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ASLA Panel Deems National Mall an "international embarrassment"04-17-09 | News

ASLA Panel Deems National Mall an “International Embarrassment”

LASN Editor Steve Kelly’s first experience with the Mall was that pivotal year in U.S. history, 1968. That summer the “Poor Peoples’ March” came to the Mall and camped out. This 1968 photo shows how the Mall landscape suffered that year. The panel convened by the American Society of Landscape Architects emphasized the Mall’s condition is a result of “structural and ecological issues … not of any lack of care or daily maintenance.”

About 24 million people visit the National Mall in Washington, D.C. each year. They come to see first hand the monuments and trod the grounds that have seen remarkable gatherings over the years and is inextricably linked to what PBS calls the “American experience.”

The National Mall is the domain of the National Park Services. NPS describes it thus:

“Impressive structures border it, monuments and memorials stand on it, great museums exist near it, and grand trees help shade it, yet the harmony of these things together merely enhances the concept at its very best. The Mall is the heart of the Nation’s Capital and of the entire United States of America. Here, the nation celebrates, honors, and demonstrates its commitment to democracy.”

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) considers the National Mall “one of the leading works of landscape architecture in the world.” ASLA convened a panel of leading landscape architects, architects, and planners from around the country to assess and respond to the National Park Service’s most recent report on the National Mall. The six-member panel, facilitated by ASLA President Angela Dye, FASLA, met March 19, 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The panel comprised members of the ASLA, the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association. (The panel bios are available at www.asla.org/nationalmall/bios.html.)

The panel acknowledged the NPS leads a “heroic effort in stewarding the country’s most important landscape with very limited resources.” The panelists emphasized the Mall’s condition is a result of “structural and ecological issues that have developed over 200 years, not of any lack of care or daily maintenance.”

Still, the panel says the “landscape falls horrifically short of its promise and importance, and critical needs must be addressed immediately.”

A report from the National Park Service calls for any future design and remediation for the National Mall to integrate sustainable design practices and to be a model for urban ecology. The National Mall stretches from the grounds of the U.S. Capitol west to the Potomac River, and from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial north to Constitution Avenue. Pictured is the Lincoln Memorial.

The panel’s executive summary states, “It’s time for all of us to take a stand for a place so emotionally resonant to help reverse years of neglect, abuse, and just plain wear and tear.”

The panel supports most of the NPS recommendations for the Mall, but urges strong support for a more defined vision.

The panel broadly urges NPS to “compile a complete design plan that addresses this preeminent public space consistently and comprehensively to better weave it into the larger urban fabric.” Such a plan, the panel says, will guide all future design and maintenance.

Panel members applaud NPS’ close collaboration with the National Capital Planning Commission.

Specific recommendations by the panel include:

“…strongly supports the standing ban on any new memorials or museums not already in planning stages. This is critical to preserving the integrity of the Mall.

“… endorses the Park Service’s call for a redesign of Union Square but feels such an initiative needs to reach beyond the NPS jurisdiction to Constitution and Independence Avenues and Capitol Hill to be truly successful. The panel proposes an international design competition or forum of the best and brightest international design professionals to help shape Union Square’s future.”

Tidal Basin seawall reconstruction.

Replacement of the Capitol Reflecting Pool and revitalization of severely compacted lawn areas.

“… visitor services can be accommodated adjacent to the National Mall … they endorse the Park Service’s proposed redevelopment of the Sylvan Theater for centralized visitor services (and) an end to additional centers of interpretation for monuments and memorials. They propose centralizing these needs in a Mall orientation center. Renovation and remediation of the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building … could serve this purpose.

“Base all future actions on sound scientific research and actively engage the science community to fill in gaps and ensure the best practices in stormwater management, soil restoration, and the planting and care of trees.

“Integrate all water features and paving into the urban ecology.

“Use Sustainable Sites Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council criteria as guidelines.”

The panel’s executive summary concludes: “The panel calls on Congress and the administration to live up to their responsibilities and provide all necessary funding and resources to bring the National Mall back to life and ensure its position as a symbol of the nation and one of the great landscapes of the world.

The panel’s report, the executive summary and video clip of their working sessions can be found at www.asla.org/nationalmall.