Proceedings (Video) from the Civic Horticulture Conference

This past May TCLF hosted the Civic Horticulture conference, a lively, provocative and well-attended event organized in concert with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society – now the first six videos from Civic Horticulture are online and available at the Foundation’s YouTube channel. The conference looked at Philadelphia’s use of horticulture in city shaping and what that portends for the future of Philadelphia and elsewhere, and featured internationally recognized experts from across the country and Belgium divided into three separate panels: The Street, Productive Gardens, and Parks and Plazas.

These inaugural postings feature TCLF President Charles A. Birnbaum’s introductory remarks in which he explains how the conference will examine issues through multiple lenses – health/lifestyle, environment, economy and sense of place – all the while putting plants first in developing criteria for holistic stewardship.

There are four videos from the panel on Parks and Plazas, a series of spirited presentations and a rich discussion in which the panelists discuss how urban parks have evolved from places for escape to being integral to our cities’ fabric. They looked at how the urban renaissance has resulted in new life for existing sites along with the creation of new parks and plazas, with horticulture playing a prominent role. Panelists include Keith McPeters, Principal at Gustafson Guthrie Nichol; Susan Weiler, Principal at OLIN; and Peter Wirtz, Co-Director of Wirtz International; with Eric Kramer, Principal with Reed Hilderbrand, as moderator.

The final video features Birnbaum’s closing remarks. Additional videos will be posted in the near future.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Drew Becher, President, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR, Founder + President, The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Setting the Stage: History and Issues

David B. Brownlee - Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor, Chair of the Graduate Group in the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania

Panel 1: The Street

Moderator

Harris Steinberg, FAIA - Adjunct Assistant Professor, City & Regional Planning, PennPraxis, The University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Speakers

Raymond Jungles, FASLA, RLA - Founding Principal, Raymond Jungles, Inc.

Matthew Urbanski - Principal, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

Henry M. White III, FASLA - Principal, HM White Site Architecture

Panel Discussion

Panel 2: The Productive Garden

Moderator

James F. Lima - President, James Lima Planning + Development

Speakers

Elena Brescia, RLA - Partner, SCAPE/Landscape Architecture PLLC

Thomas Woltz, FASLA, RLA - Principal, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Mia Lehrer, FASLA - Principal, Mia Lehrer and Associates

Panel Discussion