Activity

I agree in theory Damian with the basis of your argument, but I’m a little taken-a-back by the term ‘navel-gazing.’ I know what you mean, but to me this conjurs up the assumption that there are simply a lot of bored people out there with nothing better to do than talk semantics. But I hesitate to make a snap judgement in assuming I can know what…[Read more]

I believe that it all simmers down to Landscape Architect’s having bigger balls to be quite blunt. We do not showcase our work enough, enter enough competitions, and hide our work on dismal websites. We need to display and showcase our work with as much pride as possible, study all other design fields, and let the world know what we do. If this…[Read more]

Definitely support this effort – review sessions are garbage, exam itself has parts that are off the wall, and they never tell you the right answer – Many many complaints..
Many people will not agree with me, but I am adamant – HISTORY of Landscape Architecture MUST be part of exam!!!

what are we, cretins? We need to support cultural history, for…[Read more]

I’ve had this argument with my own parents more times than I would like and they still don’t understand. I also feel that I need to work to overcome the “what is wrong with my tree?” scenario given that I have extensive plant knowledge and have worked for the last several years on high end residential projects in the…[Read more]

I see where you are coming from and agree. I think where we may disagree is that I don’t see the status quo of “landscape architecture” as having any major problems. It has worked in the past and works currently.

I don’t like the effort to be overly inclusive in the description of what all landscape architecture is for reasons that I continually…[Read more]

I agree.

How does the recent mass layoffs factor into that 20% predicted growth number? I also wonder how the BLS collects statistics like this. Is the number based on the projected number of future university graduates becoming practicing professionals or is it something else? As it is the labor pool for la and arch is oversaturated.…[Read more]

If you dont have time or patience to read my essay above, in summation below is what I’m getting at:

I am essentially in agreement with both you and the others saying that the title doesn’t matter in regard to experience. I agree with both sides, but challenge that we may be skirting the true issue.

Also, not particularly well written, but I…[Read more]

Diana/Austin et al-

I think you make a good point, but I think the core of the issure here lies more engrained in the question of how ‘we’ make inroads to the type of work we all think we can do better than the next consultant when the stereotype says we are something very different?

I think many land8er’s wwould agree that la’s have the potentia…[Read more]

I appreciate that Andrew. I may do the same for the purpose of furthering another discussion on the cusp of reaching some concesus.

I think it’s important for the average Joe landscape architect to be recognized as being within the same community as the ‘big time planner’ landscape architect because it helps validate a profession which many feel…[Read more]

I’m going to use your quote, Nick, but this is to make a general point rather than one directed specifically at you. I read enough of your posts and feel like I know where you are coming from. The quote just opens a discussion opportunity that I don’t want to let go.

” I’m disappointed to see them either relinquish credit or obscure their title…[Read more]

It was fun and quite an experience dealing with many, many, groups with individual agendas. My portion of the job was not the overall landscape. I recommended that they find a Period LA which they did. I was responsible for parking and pedestrian circulation.

Interestingly, there were two brick cisterns found underground for water storage, quite…[Read more]

Wow, that project came together really nicely. That is a beautiful house and property. Must have been fun and also frustrating working on this project.

I just returned to Denver after spending a week in the greater Chicago area.

I spent an evening in Riverside, Olmsted’s residential development circa the late 1800’s. Being there reaffirmed to me that the Olmsted firms planning work certainly is a predecessor to contemporary land planning-much of which many of us would probably agree could be…[Read more]

This is a really great question to consider. However, the reality is that a large portion of the profession revolves around large scale housing or commercial development(s). The Architects design the building(s), the engineers grade it and LA’s (or whatever you want to call it) design plans for the rest of the “landscape” features. Those plans go…[Read more]

The project that I was involved with used a typical gravity roof drainage system with pvc piping going into a brand new 10,000 gallon (yea, it was a big one) septic tank.There was no need to filter the water through a bioswale because that was going to happen when it was sprayed as irrigation. The septic tank was to have a centrifugal pump in it.…[Read more]

Slightly off topic, but if the owner/admin of the Google newsgroup L.A.R.E. is present, I was banned from it when I posted an alert that several posts were obviously being sent from hijacked accounts, and the contents held a malicious website address. Can we talk, please? Or, if you’re a member of that newsgroup, I would appreciate it if you would…[Read more]

Landscape architecture is the design of changes to the land.

… anything else added is an attempt to elevate the status of the person practicing landscape architecture rather than to explain what it is.

The only challenge to writing the simple definition is to avoid the temptation to elevate the status of the practitioner.

Try adding a descriptive specialty in front of “landscape architect”. That should change the perception much more than ditching “scape”.

Try it out with what you do or study. Perhaps you might fit more than one.

I would expect that if I were to say that I am a “Commercial Site Landscape Architect” no one would ask me how many lawn mowers I…[Read more]

For the most part Andrew I agree with everything you stated.

Though, in regard to land planning, la’s in many cases have only themselves to blame for some pretty poor ‘land stewardship.’ It shouldn’t be surprising that such prolific architects and designers as duany and alsop are casting stones in our direction. New urbanism is the antithesis of…[Read more]

“I also think it’s too peculiar to ignore the fact that this topic keeps re-emerging every few months.”

It really is not peculiar at all. The real issue that drives the never ending urge to re-name, re-define, and re-market THE Profession is that it is so diverse that, like mixing several cans of different color paint, it turns to mud.

Each time…[Read more]