A creative collaboration between the science of ecosystem restoration and art for sustainable stormwater management on an urban college campus

Abstract

This article presents an interdisciplinary, on-campus, student project, titled "The Rain Project" that I designed as an urban ecosystem restoration model as well as a collaborative pedagogical approach between ecological science and art at George Mason University (GMU), Virginia, U.S.A. A group of students from several disciplines (e.g. environmental science, art, civil engineering, biology, communication, and film/media) participated in designing and constructing a floating wetland for a campus stormwater pond as part of sustainable stormwater management. The Rain Project has numerous implications for college education, scholarship, and service while presenting a novel way of building a sense of community among undergraduate students for ecological awareness and literacy. The work of Jackie Brookner, a renowned eco-artist who worked extensively on stormwater, and its relevance to the project is discussed. I strongly suggest the need for linking art and the science of ecosystem restoration to best obtain improvements in much-needed communication for the success of community participatory restoration projects. I also believe that this kind of interdisciplinary, campus project can facilitate the changes we need to train higher education students to be able to both think differently and communicate effectively. The Rain Project introduced students to new learning strategies that connected "systems thinking" with art, ecological science, and restoration practices.

Nitrogen and Sediment Capture of a Floating Treatment Wetland on an Urban Stormwater Retention Pond—The Case of the Rain Project

“…Our FTW, located on a pond near the center of campus, provided multiple opportunities to educate the public about urban water pollution and/or sustainable stormwater management, and how they can help reduce it. We invited a local high school class to help deploy and learn about the FTW which gave us an opportunity to discuss stormwater related issues in urban watersheds (see Ahn, 2016 for more information [30]). During our weekly monitoring after launching the FTW, it was not uncommon to receive questions about the FTW from curious passersby.…”

“…In this study, the FTW design incorporated ideas developed by an interdisciplinary group of GMU undergraduate students enrolled in an ecological sustainability course (EVPP/BIOL 378 and 379) in the Spring semester of 2015. The FTW was designed to mimic human kidneys for their ability to filter contaminants from stormwater [30].…”

“…We investigated the performance of a small FTW on an urban stormwater retention pond near Washington, D.C. as part of "The Rain Project", an interdisciplinary student group research and scholarship project addressing sustainable stormwater management on a university campus [30]. We focused primarily on nitrogen uptake via plant growth as well as sediment accretion on the FTW structure itself.…”

The Urban Oak Savanna: Evaluating Co-Design and Collaborative Land Management in Downtown Portland, Oregon

“…al. 2016), providing physical materials for citizens and stakeholders to create manifestations of their desires during "drop by" hours (Munthe-Kaas 2015), or funding user-initiated projects by powerful institutions for small scale restoration efforts (Ahn 2016). As the term grows in popularity, scholars have begun to study how the concept can contribute to the design of goods and services (Pirinen 2016) as well as urban planning.…”

“…2007). Within the realm of urban planning, scholars have taken a particular interest in how urban spaces can be co-produced between city planners, designers, and the citizens who ultimately end up occupying and using these spaces (Ahn 2016, Crowe 2016, Muthne-Kaas 2015, Palmas & von Busch 2015. The natural world is, of course, intentionally modified in ways that might not immediately be considered "designing," such as using botanical cultivation rather than technical infrastructural development to make subtle changes to place.…”