Architectural Landscape Appreciation - Vancouver Land Bridge

While the Phoenix Metro area doesn't have anything like this we thought that you would like to learn about this project from Vancouver. 

Dedicated 0n August 23, 2008, the Vancouver Land Bridge reconnects historic Fort Vancouver to the city’s Columbia River waterfront and helps restore the natural landscape continuum from upland prairie to river edge. This is much more than your typical highway overpass or pedestrian foot bridge. This pedestrian bridge, which sweeps across State Route 14 in a simple, elegant arch, also commemorates the confluence of rivers and indigenous people encountered by the Lewis and Clark expedition. from the air it reminds you of the swirls and eddies of a stream and from the upland side it rises out of a grassy field like a hill obscuring the 4 lane highway. The earth and concrete bridge is a 40 foot wide, dignified path to the Columbia River. The creators, Jones & Jones’s design draws on the cultural significance of the circle, a Native American symbol often used to represent the life cycle. 

The walking path, which sees approximately a million visitors a year, meanders across the bridge through an interpretive landscape of prairie, grassland and forest native plants. you can learn about the site's indigenous plants as you walk along the land bridge, which leads you up to a grand view of the river and the surrounding mountains. No water is wasted on this landscape as it has a rainwater collection system making it an environmentally savvy piece.  This landscape also incorporates artwork created by the design team and native artists. 

The artwork includes a Welcome Gate, designed by Native American artist Lillian Pitt. Two cedar canoe panels, each adorned with a cast-glass sculpture of a Chinook woman's face, evoke the site's role as a historic tribal crossroads as well as a point of contact between European and Native people. European and Native American cultures once converged at this Columbia River site, where the Hudson's Bay Company stood as the first European trading post in the Pacific Northwest. Lewis and Clark camped here, and Fort Vancouver was built here 20 years later. 

Facts
The bridge is a 40-foot-wide, earthen-covered pedestrian bridge 
Federal, state and private funding made it possible
Sustainability guidelines were established 
Rainwater collection system irrigates native plants
BENEFITS Restored landscape continuum
It is the Gateway to the City of Vancouver and connects the city to its waterfront 
It Links the regional Discovery Trail system 
Historic landscape interpretation 

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