Landscape Frameworks for the Revitalization of Urban Neighborhoods in the Context of Phytoremediation

Abstract

This article exposes the possibilities of integrating phytoremediation in the larger context of urban revitalization strategies and their spatial and cultural context through exemplary case studies in research by design. The findings propose a simultaneous application of multifaceted and overlapping strategies: (1) spatial network strategies combining phytoremediation with water infrastructures and open space on multiple scales; (2) space–time strategies that include different levels of pollution and anticipated cleanup time at a larger scale; (3) capitalizing on the variety of aesthetical values of plants; (4) capitalizing on potentials of architectural heritage with possibilities of adaptive reuses; (5) staged phasing frameworks that integrate cultural, social, and educational processes; (6) interdisciplinary collaborations between scientist and designers; and (7) illustrative and engaging visual communication techniques for staging, design, and implementation. While each of these strategies is not new, they are currently practiced in isolation. A simultaneous application of this palette of strategies may embrace and synergize visual, spatial, scientific, and cultural elements as a multi-scalar and multilayered approach and thus provide a synthesis that is valuable for scientists, designers, planners, and stakeholders on the regional and municipal level. Executed, they will result in the propagation of phytoremediation as a technique to transform derelict urban landscapes.