Dayton Hudson Faculty Fellows: Laura Musacchio

Laura Musacchio, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture
Dayton Hudson Faculty Fellow, 2006-2007

Restoration in the City

This project will characterize and analyze the existing and emerging paradigms, conceptual models, and methods for measuring and monitoring urban vegetation dynamics and succession at the national and international levels. Its focus will be on three metropolitan areas: the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Phoenix. Musacchio is particularly interested in adapting this knowledge to understand more about how non-governmental organizations regenerate a city's landscapes through "rewilding of place" through protection and restoration of remnant habitats and watersheds and the "recultivating of place" through the establishment of community gardens and how this affects the ecosystem health and watershed recovery of urban landscapes.

As part of this project, Musacchio will research methods and techniques that can be adapted for measuring and monitoring urban vegetation dynamics and succession at the site and watershed level. In addition, Musacchio will develop a pilot study for several sites in the Twin Cities that tests the use of some of the most promising methods and techniques for understanding how "rewilding of place" and "recultivating of place" affects urban vegetation dynamics and succession as well as ecosystem health and watershed recovery, and ultimately, how these results can aid understanding about urban design and planning performance.

Outcomes: Three Manuscripts (coming soon)

 





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