Direct Design Assistance: Anwatin Woods, Minneapolis, 2003

Images from the project:
Existing Conditions

Basic Scenario

Forest Scenario

Prairie Scenario

Located in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood in Minneapolis, Anwatin Woods is an undeveloped piece of privately and publicly owned land between a school complex, Theodore Wirth Regional Park and a residential neighborhood. The land is part native oak woodland and part overgrown dump with visible construction debris. In response to a townhouse development proposal for some of the private parcels, neighbors have come together to explore ways that the woodland can be preserved, cleaned-up and designed to better serve the school, park users and immediate neighbors. The Save Anwatin Woods group requested Design Center assistance to prepare site concepts that could stimulate community discussion and guide investigation of the dump site, an assessment funded by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

In these kinds of projects there is always a question as to whether it would be better to develop the site to increase the overall housing supply within the city. However, the neighborhood has identified a number of other redevelopment sites that are well located for residential developoment and the Anwatin Woods area provides unique opportunities for environmental and open space uses given its location adjacent to Theodore Wirth Park and the two schools. For this reason other nonprofit groups have been giving technical assistance, including the Minnesota Environmental Initiative and the Trust for Public Land.

The Design Center’s role was to describe the site within its social and ecological context and illustrate different design goals that could be accomplished, if the entire area was planned as a green space. Two primary site issues emerged: first, the unique importance of the Wirth park woodlands as the largest block of forest in the city, host to over 250 resident and migrating birds and second, the location of this woodland to a large concentration of disadvantaged school children attending the pre-school program, elementary school and junior high. These natural resources are adjacent but not easily accessible for use by the various age groups in the limited blocks of time within the school day. Research has shown the importance of nearby green space to enhance children’s level of comfort and understanding of natural processes and environments.

Design goals, principles and scenarios focus on improving access to the natural resources and illustrating different approaches to maintain the healthy native forest and restore native habitats not only on the dump site but also the traditional lawns of the school. Concept plans show how the dump-site could be addressed, paths could be introduced and native plantings could be arranged. Illustrations on this page sketch the different character of the site if the dump was alternatively stabilized and used as an interpretive display, planted as a hardwood forest and ephemeral wetland, or planted as a prairie to increase the diversity of habitat within a five minute walk of school grounds.

A widely publicized meeting attracted a group of interested citizens to review the concepts and provide feedback to the Save Anwatin Woods group. The Design Center materials will also be used for future discussions with the school, the city, the park board and potential funders of the project.

Download:

Outcome: A widely publicized meeting attracted a group of interested citizens to review the concepts and provide feedback to the Save Anwatin Woods group. The Design Center materials will also be used for future discussions with the school, the city, the park board and potential funders of the project.

 





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