While residents and businesses are clearly proud of the City of Thousand Oaks’ two-decade-long “Tree City USA” designation, recent drought conditions created an urgent need for the City to decrease grassy landscapes and update maintenance practices. As a key part of these efforts, the City selected SWA, along with team partners Planning & Energy/Entitlement Services and Rincon, to update its 26-year-old Forestry Master Plan. The process involved community engagement, including the development of a comprehensive outreach booklet; City staff meetings; and research and analysis to develop plant palettes, planting guidelines, and maintenance recommendations that will help the City sustainably manage their community forest.
Through online surveys and community workshops, the team solicited residents’ input on the future of Thousand Oaks’ landscape character. SWA facilitated discussions about how to adapt, but also preserve, the city’s landscape identity. Elements include drought-tolerant species, increased habitat for butterfly/pollinator species, solar irrigation clocks, and a one-shrub-to-one-bubbler ratio to ease maintenance.
The updated Forestry Master Plan provides the City with a framework for selecting the right tree for the right place; incorporating more drought-tolerant and California native planting materials in public rights-of-way; and increasing the community forest’s resilience during times of drought and climate change.
Mason Park Bridge
Mason Park, located at the confluence of two bayous, has served as an urban oasis since 1928. Despite a century of improvements to amenities, user access was significantly compromised by the wide expanse of Brays Bayou, which bisected the 104-acre green space into distinct northern and southern sections. Adjacent road and rail infrastructure further exacerbate...
Houston’s Gateway Art Bridges : I-59/69 Beautification
As a city dominated by freeway infrastructure, Houston will be reconstructing portions of its iconic freeways in the near future. This created an opportunity for SWA to reclaim the Houston Interstate experience with a temporary art installation that provides a bold pop of color celebrating Houston’s diversity at eight key threshold bridges along the I-59/69 co...
Greening Houston’s Freeways
As Houston’s Downtown has developed and expanded over many decades, public green space has been increasingly constrained by several interstate routes: primarily I-59, -45, and -69. These thoroughfares, while essential for commuters, have left little room for workers and nearby residents to enjoy unimpeded access to their locale’s adjacent trailways and bayous,...
Bray's Bayou
Stretching 35 miles from the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel westward through residential, commercial and institutional developments, Brays Bayou is one of the most important waterways in Harris County, and a critical link in the area’s watershed. The $450-million project was first established in the early 2000s, with the goal of mitigatin...