Biophilic Design Within Cypress Knolls

Corinn Biglin, Madison Creech, Katie Lampkin, Anna Lucido, Hunter Romo
App
ENSTU 471 Project for Sustainable City Year Capstone

Research Question:
The redevelopment of Cypress Knolls is inevitable and a central component in connecting North and South Marina. How can Cypress Knolls be developed in a
sustainable, biophilic, and environmentally conscious manner that benefits residents in Marina?

Introduction Findings & Recommendations Methods

The Project for Sustainable City capstone has partnered Add your information, graphs and im Archival
Add Research graphs and images to this section.
your information,
Needs Assessment ● Analyzed City of Marina documents and biophilic
with the City of Marina to approach the prospective ● The City and residents at the January 7, 2023 Community Charette identified attainable housing, economic viability,
development of Cypress Knolls. Our group approached design blueprints to form a basic needs assessment for
community connection, community amenities, environmental responsibility as key components to focus on within the community.
Cypress Knolls’ (CK) prospective redevelopment by redevelopment.
studying the area's feasibility as a potential site to ● Common themes: desire for diverse housing options,
Biophilic Design increased balance of jobs and housing, improved
introduce sustainability, connectivity, and a relationship ● Implementation of mixed-use and biophilic-conscious features work to address the key components identified in the
with the natural environment. connectivity, and more cohesive community.
Needs Assessment. Features such as street tree density, walkability, and natural light have been identified to reduce ArcGIS Pro
Prevailing themes of our research include sustainable depression, increase living desirability, and increase revenue for retail spaces.
development through the incorporation of Biophilic ● Cataloged Monterey Spineflower habitats and CK
Maps habitats to show suitable area.
Design (BD) to effectively address the needs of current ● The species map indicates the need to modify or create a revised EIR that addresses CNPS and Calist/Fedlist species
and future residents of Marina. ● Cataloged parks and open space in Marina with 400m
that are glossed over in the original EIR based on the amount of suitable habitat in CK buffer to assess accessibility to open space in the
● The open space map provides a depiction of ideal distances residents should travel to open space. It is imperative that redevelopment.
the redevelopment contains adequate access to open space. Model
Broader Significance 3D Model ● The model represents how biophilia can be
● The model was created as a blueprint for how biophilia can be incorporated in the redevelopment of Cypress Knolls. incorporated in mix use buildings in the
Biophilic design, as a cleaner, more sustainable
alternative for developments, would promote the City of developmentation of Cypress Knolls.
Marina as a clean city and address the environmental Interview
justice goal of SB 1000 & AB 1553. ● Conducted interview with JD Brown, Program Director
Potential solutions include: of Biophilic Cities.
Grants ● Brown provided insight into implementing biophilic
● Transformative Climate Communities program design and identified main benefits: increased
addresses climate solutions at a neighborhood level. availability of nature, more opportunities to be outside,
● Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities and neighborhood connectivity and resiliency
program use proceeds from Cap-and-Trade auctions
to support affordable housing and increased transit
mobility. Conclusion
Community Land Trust
● A community land trust owns and protects a piece of Add yourliterature
● The information, graphs
on BD and images points
overwhelmingly to tis section.
to the
land, ensuring rent and home ownership remain at beneficial properties to individuals and communities
attainable prices, and Biophilic Design features are which complement the issues specific to Marina.
maintained. ● In order for CK to be developed according to the key
issues recognized in the needs assessment, the
Citations & Environmental Impact Report must be reworked or
reproduced in a way that reflects the current state of
Acknowledgments the site and the current demands of the community.
1. City of Marina. (2023, April 3). Cypress Knolls Planning and Design Process Report. California Chapter of the American Planning Association,
California Planning Assistance Team. https://www.cityofmarina.org/DocumentCenter/View/13302/Cypress-Knolls-Report_2023-04-03?bidId= ● Cypress Knolls has the potential to connect a city that
2. Catherine O. Ryan, William D. Browning, & Dakota B. Walker (2023). The Economics of Biophilia: Why designing with nature in mind makes financial
sense. Second edition. New York: Terrapin Bright Green, LLC. http://www.terrapinbg.com/report/eob-2 has been underserved and left responsible for former
3. Rabianski, J., & Clements, J. (2007, November). Mixed use development: A review of the literature - CDFA. Council of Development Finance Agencies.

4.
https://www.cdfa.net/cdfa/cdfaweb.nsf/ord/e85f455bb30951708825793600673c68/$file/mixed-use.pdf
Tian, G., Park, K., Ewing, R., Watten, M., & Walters, J. (2019). Traffic generated by mixed-use developments—a follow-up 31-Region Study.
Fort Ord Land in a sustainable, connected, and
5.
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 78, 102205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2019.102205
Wijesooriya, N., Brambilla, A., & Markauskaite, L. (2023, June). Biophilic Design Frameworks: A Review of structure, development techniques and their
environmentally conscious manner that benefits
compatibility with LEED sustainable design criteria. Cleaner Production Letters 4.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666791623000064?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=80f855b7387417ee
residents in Marina. A combination of biophilic design,
6. Darryl Low Choy & Tony Prineas (2006) Parks for People: Meeting the outdoor recreation demands of a growing regional population, Annals of Leisure
Research, 9:1-2, 86-109, DOI: 10.1080/11745398.2006.9686747 mixed-use development, and thoughtful planning can
7. Brown, J.D. (2023, October 18) Personal Interview.
meet these goals.
Thanks to Seth Gustafson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the AES Department at CSUMB, for his patience and input on this project. Victoria Derr, Ph.D., assistant
professor in the AES Department at CSUMB, Alyson Hunter, Planning Manager with the City of Marina, JD Brown, Program Director at Biophilic Cities, and
Dr. Rob Burton Lecturer in AES Department at CSUMB