January 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 52

Grand Design continued from page 49

great public realm, people want to be near it.
Look at Chicago's lakeshore. Is it any surprise that businesses and people want to be near that? It's an extraordinary
public realm. The public realm itself is affected by the private
property along it.
The theather district in New York City is what gives the city
its character. There is no Times Square without the flashing
lights. I think that interaction is very important.
Zimbabwe: The public realm is a primary shaper of the privately held land around it. Often, public agencies try to shape
development through regulating the use of private land, and
there is reason to do so, but the real statement of how a city
views itself can be seen in how they invest in the streets, parks,
sidewalks, and plazas of their community.

Can this concept work in today's environment of suburban housing tracts, strip malls, and sprawl?

Garvin: I spent well over half a year going to an intersection

in DeKalb County, Georgia, where you will find the McDonald's and the Target and so forth. We in America have reached
saturation.
There is terrible congestion getting to the interstate highways. What we are experiencing now is the move back from
the extreme exurbs. The construction that is going on now is
right back downtown-or the inner-ring of suburbs is being
replaced because it's obsolete. Now you have to come back
and re-create the public realm, and the businesses will come
back after it.
Zimbabwe: Yes, but the damage to some suburban landscapes
is so extensive that it will take many years to reverse. In essence, a city is showing how much it cares about a street or
neighborhood by how it chooses to develop the public realm.
When cities build fast-moving, auto-dominated streets with
meager or no sidewalks, transit facilities, or bicycles lanes, then
the market responds by building drive-through restaurants,
strip malls, and other visually unappealing development there.

Rising Stars

Here's a closer look at three up-and-comers making names for themselves in the realm of public
design. Expect to see great things in the field of parks, recreation, urban planning, and community building from these young architects in the coming years.
Matthew Kreilich, AIA
Education: Master's

of
Architecture, University of
Minnesota; B.A., Architecture,
University of Minnesota
Firm: Julie Snow Architects
Projects of Note: U.S. Land Port of
Entry, Warroad, Minnesota; St.
Paul Saints Ballpark, Minnesota;
Benedicta Arts Center, College
of Saint Benedict, Minnesota;
Twin Cities Metro Transit
Multimodal Transit Facilities
Background: A holistic designer,
Kreilich brings with him an
array of design experience
ranging from large-scale
international projects in Korea
and Taiwan to local highprofile cultural projects. His
design leadership and
experience are recognized both locally and nationally. He has
served as a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota's
College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
Awards/Distinctions: 2009 National AIA Young Architect Award; 2009
U.S. General Services Administration Design Excellence Award
(Warroad Land Port of Entry)
2008 AIA Minnesota Young Architects Award

50	 Parks & Recreation

JANUARY 2010

www.NRPA .ORG

For me, design is about . . . My passion in
architecture lies in the belief that, in addition to
solving the complex and pragmatic needs of a
client's project, design has the transformative power
to enhance our everyday-life experiences. As people
today choose to play, work, and even live in an
increasingly virtual landscape, I believe
architecture's role as a framework for human
interaction and experience is more important than
ever--not just as a passive stage for life, but rather as
an active participant in experiencing, engaging, and
understanding our relationships with each other and
our environment. It is this commitment to design that
guides my methodology and is exemplified through
my work, my active participation in the professional
and academic realm, and my dedication to
community.

Brian Bernstein, ASLA, LEED AP
Education: B.S., Landscape Architecture from Ohio
State University
Firm: ka architecture
Projects of Note: Ovation, Newport, Kentucky; Midtown,
Miami; Lake Nona Town Center, Lake Nona, Florida;
The District at Canton Crossing, Baltimore
Background: Bernstein grew up in Cleveland and, upon
graduation, had the privilege of working for Edward
D. Stone & Associates in both Orlando, Florida, and
Baltimore, Maryland. Now back home in Cleveland,
January 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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