STARTING THE USC CAMPUS PLOTS
Q: How do we help a campus transition away from turf?
Q: How do we make native plants and sustainable, water-wise practices, practicable in an institutional setting?
Q: How we make the practice of testing and stewardship part of standard campus / landscape architecture practice?
Still thinking about this one....
![Original condition as unusable turf]()
Questions we’re thinking about
by Alex Robinson
by Alex Robinson
Spring 2022
Q: How do we help a campus transition away from turf?
- Identify areas of “non-functional turf” as places to start plots.
- Test a palette of plants that are easily found to purchase, are primarily evergreen or semi-deciduous, and can be maintained/trimmed to USC’s aesthetic standards
- Develop a Plant Suitability Framework for choosing other native plant species that have not been tested by the Test Plot team
- Work with facilities to understand needs, opportunities, existing efforts/maintenance regimes, and knowledge gaps
- Expand the existing Test Plot student employee role into 2 internship positions covering maintenance and monitoring
Q: How do we make native plants and sustainable, water-wise practices, practicable in an institutional setting?
- Work with existing Irrigation infrastructure
- Suitable palette for campus use and aesthetics
- Maintenance practices & personnel management
Q: How we make the practice of testing and stewardship part of standard campus / landscape architecture practice?
Still thinking about this one....
