In the field of landscape architecture, there is no more distinguished voice than Michael Van Valkenburgh, and so it is appropriate that we begin this new Source Books in Landscape Architecture series with his recently completed Allegheny Riverfront Park project for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As part of the city’s efforts to restore its downtown district and riverfront, Van Valkenburgh, along with artists Ann Hamilton and Michael Mercil, developed an ambitious plan to reform the wasted land along the river into an urban refuge. The celebrated collaboration between landscape architect and artists produced a thoughtful, useful, and beautiful park that has successfully renewed the city’s core. Source Books in Landscape Architecture, produced in collaboration with Ohio State University, will provide detailed documentation of important new projects.
