Over the past ten years, I’ve worn many hats: environmental educator, community organizer, landscape designer, park gardner and steward. Through different roles, I’ve worked towards a singular goal; to design public places that matter to people, and create experiences these spaces that foster stewardship for the environment.
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designing with ecology
community initiated
planning & placemaking
Work ExpEriEncE
Education
Park/Plaza Planning
Intern @NYC Dept. of Parks
New York, NY
Summer 2014
Landscape architecture student at the City College of New York, with experience designing, building, restoring and
maintaining urban parkland and public space. Worked in government, non-profits, and private design firms, with focus on
social engagement. Skilled in AutoCAD/3DS, Rhino, SketchUp. Adobe Suite, Wordpress, and ArcMap GIS.
Intern @Trust for Public Land
Queens/Manhattan, NY
04/2013 - 05/2014
Engagement through Design
Intern @Elizabeth Kennedy
Landscape Architect
Brooklyn, NY
Summer 2015
Ecological Design/Cultivation
@New York Restoration Project
Manhattan/Bronx, NY
10/2016 - 08/2017
Intern @Project for Public Space
New York, NY
Summer 2014
> Conducted research and site analysis for a 20-year master plan for
NYC’s Riverside Park.
> Documented park performance and conducted user interviews in
Harlem and the South Bronx as part of the Community Parks Initiative.
> Facilitated park planning workshops for various demographics,
in some of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the world.
> Cultivated volunteer base for the QueensWay/proposed greenway,
resulting in over 600 new community supporters. Collaborated on
outreach materials/social media campaign, managed web presence.
> Planned and implemented design-build/enviro education project at
the Weeksville Heritage Center; a historically preserved landscape.
> Utilized participatory design, crafts and gardening methods to help
local youth explore Weeksville’s past and plan for its future.
> Helped build, restore, and maintain park areas for ecological
restoration and public use.
> Prepared conceptual renderings (AutoCAD, Photoshop) and
facilitated community input sessions for Capital/redesign projects.
> Implemented eco-centric methods for managing invasives in urban
woodlands, meadows, and tidal marshes.
> Prepared conceptual/3D renderings and user analysis for community/
project partners. Sites included a public square (Baltimore), pocket park
(Chicago) and a historic plaza (San Diego).
email
baruchtauber@gmail.com
New York,
NY
cellphone
917 588 2638
portfolio
baruchtauber.com
Baruch
Tauber
Master of Landscape
Architecture
City College Of New York-CUNY
Expected graduation date: June 2018
2014 - Present
Bachelor’s Degree:
Urban Planning and Design
Hunter College/CUNYBA Program
2010 - 2013 Magna Cum Laude
Awards: Rose Biller Scholarship,
Footsteps Scholarship,
Lemberg Scholarship,
CUNYBA/Smith Academic
Fellowship, Dean’s List.
resume:
portfolio
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3. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Ft. Gaines
Wildlife Refuge
Student work
Adv. Representation
Elective
Dauphin
Island, AL
Fort Gaines is a civil-war era monument, located on
the Gulf of Mexico, on Dauphin Island; an small barrier
island with heavy erosion issues and a large population
of migrating birds.
As sea levels continue to rise, the Fort can offer refuge/
habitat for marine life and migrating birds.The elevated
walkway allows the continued use as a human/historic
monument as well as for human–wildlife interaction
while protecting
proposed condition
as per 2117 projected
sea level rise
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
current day condition
4. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Newtown Creek
Living Shoreline
Student work;
Sustainable Soil Elective
Brooklyn, NY
Spring 2017
Proposal to replace a crumbling crib wall with
an “living” shoreline built from oyster habitat
structure, coir logs and estuarine/intertidal plant
species, such as Spartina alteniflora. Provide
habitat for over 100 native waterfowl/marine
species, and provides educational opportunities.
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
Helped install and monitor an intertidal marsh on
the Harlem River. A small-scale attempt to save
one of Manhattan’s two remaining natural edges,
under constant threat from boat-wakes and geese.
Sherman Creek Restoration
Highbridge/Sherman Creek Park, NYC
April 2017
Role: Park Steward
Employer: New York Restoration Project
5. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
Installed/maintained (native) gardens,
lawns, meadows, woodlands, and tidal
marshes of Sherman Creek Park.
Habitats are designed to maximize
ecological function while allowing for
public access.
Park Stewardship/Gardening Sherman Creek Park
Role: AmeriCorps Park Steward
Employer: N.Y. Restoration Project
Inwood/Harlem, NYC
10/’16 - 09/’17
Despite its many benefits—including
aesthetic, environmental, and workload
issues—public ecological landscapes
often demand a perspective shift for
park users. Community stewardship and
education—in both formal and informal
exchanges—are vital the parks success.
before
after
PoloGroundsRestoration
“A trend is emerging... Designers are backing away from the
role of curator of gardens where plant species are selected and
placed according to a theme in a created setting...
Instead, they are adopting the role of steward to a set of
naturally occurring processes that govern the development of
plant communities.
...[Utilizing] adaptive management processes based on
observation and recalibration will result in landscapes that will
take less energy and resources to maintain and provide the
greatest environmental benefits.”
-Kelly Fleming PLA, The Field-ASLA Blog
6. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio Neighborhood.History
A mapping analysis of Norwood’s vital
nodes and infrastructure.A neighborhood
of diverse character and demographics, now
rapidly transforming into a Hospital campus.
Neighborhood Ecology Study
Norwood, Bronx, NYC
Spring 2016
SidewalkStudy
CognitiveMapping
Student Work
Urban Analysis Elective
spreadofMontefioreHospital
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
7. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
designing with ecology
community initiated
planning & placemaking
<<
Baruch
Tauber
portfolio
“There is no logic that can be superimposed
on the city; people make it, and it is to them,
not buildings, that we must fit our plans.”
- Jane Jacobs
8. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
The Green Weeksville stewardship program enabled dozens of local youth to
explore their heritage through gardening, art and environmental education.
For their final project, participants collected and painted plastic bottles and created
a sculpture inspired by the bottle trees of the African-American gardens of the
South.
Founded in the 1830’s, the village of Weeksville (currently part of Crown Heights/
Brownsville, Brooklyn) was one of the first independent, free black communities in
the country.
Green Weeksville
Community Engagement
Crown Heights/Brooklyn Role: Program Coordinator
Summer 2015 Employer: Elizabeth Kennedy, L.A.
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
9. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Bridge Plaza Community Garden
pond
estanque
stepup
paved gathering area
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGESTREET
CONCORD STREET
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
Main Entrance
Entrada Principal
Property line
solar panels
paneles solares
rain water
collector above
aguas pluviales
pergola above
pergola
plantas
plantas
storage area
stone seat wall
pared baja de piedra
bird houses
casas para pajaros
bench under
large tree
banca debajo
street tree
street tree
plantas
BRIDGE PLAZA COMMUNITY GARDEN
EXISTING GARDEN PLAN PLANO DE JARDÍN EXISTENTE
native
planting
plantas
nativas
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGESTREET
CONCORD STREET SCALE 1/8” = 1’
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGE PLAZA COM
NEW PROPOSED GARDEN PLAN PLANO DE NUEVA PRO
new entrance
entrada nueva
property line
delimitacion de la propiedad
rain water
collection
recolección de
aguas pluviales
benches for siting
bancas para sentarse
pergola above
pergola
work tables
mesas de
trabajo
storage area
almacenamiento
shade structure w
solar panels above
structura de sombra
con paneles solares
stone seat wall
pared baja
de piedra
fire hydrant
new children’s area
area de niños
New water feature
nuevo elemento de
agua
raised deck under
tree
deck elevado
debajo de árbol
permeable
paved patio
patio de pavimento
poroso
street tree
árbol urbano
street tree
árbol urbano
bird houses
casas para pájaros
Children’s raised
garden beds
camas elevadas de cultivo
para niños
raised
garden beds
camas elevadas
de cultivo
street planter
maceta en la
banqueta
native
planting
plantas
nativas
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGESTREET
CONCORD STREET SCALE 1/8” = 1’0”
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGE PLAZA COMMUNITY GARDEN
NEW PROPOSED GARDEN PLAN PLANO DE NUEVA PROPUESTA DE JARDÍN
new entrance
entrada nueva
property line
delimitacion de la propiedad
rain water
collection
recolección de
aguas pluviales
benches for siting
bancas para sentarse
pergola above
pergola
work tables
mesas de
trabajo
storage area
almacenamiento
shade structure w
solar panels above
structura de sombra
con paneles solares
stone seat wall
pared baja
de piedra
fire hydrant
new children’s area
area de niños
New water feature
nuevo elemento de
agua
raised deck under
tree
deck elevado
debajo de árbol
permeable
paved patio
patio de pavimento
poroso
street tree
árbol urbano
street tree
árbol urbano
bird houses
casas para pájaros
Children’s raised
garden beds
camas elevadas de cultivo
para niños
raised
garden beds
camas elevadas
de cultivo
street planter
maceta en la
banqueta
native
planting
plantas
nativas
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRIDGESTREET
CONCORD STREET
ADJACENT BUILDING
EDIFICIO ADJECENTE
BRI
NEW PROPOSED GARDEN PLAN PLANO
new entrance
entrada nueva
property line
delimitacion de la propiedad
rain water
collection
recolección de
aguas pluviales
benches for siting
bancas para sentarse
pergola above
pergola
work tables
mesas de
trabajo
storage area
almacenamiento
shade structure w
solar panels above
structura de sombra
con paneles solares
stone seat wall
pared baja
de piedra
fire hydrant
new children’s area
area de niños
New water feature
nuevo elemento de
agua
raised deck under
tree
deck elevado
debajo de árbol
permeable
paved patio
patio de pavimento
poroso
street tree
árbol urbano
street tree
árbol urbano
bird houses
casas para pájaros
Children’s raised
garden beds
camas elevadas de cultivo
para niños
raised
garden beds
camas elevadas
de cultivo
street planter
maceta en la
banqueta
Worked with the NewYork Restoration
Project to restore two community
gardens, through an iterative,
community-driven process.
Work involved site and user surveys,
and creating a set preliminary of designs
based on input from users, NYRP
maintenance crews, and community
meetings.
Community Garden Restorations Role: Design Intern
New York Restoration Project
10/’16 - 06/‘17
Bronx/Brooklyn, NYC
Expected build date: Spring 2018
CAD drawing by BaruchTauber,Illustration by Monica Hernandez-Truit
CAD drawing by Billie Cohen Studio,and BaruchTauber,Illustration by Monica Hernandez-Truit
Rodale Community Garden
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
10. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Map by WXY Architecture & Urban Design
Helped execute a “grassroots” park
planning process, while navigating
highly complex community dynamics.
Responsibilities included coordinating
dozens of volunteers, leading guided
tours of site, forming alliances with
local businesses and religious groups,
and facilitating community workshops,
and acting as liaison between
planning team, project managers, and
community groups.
The QueensWay is a plan to develop
3.5 miles of abandoned rail in Central
Queens—led by the Trust for Public
Land and Friends of the QueensWay.
Planning and community engagement
led by WXY Urban Design, dland
Studio Landscape Architecture, and
Hester St Collaborative.
QueensWay
Community Engagement
Role: Outreach Coordinator
Employer: Trust for Public Land
Central Queens, NY
05/13 - 06/14
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
Role: Designer
Client: Borinqueneers Memorial Committee
Harlem/New York, NY
12/’15
A community-led proposal to refurbish an abandoned lot-turned-informal
community space.
Part of a larger effort by the Puerto Rican (Borinquen) Harlem
community to memorialize the 65th Infantry Regiment,AKA the
Borinqueneers; the only Hispanic-segregated, active duty military unity in
the armed forces.The unit was recently awarded a Congressional Gold
Medal for their service.
Borinqueneer Plaza
11. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
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designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
designing with ecology
community initiated
planning & placemaking
Baruch
Tauber
portfolioTruly public spaces breed social openness and inclusion,
bringing people side by side with others; i.e. with people
who the self sees as “the Other.”
Not only to coexist, but to encounter the Other in
an intimate way that has the power to change our
perceptions, and discover a truer, transformative version
of the Other, and of ourselves.
- adapted from Marshall Berman’s On the Town. 2006
12. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
Role: Design Intern
Employer: Project For Public Space (NYC)
Baltimore, MD. Chicago, IL
05-08/’14
Interned at non-profit specializing
in “bottom-up”public space design.
Helped design and illustrate three
plazas, with the input of a wide range of
stakeholders.
Base on the seminal work of urbanist
William H,Whyte, programmatic needs
were prioritized based on the criteria:
comfort, access, activities, sociability,
image.
Plaza Placemaking
illustration by Alessandra Galletti. PPS
13. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Riverside Park Survey
What is this survey?
In partnership with the Riverside Park Conservancy, NYC Parks is conducting a community study.
Through this survey, discussions with local civic groups, park employees, and a series of community
workshops, we will create a plan to improve Riverside Park.
Please take a few minutes to share what you know about Riverside Park, and what you would like the
park to be in the future. Your input is vital to the planning process. You can help us make Riverside Park
a better place for your community.
All fields in this survey are optional. You can complete as much or as little as you like. If you wish to
remain anonymous, you can leave this first page blank.We thank you for sharing your thoughts, concerns, and i
questions regarding this survey or
Role: Park Planning Intern
Employer: NYC Dept. Parks (NYCDPR)
Manhattan, NY
05-08/’14
While interning for Planning Dept. at NYCDPR, introduced placemaking/
analysis methods acquired at Project for Public Spaces. Surveyed four central
areas of Riverside Park to help determine design improvements in Master Plan.
Also researched issues relating to conflicts between user groups.
Riverside Park Master Plan
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
14. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
PR
OAK POINT AVE RIVERW
PROPOSAL NEW RIVERFRONT VIS
PLAN
SECTION
CAD drawing, illustration by Monica Hernandez-Truit and Baruch Tauber
SECTION
Bronx, NYC 03/’17
New York Restoration Project
Worked with NYRP designers to prepare
proposal for new waterfront access between
the Long Island Sound/East River and Corona
bottling plant; a future link in the proposed S.
Bronx Greenway
South Bronx Waterfront Park
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking
15. Baruch Tauber: Portfolio
Rethinking the norms for a 2,800 unit
public housing complex facing threats
from within (neglect) and without (rising
seas, gentrification).
neighborhood land use
neighborhood resources - heat map
source: arcgis online, NYC Open Data
Red Hook Public Housing Student work
MLA Studio 4
Brooklyn, NY
Spring 2015
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02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
One &Two Family Buildings
Multi-Family Walk-Up Buildings
Multi-Family Elevator Buildings
Mixed Residential & Commercial Buildings
Industrial & Manufacturing
Transportation & Utility
Public Facilities & Institutions
Open Space & Outdoor Recreation
Parking Facilities
Vacant Land
A study of community resources and
circulation revealed the need to reorient
the complex, de-isolating it from the
surrounding neighborhood, and allowing
for exchange of resources between
RHH and surrounding communities.
designing w/ecology community initiated planning & placemaking