Reinterpreting Culture and Nature as Productive Infrastructure East Thornton Lake Natural Area

The City of Albany owns a 26-acre property beside Thornton Lake that is slated to become a future park and nature preserve. The site has historically been used for private homesteading and agriculture but has since become wild elds and woodlands. The community supported the City of Albany’s interest in purchasing the land to protect it from private development and preserve its natural character. A new public park at Thornton Lake would create new opportuni es for the community while protec ng a piece of its unique natural landscape. This project aims to support recrea on and community agriculture, and to restore habitats for endangered species. In each of these endeavors, the project strives to educate visitors about Albany’s rich history and invites them to imagine its future.In order to be er understand the context of our project, our team studied Albany’s environmental, social, and economic background. Our team collected background informa on for the project from personal site visits, interviews with city sta , and previous studies and plans. Through our research, we iden ed current strengths and weaknesses that could inspire the design process and iden ed possible opportuni es and challenges that could impact the project. Our research is divided into ve themes that range in scale from the en re city to the project site itself: • Current Condi ons • Culture and Economy • Environment and Ecology • Agriculture and Food Systems • Urban Developmen