Landscape Architects are the foremost experts in what makes streets practical, useful, and inviting. But what truly makes a streetscape a place that people want to visit? Here, LASN is showcasing five streetscape projects that feature various forms of artistic street elements.

Dairy Block - Blake's Passage
Blake's Passage is a walkway that connects Blake Street to the primarily activated pedestrian alley that bisects Dairy Block from north to south in Denver, Colorado. Previously underutilized, the ownership group wanted to create a space that would increase foot traffic through the passage to support restaurants, shops, and future planned retail businesses along the passage. Art and Architectural Lighting Design, or AKLD Lighting Design, a lighting design firm in Wilmette, Illinois, was tasked with the street artwork.

In January of 2023, Dairy Block unveiled 'Downpour,' an immersive lighting concept featuring almost 400 programmable, color-changing spheres that playfully imitate a rainfall of colored light. The color-changing 'raindrops' are purposefully mounted lower in the passage to be respectful of the height of the historic Windsor Dairy building. The goal of 'Downpour' was to elevate foot traffic in Blake's Passage.

The dynamic points of light are programmed in compositions that change through the days and seasons, with special programs "chiming" the hour, ushering in holidays, or celebrating Colorado's professional sports teams. The color-changing, dynamic 'Downpour' is complimented by delicate hoops of white light floating high above the site. These atmospheric white light hoops dance at varying heights above to create an immersive, art-focused experience.

 
Harbourfront Centre Plaza
The Harbourfront Centre Plaza, nestled amidst Toronto's vibrant waterfront district, serves as a vital hub for cultural events, recreational activities, and community gatherings. Recognizing the need to modernize and rejuvenate this iconic space, stakeholders embarked on an ambitious redevelopment project aimed at enhancing its aesthetic appeal and functionality. Harbourfront Centre retained the services of Landscape Architects MJMA-Architecture & Design located in Toronto, ON to redesign an existing public space into a multi-use public plaza.

Central to the revitalization efforts was the integration of Atomizing Systems' fogging technology, creating mesmerizing visual effects while providing practical benefits such as temperature regulation. The special fog effect system features over 600 ruby-orifice fog nozzles that were designed to deliver an enchanting fog that envelops the plaza, transforming it into a surreal oasis amidst the hardscape. The ruby-orifice nozzles were selected for their durability and efficiency.

The rehabilitation of the Harbourfront Centre Plaza utilized innovative streetscape art and enhancements. The fog feature design practices sustainability with the development of technology that uses extremely low volumes of water while also lowering the ambient temperature. Atomizing Systems' fogging technology, designers, and planners created a dynamic urban space that captivates the imagination and fosters a sense of community.

Mission San Antonio Valero
From its inception in 1724 as the Mission San Antonio Valero, through its pivotal role in military strategy and the Battle of the Alamo, to its integration into modern urban life, San Antonio's famed Alamo Plaza has been a cornerstone of Texas history. Completing the Alamo Plaza Restoration Project's first phase in 2023-commissioned as part of Alamo Trust, Inc.'s Interpretive Master Plan-marked another significant step in this 300-year-old narrative.

The Alamo Plaza Restoration initiative reimagined a key United States historical site and elevated it as a dynamic space to function equally as a pedestrian sanctuary, thoroughfare, and stage for public gatherings. The nuanced decisions behind Landscape Architect Reed Hilderbrand's design, specifically the selection of materials that tie the site's celebrated past to its present, led to The Belden Brick Company's custom color palette of clay pavers within the historical site.

In aligning the physical transformation with the space's broad significance, inclusion of the Teddy Roosevelt statue thoughtfully integrates other aspects of the city's annals into the site. Created to honor Roosevelt's 1898 formation of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, or the Rough Riders, the statue was temporarily placed by the Menger Hotel, a mere 0.3 miles away, where Roosevelt is said to have recruited his volunteers. Moving the statue to the renovated Alamo Plaza offers a more cohesive depiction of San Antonio, ensuring visitors not only remember the Alamo but also understand the city's broader contributions and significant role in shaping national history-all of which the restoration project creators want to honor and continue.

Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge
Caltrans District 5's Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge, adjacent to State Route 154 in Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County), is in the final construction stages but promises to be a transformative community project.
The 2024 project dismantled a historic bridge and removed a retaining wall next to the bridge, creating a new longer bridge, placed rock slope protection in and around the bridge abutments and on the slopes of the creek, and revegetated the disturbed area with native, riparian vegetation. The old bridge superstructure was removed from above the creek while the piers and foundation portion were removed from below. The natural stone from the railing of the 1912 bridge was salvaged and reused in the new bridge railing. The salvaged stone was taken to the mason's yard for cleaning, temporary storage, and sorting by type, color, and size.

A polymer-infused, decomposed aggregate pathway was a necessary addition at the ends of the bridge to complete the connection of the pathway to the neighboring community and local business district.

The salvage and reuse of the original stone on the new bridge was a design challenge that required collaboration between engineering, construction, and landscape architecture to preserve this historic resource. The team took pride in including this project feature to strengthen community acceptance. Additional challenges included the removal of trees before nesting bird season the removal of invasive plant species and, working in a creek during the rainy season.

Kevin W. Shaffer Sculptures
Kevin W. Shaffer, a former Landscape Architect in Denver, Colorado who originally owned a landscape architecture and land design firm for seven years, now creates fine art through art-on-loan programs throughout the state. Shaffer now completes one or two public sculptures a year.

His experience in design has influenced his art and design career. Shaffer prefers to combine art media and sustainably built environments in a way that inspires ways of living, including environmental consciousness and the reduction of maintenance and over-management. His artwork features three primary creative techniques, including 'spherical welds,' 'dragon trails,' and high-quality, reclaimed, and repurposed art media often found in the county metals landfill, local ski areas, and bicycle repair shops. Spherical welds are created with a MIG welder and displayed serially where one is weak and many are strong. Dragon trails is an engraving technique utilizing a plasma torch displaying an even field sometimes punching through for a slight reveal of light and interior details.