Conflict

JCS SITE MAP


The first, and perhaps most important, step of this studio was to take a detailed look at our study area in New Jersey. The area was divided into three 'ecological' conditions, which included:  

-Dwelling Ecologies Site: This site is comprised mostly by a series of residential communities in Harrison, NJ, and sections of I-280, the Passaic river, and Newark's riverfront. 
TEAM: Do Bin and Jae Woo

-Commercial Ecologies Site: This site is comprised mostly by commercial areas of Harrison, NJ, the intersection of I-280 and I-95, and meadowland marshes. 
TEAM: Elaine, Michael, and Colin

-Productive Ecologies Site: This site is comprised mostly by Kearny's marsh, sections of I-95 and meadowland marshes, as well as the Kopper's Koke site in Kearny and a large power plant in Seacaucus.
TEAM: Mikaela, Marco, and Laura


The word 'ecology' was used as a way for students to observe urban phenomena as being made up of complex interactions between infrastructural, architectural, environmental, social, political, and economic systems. Each group, however, was asked to further define that definition as well  as set their own goals for the study. In each site observation, mapping and design helped uncover a complex set of urban issues that lead to urban conflict. In the next steps the students will use their maps to propose interventions that address those conflicts.

Conflict, in this context, is intended to simply mean urban conditions that do not take into account established communities and their needs. Each student/group was asked to further develop this idea.

This blog is a way for each group to document their research and to share it with their constituency: the communities that are affected by the conflicts mapped.