Summary:
A Maximum Potential Future for the White River in Muncie, Indiana
(Through the incorporation of the ten Lenses of ecoBalance design and planning )
Earth is a regenerative system where ecological systems collect, concentrate and use solar energy to regenerate themselves at higher levels of complexity and integration; and with increased ability to produce clean air and water, and productive soils for food and fiber. Partnering with these systems in ways that sustain their health and function is the only viable path to sustainability. Human systems (energy, transportation, water-wastewater, food, industry, etc.) as well as buildings, sites and communities must be planned and designed as parts of these regenerative systems. If not, we exceed the capacity of ecosystems to regenerate the resources needed to sustain life. A Method of design and planning that we call eco-Balance promotes both a human and resource balanced procedures necessary tor accomplish these goals.
Unfortunately, the basic strategy for engaging Earth has been to replace nature’s regenerative systems and life-cycle resource-flows with human systems that promote source-to-waste flows, rather than system regeneration source to re-source flows. By so doing, we have created the new condition of accelerating resource constraints that is the product of a false economy. The new economy replaces resource consumption and waste generation with efficiency of resource flows , essentially replacing a conservation mentality that slows flow to one of cyclical regeneration. “Where the old economy was characterized by resource mining and consumptive, chemically-dependent, waste-producing solutions; the new economy is characterized by resource harvesting, integration with resource flows and regenerative systems, waste reduction and impact mitigation” (Motloch, Armistead and Lebkowsky 2008).
With its manufacturing tradition, workforce skilled at making things, new opportunities at all levels of the economy exist from home businesses to a rethinking of affordable resilient housing, to regenerative soils and multi-use crops , rich mixed use landscapes that are ready to produce food fuel and materials, Muncie has potential for the needed transition. This period of change will be exciting, with new opportunities, materials and processes (integrated farming, flexible and desktop manufacturing, industrial ecology production streams). It will produce game-changers in food, water, energy and information systems. To achieve this potential, Muncie and East Central Indiana must transition to the high rates of innovation, integration, and whole-systems solutions needed to enhance quality of life and evolve our key systems (water, energy, food, information) to support ecosystem complexity/regeneration.
Problem Statement and Site: A major indicator of sustainability and the ability to prosper in the future is the degree to which a community maximizes the potential of its major resources. For communities that have grown along rivers, how the community addresses the potential of its river is perhaps its greatest indicator of sustainability and future prosperity. This project seeks to realize the potential of the White River and its associated landscape system in Muncie to enhance quality of life and environmental, social and economic wellbeing. The site includes the White River corridor from Muncie’s east to west boundaries; with foci on the landscape that is visually associated with the river, and the larger ecological system that sustains the quality of the river and its potential. This project is timely due to the current and growing profound challenges to water as a key global resource (Brown 2012).
Relation to L.A. Studio Projects: This project provides insights concerning the potential of the White River as a unique resource for the community of Muncie. The project also serves as a pilot study of how the community of Muncie can assess the potential of its other resources; and how other communities in Indiana can assess and realize the potential of their own local and regional resources. As such, the project serves as a methodological resource for landscape architecture studio projects within Muncie, as well as those outside Muncie.
Bibliography
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A Special "Thanks" goes out to our sponsor: Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Landscape Architects!