The Urban Floodscape: Revealing, Carving, and Placing the Historic Klingle Ford Road

Abstract

When we think of floods in the urban environment we also think of damage. We continuously rebuild our infrastructure to alleviate any damage. Although erosion and flooding can be detrimental to our environment, a by-product of the damage is wild nature, offering health and mental benefits and possibly the key to understanding resiliency. Consequently, our perception of nature changes when it pervades our urban environment, becoming a nuisance. As we face rising water levels and urbanization our infrastructure is falling apart more frequently and the role of the landscape architect in designing infrastructure is crucial. How should we design our infrastructure knowing that it will be reworked by water and reclaimed by nature? The thesis proposes the re-design of a road that has been closed several times due to severe flooding and erosion. The road sits within a steep valley in Washington D.C. and acts as the Southern boundary for Rock Creek Park. A creek runs alongside of the path, and the moments of collision are the least accessible to both people and water. The thesis explores the processes of material erosion and deposition, and the movement and power of water and asks: can the process of damage be used to create a more durable path that will enhance connectivity for both water and people? With the goal of enriching the experiential quality of nature in the city, the proposed design exposes the underground processes of water and translates its pattern of movement into a design that reveals, carves, and places a new pedestrian path/dam system that emphasizes the tremendous wildness of stormwater.