Between Fields and Meadows: A Strategy for Naturalistic Sport Landscape Across Liminal Urban Spaces

Abstract

This thesis explores the productive intersection between often-separated "sport landscapes" and "landscapes of biodiversity" through the redesign of the Strachan Street general open space in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, as a biodiverse sport landscape. The site of an abandoned road expansion, the open space connects two major urban parks (Bayfront Park, Jackie Washington Park) but divides the waterfront-adjacent North End neighbourhood from downtown-adjacent Central and Beasley neighbourhoods. As the urban core of Hamilton is set to double over the next five decades, the development of this underutilized threshold to the invaluable waterfront is inevitable.

The city of Hamilton has stated two critical needs: 1) enhanced public engagement with biodiversity by introducing forest-garden types (wild-growing, uninterrupted "meadows") into urban areas, and 2) the continued development of a robust recreation network that is responsive of proximity, access, and amenity-related needs (maintained, well-groomed "fields"). The incorporation of public space into reclaimed post-industrial landscapes has precedent in Hamilton, but a key challenge is how design can resolve the incorporation of these seemingly conflicting public space typologies within increasingly confined urban space.

The sports-driven "field" type alone cannot satisfy the multi-faceted ways that Hamiltonians participate in play, though a fully biodiversity-driven "meadow" approach negates the intense need for formal play spaces. These types also pose limits: the systematization of sport has degraded the play quality, and the forest-garden is a relatively new type that often lacks the amenities to invigorate use beyond a singular program. Therefore, the thesis explores how architecture can mediate between outdoor sport and biodiversity using the common theme of play. Case studies explore dimensions of "sport landscapes" and "landscapes of biodiversity" that correspond to existing site conditions as a method of informing design.

The thesis explores three typologies that bring "sport landscapes" and "landscapes of biodiversity" into close friction: 1) Woodland Sport-scape: a linear forest-garden, containing native perennials and low growing shrubs, with simplistic structures that mingle play and vegetation growth; 2) Orchard Sport-scape: multi-purpose sports areas and niches of sun-loving berry guilds, mediated by a pavilion for climbing, sitting, harvesting, cultivating; 3) Nursery Sport-scape: the adaptive re-use of post-industrial sites for seed and tree production with flexible sport areas created amidst the shuffling of potted plants and seasonal growth.

A set of design guidelines reflective of Hamilton’s network of environmental and recreation stewards is produced to offer guidance in two dimensions: for the City and for the citizen. This enables aspects of top-down design that fulfils the critical needs identified while enabling bottom-up design rooted in citizen engagement at the scale of the neighbourhood. Future iterations of the guidelines should present methods for addressing environmental and social challenges posed by adapting post-industrial or liminal sites. Though Strachan Street open space was selected for its urban connectivity, the proximity to the active railway presents considerable hazards that require further study of air, noise, and soil pollution; likewise, additional research must be directed towards understanding community social dynamics to ensure the project effectively mediates and equitably represents the holistic "public." Thus, this architectural thesis presents a basis for questioning the role of the public park in everyday life.