ABSTRACT
Adaptive reuse of long-abandoned industrial facilities have been designed to accommodate new uses and to revitalize neglected patches of older urban neighborhoods is a growing and exciting area of practice of landscape architects. The two projects presented in this chapter provide two very different examples where adaptive reuse were successfully employed. Core City Park in Detroit, Michigan showcases the much-acclaimed designs of D.I.R.T. for reclaiming lost spaces applying adaptive reuse of an industrial, abandoned urban place. Julie Bargmann landscape architect created a park-like oasis incorporating demolition materials from the site infusing the resulting design with the rich historical precedent of the site. Bargmann's design in concert with the project architect transformed a damaged and neglected neighborhood block into a healthy, beautiful environment. The design intent of Duisburg Nord Park in Germany was to maintain the elements of the original design and basic industrial structures, preserving the character of time and place while accommodating changes in demand, technology, and use. The conversion of a munitions industrial complex into an active park was an effective strategy to reinvigorate a declining neighborhood, improve water and air quality, increase biodiversity while extending the life of heritage buildings and other valuable structures (instead of demolishing then transporting them to a landfill). This is a story of the metamorphous of a post-industrial ironworks site previously identified as a heavily polluted brownfield landscape into a usable public park and greenway.
