Project Description

West View Community requested design assistance from the CDC to create a plan for use and linkage of the historic cemeteries in their neighborhood. The design team was comprised of the CDC staff and volunteer Landscape Architect Sara Hedstrom Pinnell, Principal with Hedstrom Designs. We first studied linkages between all of the historic cemeteries including Lonas, New Jewish Cemetery, Middlebrook, Crestview, Longview, and Southern Chain Cemeteries. We then focused our design efforts on improving Crestview, Longview, and Southern Chain Cemeteries. We studied security, defining edges, and entrances.

There are some general maintenance issues that need to be addressed throughout the cemeteries. The clearing of trees and plants needs to be continued to create a clear view from Richmond Avenue to Keith Avenue. The trees that remain need to be trimmed to a 6'-0" min canopy height. The existing gravestones that have fallen need to carefully be erected and fill dirt placed where the ground has depressed. Some graves may be lost by adding fill, but flags should be placed to record their locations. Extensive research throughout the cemeteries is highly suggested to examine their historic significance.

Each cemetery has its own challenges and perceptions that we tried to enhance through good design.

Crestview is a more formal cemetery started in 1928. We looked at a 1935 KGIS Aerial photo to help recreate some historic pathways. We better defined a central path through an alley of trees and plantings. We also added a path around the back of the cemetery. Due to security concerns, we proposed separating this property from neighboring residential and unused land with an 8'-0' high black chain link fence. The cemetery and the existing road will be separated with a low decorative metal fence that is historic in design.

Longview, which was formed in 1900,has a more organic impression. We developed an existing grading depression into a functioning roadbed to allow for pedestrian, bike, and parking within the cemetery. We added several paths that follow the existing topography. These lead to the Children’s section of the cemetery and the surrounding cemeteries. The separation between this cemetery and the road will be landscaped with small evergreen trees and shrubbery.

Southern Chain was developed in 1915 and presented the most challenges. It is currently overcrowded with graves and is in the most disrepair. The existing graves are head to toe with little room for development of formal trails. There is an existing roadway that allows for pedestrian and vehicular travel. We propose adding 8 new parking spaces adjacent to the cemetery at Buck Toms Park, if the city allows.

The new design builds on the existing rectilinear theme. We propose the addition of low grasses and plants that form patchwork of color, like a quilt. These plants will remain low so the gravestones are still visible. In the beginning of the landscaping installation, there will need to be clear edge treatments that are required to define the different planting beds and keep them separated, but the goal is to pick plants that require low maintenance. More small paths can be added in the future to graves that seem heavily visited.

Sustainable Design

The Community Design Center has established a policy to promote sustainable design and energy efficiency in all its projects. Sustainable design is sometimes known as green building or environmental building. Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency of sites and their use of energy, water, and materials, and reducing impacts on human health and the surrounding environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal- the complete life cycle. Green building is increasingly governed and driven by standards, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system developed by the U.S .Green Building Council.

The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green building. Effective green building can lead to

1. reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water,

2. improved public and occupant health due to improved outdoor air quality, and

3. reduced environmental impacts by, for example, lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect. Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment. The appearance and style of sustainable sites and landscapes can be nearly indistinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.

Security

The Community Design Center has also established a policy to promote Crime Prevention through Environmental Design or CPTED. The National Institute of Crime Prevention's CPTED theory is: The proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime.

Key CPTED Concepts:

• Natural surveillance, creating areas where people and their activities can be readily observed. A design concept directed at keeping intruders under observation.

• Natural access control, controlling access to the property and or building. The primary thrust of an access control strategy is to deny access to a crime target and to create a perception of risk in offenders.

• Territorial reinforcement, establishing a sense of ownership, defining boundaries. Provide transitional zones with clearly defined boundaries; public space, transitional semi-private space, and finally the private space.

General Guidelines:

Landscaping:

• Security landscaping, use material with thorny or spiny growth, open not dense foliage.

• b x 2 rule, tree canopies no lower than b', shrubs etc. no higher than 2".

• Place "L"" shaped brackets on top of low walls, creates pod seating and eliminate skateboarding.

• In brick walls, raise bricks every so often to create pod seating and skateboard control.

• Benches ,use narrow rails, benches with bars, and other various controls which result in uncomfortable seating will discourage loitering and eliminates sleeping.

• Artwork, murals with people actually intimidates potential criminals and discourages inappropriate activity.

• Signs, constructed so people can see what's on the other side, i.e., not solid from top to bottom, allow see-thru space.

Lighting:

• 90% of all crime happens after dark, between dusk and 4:00AM.

• Light for human activity, humans protect sites, not lighting.

• Follow the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) for lighting standards, both illumination levels and uniformity levels.

Fencing:

• Fencing should be transparent to eliminate opportunity for people to conceal themselves and to allow for visual observance.

• Fencing can be accomplished with appropriate and landscaping such as thorny or spiny foliage.

• If a chain link type fence is used do so without the pipe along the top, use a cable instead, which is more difficult to climb over.

• Fencing is an effective separator from semi-private to private space. Use fencing that has character such as artwork or other feature along the top is a good space divider and has the opportunity to be appropriate for the character of the architectural surroundings.

• Hostile vegetation or vines in front of blank walls discourages graffiti.