Inspired by Nature

Oregon Coast 2007  by Marian Hanson

Since the early Europeans arrived, our Greater Seattle area has also seen many changes.  We are fortunate, however, to have many nearby examples of beautiful and functioning "natural" areas.  The beautiful curve of the Oregon shoreline seen in the photo and its accessibility to the water can give us ideas for our human-designed landscapes along our waterfront. 

In the photo below, this "natural" creek scene is actually by human design.  This area of North Creek on the Bothell, WA campus of the University of Washington was a mitigation site to allow the channeled creek within a farm pasture to once again meander on the site nestled within native plants.  In the background of the photo, a dam built by local beavers can be seen on a branch of the creek.  Besides providing habitat for wildlife, this site can allow for storm water fluctuation and filtration.  These functions lost over time by human development can be brought back to some areas with thoughtful designs. 

In The Sourcebook of Contemporary Landscape Design by Alex Sanchez Vidiella 2008, there are many inspirational designs in photos, sketches and planned views.  A few that may inspire our Seattle waterfront designs are the Zhongshan Shipyard Park in China (pg 204), the Hai River Embankment Design in Tianjin China (pg. 210), the Welland Canal (pg. 232), HTO Park in Toronto Canada (pg. 250), Union Point Park in Oakland CA (pg. 268), Bali Memorial in Australia (pg 378), and Las Margas Parks and Gardens in Latas Spain (pg. 554).  I hope this helps, Marian Hanson