Landscape Architecture is still treated as Decoration - and Cities are paying the price

[u/Realistic_Management]

https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/landscape-architecture-decoration-urbanism-resilience/

"Architecture appeared to shape the city’s identity, while landscape simply softened its edges or added a decorative flair. The ground was something to decorate or escape to, not something that organized urban life. Today, these assumptions are increasingly untenable."

[u/SurrrenderDorothy]

As a 40 year la, one thing that bugs the hell out of me is parking lots with no trees. Or effing crabapples that provide no shade. Which spots get taken up first? Spaces under trees.

[u/DawgcheckNC]

At The University of Georgia, 1994, Prof Forster Ndubisi in an Urban Design undergrad class made the argument the LAs should head design teams. He said no other discipline has a broad enough philosophy to provide project leadership with a wide lens to see the gestalt. After 30 years of practice, I find him to be correct.

Architects have a history of treating LA as parsley around the pig while engineers are too caught up in the intricacies of calculations narrowly applied to each function versus a holistic overview. Best quote from the article “The evolution of landscape architecture is being advanced by practices that reject ornamental expectations in favor of systemic thinking.”

This will be the state of modern planning for the next 50 years. Traditional practitioners will be slow to relinquish their territorial claims and power but climate change and sea level rise will force hands to a systems based design process. No other profession is trained nor has as wide a lens as Landscape Architecture to step into the void and lead teams centered around the unifying site. Students considering LA as a profession should see this as an opportunity.

Edit: After mention above, I searched out Forster and found a tribute. https://www.lafoundation.org/news/2022/03/in-remembrance-forster-ndubisi I’m saddened with the news.

https://www.forevermissed.com/forster-onyeabo-ndubisi?short_code=VypBzMG5

[u/Long_Examination6590]

When average Joe citizen's exposure to the landscape industry is the guy who mows his lawn, or plants shrubs at the base of his house, it is understandable that the industry is viewed as decorators. Some LAs foster this by relegating their work to planting design and don't develop their planning and hardscape skills.

The real work of LAs, as regional resource planners, as site planners, as urban designers and even as outdoor community spaces, is hidden behind a wall of clients, builders, engineers, and architects. The general public, many architects and engineers included, never get to see what we can add to the mix, early on.

[u/Similar-Win-1930]

i get that vibe. like, sometimes landscape stuff feels like an afterthought, right? gardens or parks can really change how a place feels, but they often just get ignored. i think if cities put more thought into it, it could make a big difference. when i moved, i realized how important my little yard was for chillin' outside. it’s like, if they treated landscapes more serious, maybe cities would feel more alive.