Cyclical City

Jill Desimini is an associate professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree as well as Architecture degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in private practice as well as academia and has received a number of design awards. Her research focuses on strategies to address conditions of shrinking cities. Her other book, entitled From Fallow: 100 ideas for Abandoned Landscapes (Desimini, 2019), draws on 10 years of documenting urban land use vacancy across the United States.

Other recent books addressing the cyclical nature of urban landscapes include Bowman and Pagano’s (2004) Terra Incognita, Dieterlen’s (2021) book Design by Deficit, and Greenstein and Sungu-Eryilmaz’s (2004) book Recycling the City. Desimini’s book is quite different in that she examines five cities in depth over time (100 to 700 years) regarding land management, evolving land use fluctuations, and redevelopment cycles.

In the introductory chapter, the author proposes to develop a “framework to understand abandoned and fallow landscapes beyond their aesthetic qualities in order to posit a fundamental role for spatial design practice to transform these spaces over time” (Desimini, 2022, p. 5). The author proposes to address concepts related to land abandonment over time, urban growth and decline, nonlinear models or cycles, and shrinking cities. The five cities and their design themes are as follows:

• Stormwater: 350 years of hydrology in Philadelphia

• Gleiswildnis: 200 years of ecology in Berlin

• Hortas: 500 years of agronomy and landscape planning in Lisbon

• Speelplaatsen: 100 years of play in Amsterdam

• Fallow land: 150 years of disinvestment in St. Louis

The author’s general treatment of the five main book chapters is to introduce the main cyclical theme, whether it be hydrology, gardens, or playgrounds. This is usually followed by a planning and thematic design history of that particular urban location, in turn followed by the author’s account of the onsite visitation experience. At the end of the chapter is a summary circular diagram incorporating the whole historical period covered plus specific events, along with socio-economic and physical factors. Throughout the book the author has embedded color photographs, cross-sections, detailed maps, and other line drawings to illustrate the cyclical urban design themes.

In Chapter 1—on Philadelphia hydrology—the author reviews landscape history and watershed planning that is influenced by actors such as Ian McHarg and Anne Spirn. The geographic focus shifts from the buried Mill Creek to West Philadelphia and then to the hydrologic geography and history of Greater Philadelphia. The author describes the Philadelphia Water Department development of the stormwater management plan Green City, Clean Waters as well as the physical, political, and equity issues involved. The author’s narrative includes a recent visit to Mill Creek, where she describes the current hydrology-influenced urban landscape and ends with observations on the interdependence of water infrastructure and urban development over time.

In Chapter 2—200 Years of Ecology in Berlin—the author first focuses on post–World War II ecological conditions of Berlin’s ruderal landscape and wastelands. She highlights the early work of Ungers and Sukupp plus other urban ecologists’ efforts to document, classify, and guide green redevelopment. The author describes her own experiences exploring the ruderal spontaneous vegetation and Berlin urban wilds. She describes the reuse of reclaimed and neglected urban landscapes as urban parks with endemic vegetation. In the conclusion she stresses the value of urban wilds as a resource for creating a public commons and successfully transforming the urban landscape over time.

The author describes 500 years of urban agricultural development and landscape planning in Lisbon, Portugal, in Chapter 3, covering soil, water, earthquake and flood occurrence, along with larger parks and reserves in Lisbon. She then proceeds to describe the Lisbon Green Plan, green corridors, and proposed horticultural parks. The author also describes her more recent observations experiencing several horticultural parks/gardens in Lisbon. In the conclusion the author indicates that the municipal horticultural parks have become a “form of landscape commons … actively cultivated throughout understated means” (Desimini, 2022, p. 134).

In Chapter 4 the author addresses the development of abandoned lots into playgrounds throughout Amsterdam, describing how the use of common design elements like sand and basic playground structures are used to develop such playgrounds. The author reviews the planning history of Amsterdam as well as the innovative use of water infrastructure. She then focuses on several individual playgrounds over time, stressing in the conclusion that planners should not always replace buildings with buildings, but should think about using urban open spaces as an opportunity for recreation and play.

The author addresses 150 years of disinvestment in St. Louis in Chapter 5. Describing the physical aspects of St. Louis and East St. Louis—divided by the Mississippi River—she presents the significance of the river crossing multiple bridges, the Arch National Park, and flooding and macro planning issues. Examples of how investment has perpetuated racial discrimination and disparity are woven into the fabric of northern St. Louis. But in the conclusion the author sees some “bright spots,” where some neighborhoods are finding their voices and pursuing redevelopment.

Desimini states in her concluding chapter that the projects presented in the case studies “point toward methods of land reform and to a critical reevaluation of colonial land grabs, capital markets, and the private ownership of property” (Desimini, 2022, p. 203). She goes on to address temporal, gradation, scale, design principles, infrastructural cycling, and other aspects of all five urban landscapes. The book ends with an epilogue, detailed notes by chapter, and a bibliography.

This reviewer was impressed with the contextual design and planning histories within the stories of the five cities. Her narrative covering her site visits is both revealing and refreshing. The value of the book lies in its in-depth treatment of cyclical themes, whether they be storm water abatement, urban ecology, urban gardens, playgrounds, or urban disinvestment. This reviewer is not totally convinced of the cyclical city construct, but it does prove to be a good organizational tool to present the five urban case studies. The book is well researched and structured to address urban transformation issues and could be utilized in an urban landscape design course.