Transforming Blight Into a Destination

Alleyways. Drainage canals. Electricity transmission corridors. Spaces like these exist in cities all over the world, and almost always they are only exactly what they seem: alleyways, drainage canals, electricity transmission corridors. But in a physical sense, they offer many more opportunities. That alley could be a stormwater absorption area. A drainage canal could become a waterfront. A transmission corridor could become a linear park.

More and more cities are starting to think about their infrastructure in this way, demanding more utility from the utilitarian structures that have for so long served solely their own specific roles. It’s a design concept increasingly explored by landscape architects, who’ve gradually embraced the idea as “landscape infrastructure.”