Pearl Street - Ellensburg, Washington
Thoughtful Landscape

      
 Another
      view of the two kinds of landscaping found in the Ellensburg
      project. The landscaped beds in the curb extensions (above, left
      and right) are very successful, featuring tough dwarf evergreens
      and rock garden perennials. Each bed is sponsored by a business
      or individual (identified on the blue sign in the right photo),
      and by all appearance were being well maintained. These low landscape
      features do an excellent job of creating visual gateways at intersections
      that help calm traffic and complement the overall design, without
      creating visibility problems for walkers preparing to cross.


      
In addition to
      the landscape beds, the right photo also shows the large concrete
      planters that are used throughout the project. Unfortunately,
      many of these were under-planted, and the sleek, aggregate design
      distracts from surrounding the historic setting. These raised
      planters were also scattered without much purpose, instead of
      serving to help guide pedestrian traffic or block vehicular travel.
      Note the planter in the background on the right, for example,
      that straddles the sidewalk travelway, needlessly squeezing pedestrian
      travel. Fortunately, planters are easy to move or replace, and
      would be a simple element to update in the future.

      
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 All images
      are ©Tom Kloster, 1999, and may only be used by permission