Assemblage

When it comes to stormwater, its time to slow things down. Much of our stormwater infrastructure was designed to quickly divert water to underground stormwater systems. But times have changed: faced with increasingly unstable weather patterns that bring both frequent flooding and intermittent droughts, today’s systems are taxed beyond capacity. One solution lies right under our noses, at a line in the landscape that is so familiar and ubiquitous: the street curb. This line separates water from everything above the curb: trees, plantings, sidewalks, people. What if instead of a barrier, we viewed curbs as gateways. Intentional breaks in the curb can redirect water toward thirsty trees in stressed urban conditions. Consider a tree can take up 13,000 gallons of water annually, and there are an estimated 6,000 miles of curbs in New York City alone. Tree-focused curb design is better for water uptake, pollutant processing, microclimate cooling, and oxygenation!! One change leads to another. A softer and more flexible streetscape is one where natural systems are interconnected and synergistic. The curb cut intervention is a first step towards transforming our streets and sidewalks to living systems, both above and below ground. More green and less grey!

What does it mean to “know” about nature while having little to no physical connection with it? To grow up without digging in the dirt, building forts from gathered sticks, picking flowers, or skipping stones across the water. This disconnect is often described as “nature deficit disorder”- the physical and emotional consequences of a life removed from the natural world. Today’s youth are immersed in technology, but increasingly deprived of nature’s touch, beauty, and challenges. As landscape architects, we shape spaces where children play, and we know that children learn through play. This gives us the opportunity to reimagine play spaces as outdoor classrooms where learning happens through interaction with wood, rocks, plants, soil, and water. Our field is already seeking to restore natural systems affected by soil degradation, biodiversity loss, flooding, and rising temperatures through nature-based design. Extending these strategies to play environments is a natural next step. There is a strong precedent for this approach. Educational models such as Waldorf and Forest Schools have centered outdoor, nature-based play in their curricula. However, these programs are often limited in access. Public playgrounds and parks, by contrast, are open to all, offering a more equitable and accessible platform for mature-based play and social interaction. We are excited to bring these ideas to life in our Waterfront Resiliency Park in Hudson, NY, where nature-based solutions and play come together to create an inclusive play area for the community.

We’re honored that we’ve been selected as semifinalists in the Design Trust Water competition! Our proposal explores how floating wetlands can become a new tool in the restoration of urban waterways—bringing ecological function and public life together in innovative ways. In collaboration with the @gowanuscanalconservancy and the @gowanusdredgers , we’re working toward a future where the canal supports both biodiversity and community access. By introducing accessible floating wetland systems, we hope to shift the narrative of the canal—from a symbol of pollution to a place of ongoing ecological recovery and public engagement. Grateful to be part of such a diverse and inspiring group of proposals! Concept graphic by @lucienne_landarch

Spring has sprung and we got out of the office to help @pennington_grey with a large project installation! It was a team effort to layout all the trees, shrubs, and perennials, and we can’t wait to see how they grow in. We love supporting and learning from pro installers….this kind of collaboration benefits everyone. Landscape design by Margie Ruddick, architectural design by @mkcarchitecture

We are very enthusiastic about food forests these days! Urban perennial food forests show what’s possible when ecology and community come together. They offer a practical and hopeful model for cities seeking healthier ecosystems, resilient food systems, and more livable neighborhoods. By mimicking the forest structure with layered plantings of trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, and groundcovers, food forests can transform underused urban land into productive landscapes that provide food, urban greenspace, and foster community stewardship. Depending on their scale and species composition, some food forests require less yearly input than that of more standard community garden structures that plant annual crops. When designed with attention to soil, sunlight, wind, and water access, these systems can thrive even on challenging sites. Over time, perennial food forests become living infrastructure that produces food, stores carbon, cools cities, and reconnects people with seasonal cycles in a way that is both practical and deeply regenerative! #urbanfoodforests #regenerativedesign #communityfoodforest

Big news! We’ve officially launched our newly updated website! We put a lot of care and intention into this refresh—rethinking not just how the site looks, but how it communicates who we are and why we do this work. The new site better reflects our mission, our approach, and our focus on sustainability, resiliency, and thoughtful public space design. It’s a clearer window into our values, our process, and the kind of impact we’re working toward. Take a look around, explore our work, and get a feel for what drives us. And if you’re interested in partnering, collaborating, or building something meaningful together, we’d love to hear from you. Link is in the bio. Let’s connect. #LandscapeArchitecture #SustainableDesign #ResilientCities #PublicSpace #DesignWithPurpose

Last week Assemblage had the opportunity to attend the New Directions in the American Landscape’s annual conference. Highlights included creative ways to read a site’s history through dormant seed banks, innovative mapping, and regional exploration. As always, there were many ideas shared about plant selection, invasive species management, and landscape restoration maintenance. Thank you to all the wonderful speakers for sharing insights and ideas from over the years!

We are excited to share an update on our progress for the climate-adaptive waterfrontdesign at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park in Hudson, NY! Over the past year, our work has shifted from conceptual design to technical design documentation and permitting, and now the City of Hudson has a shovel-ready project ready for implementation! This shift toward more technical workflows emphasizes turning community-driven ideas into solutions that can be built, tested, and adapt resiliently over time. Building on the priorities established during Phase 1 in 2022, the project team spent the past year working closely with New York State agencies to review and refine the design. The southern extent of the park, where our design work is focused expands the center of Hudson’s waterfront recreational life, situated between the redeveloping Dunn warehouse & the sunset views over the river. Seasonal tidal flooding already impacts the park, so the team designed an approach that accepts water in some areas while preserving the most heavily used parts of the shoreline for the public. Intertidal habitat creation, selective shoreline elevation, and improved circulation support both ecological systems within the park and expanded public access. Material selection became an important design focus during this phase, balancing durability, climate resilience, and low-carbon goals. The design combines robust living shoreline systems with carefully selected materials that reduce embodied carbon while meeting performance requirements. Combined, these efforts are shaping Henry Hudson Riverfront Park into a resilient public landscape defined by technical rigor, intensive ecological restoration, and a long-term commitment to Hudson’s waterfront community, and they represent a meaningful step forward in strengthening resilience along the Hudson River. Collaborators: @labellaassociates – Environmental, Permitting, Geotechnical, Structural, Civil @youarethecity Urban Design / Engagement @edesigndynamics – Ecological The City of Hudson

Celebrating two years at Assemblage! Get to know our landscape designer, Cate, more! Cate originally hails from Chicago. She is committed to ecological repair, regenerative design, and community-centered placemaking, a perspective shaped by a formative studio project in the Colombian mountains that revealed how design can unite social and ecological systems. Influenced by figures like Julie Bargmann and grounded by her volunteer work with groups like the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, she brings a deep respect for layered histories, local knowledge, and the transformative potential of post-industrial sites. She finds her greatest reward in creating welcoming green spaces that enrich daily life and strengthen bonds between people and the places they call home. Fast Facts Favorite Plant: Scarlet Oak or Milkweed Favorite Designer/Artist: Phyto Studio Favorite Project: Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY Favorite Software: AutoCAD Read more about Cate’s interests and time at Assemblage here: /news/celebrating-two-years-at-assemblage-with-cate

Assemblage is excited to introduce our intern Lucienne Snyder-Robertson! From Ithaca, New York, Lucienne is in her final year of SUNY-ESF’s BLA program. Growing up around engineers and artists, Lucienne found herself drawn to landscape architecture for its ability to merge design, community, & human experience. Greatly inspired by her studies abroad in Copenhagen, Lucienne is passionate about collaborative and interdisciplinary design. She also takes interest in utilizing plants as a living way to engage with and share a site’s history. Out of the studio Lucienne enjoys painting, backpacking, and welding. Fast Facts: Favorite Plant: Paper Birch, Betula papyrifera or Eastern Larch, Larix laricina Favorite Designer/Artist: COBE (Copenhagen based studio) Favorite Project: Operaparken, designed by COBE Favorite Software: toss up between Revit & Photoshop Read more about Lucienne’s interests and time as Assemblage here: /news/welcome-lucienne-snyder-robertson

We’ve recently been thinking about the many benefits of green corridors: green roofs on bus shelters can offer stormwater capture, habitat for urban pollinators, and cooler street temperatures. We can make these green roofs visible to those waiting for the bus with creative technology that provides real-time updates and sparks stewardship!