By: Christina Hughey Playgrounds have changed a lot over the years. There is plenty of differences in materials, safety factors (playgrounds are made much safer now), differences in the activities allowed on the playground, and differences in the shapes of the playground. The design opportunities are...
By: Christina Hughey SITES Landscape at the University of Texas Sustainable design has never been more important. There is some mis consumption that just because a building is green that its sustainable but that is not always the case. Luckily there has been a couple good guides...
DG2 Design is excited to welcome Mimi Lo as our new designer. Mimi Lo graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture in 2018. She has a passion for creating public spaces in the urban environment. She also believes that great...
By: Christina Hughey The Watershed Nature Center in Edwardsville, Illinois is home to over 40 acres of prairie, forest, and wetland habitats. The center features paved walking trails, a raised marsh walk, and a welcome center. The Watershed is dedicated to providing environmental education, passive recreation,...
There is a lot that goes into trail design. In previous blogs I have talked about the importance of trails in communities and designing for trail sustainability but there is a lot more that goes into the design of trails. Here are 10 important tips...
By: Christina Hughey Wholefoods Rooftop Garden in Lynnfield With mass population growth, and the demand of city living it may soon be a challenge to get everyone food. The scientific community has been working to come up with a solution to deliver food to more people populated...
By: Christina Hughey Whenever a trail is installed it affects the whole community. Impacting the lives of individuals in many ways, this includes giving individuals another option of commuting to and from work. Having a walkable neighborhood can even lower crime rates. Trails help the whole...
By: Christina Hughey (source) People of all ages can benefit from using trails. We often hear that obesity rates are at an all-time high, twice what they were two decades ago. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics there are many reasons for this. One big reason...
By: Christina Hughey Figure 1: Trail Sustainablity Trails provide much more than hours of fun, trails help protect our environment. A trail built for sustainability reduces damage to plants, reduces disturbance to wildlife, reduces damage to soil and much more. A trail built right will last for...
Figure 1: Master plan for Tower Grove Park in the 1870's Tower Grove Park was originally designed by its founder, Henry Shaw, in the 1860’s. Shaw envisioned the park as a much needed “pleasure ground” for the city, and developed the plans in the Gardenesque style...