November 13, 2024
APDesign student Emily Hemsath wins honor award
Landscape architecture & regional and community planning graduate student, Emily Hemsath, in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, at Kansas State University has been recognized with an Honor Award in the Student Research category for her project, "Blight to Benefit: Vacant Lot Greening to Support Ecosystem Services."
The project explores how design interventions on vacant lots can enhance ecosystem services for urban neighborhoods, particularly in historically disinvested areas with significant vacant land. Using aerial imagery and free online tools, Hemsath's research demonstrates the potential environmental benefits of these interventions, offering valuable insights for urban development. Committee members on the project include: Jessica Canfield, associate professor; Trisha Moore, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering; and Sara Hadavi, assistant professor as the faculty advisor on the project.
In many cities across the United States, overgrown vacant lots have become commonplace in neighborhoods facing population decline and disinvestment. Yet, these underutilized spaces present an opportunity to contribute to social and ecological well-being. The project, focused on high-vacancy areas in Kansas City, Missouri, examines how greening initiatives on vacant lots can increase the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, stormwater management, food production and microclimate regulation.
By using aerial imagery and programs like ArcGIS, the project categorized vacant lots and estimated their current ecosystem services. The study then proposed five sustainable design interventions for 50 vacant lots, demonstrating how these interventions can be implemented to provide environmental benefits, particularly in areas where redevelopment is not imminent.
The research findings revealed that temporary greening interventions can significantly enhance the ecosystem services provided by vacant lots. In contrast, traditional single-family redevelopment was shown to reduce these services. Based on the findings, the project recommends focusing redevelopment efforts on lots with the least tree canopy, preserving the current benefits of trees, such as cooler microclimates and reduced stormwater runoff.
This project offers a valuable framework for cities facing similar challenges, proposing that vacant lots can be temporarily managed for ecological and social benefits while awaiting redevelopment. The method demonstrated in this research uses accessible tools like Google Earth, the EPA National Stormwater Calculator and the i-Tree Suite, allowing landscape professionals and city planners to estimate the potential environmental benefits of design interventions before they are implemented.
The project highlights the importance of considering vacant land as a long-term resource that can support biodiversity and improve urban living conditions. It serves as a guide for decision-makers to assess the potential of greening initiatives in improving ecosystem services, especially in disinvested urban areas.
APDesign's continued encouragement of student participation in events like these aligns with the Next-Gen K-State strategic initiative to deliver impactful experiences through participation in national competitions.