Blog
“Putting” Green: A Radical Vision to Transform NYC’s Golf Courses
In the bustling urban jungle of New York City, a proposal is brewing – a vision that transcends the concrete and steel we adore and is known for, ushering in a new era of green innovation. In a city renowned for this architectonic skyline, our focus now shifts to the sprawling green carpets and the public golf courses that dot the landscape. This isn’t just about redesigning the city; it’s about redefining its soul. A Concrete Jungle with Hidden Green Treasures New York City, often celebrated for the gritty urban landscape where dreams are made, finds itself at a crossroads. A city known for its towering skyscrapers and iconic landmarks is now presented with an audacious idea – a paradigm shift in how it views and utilizes its 13 publicly owned golf courses. This provocative tr...Read More
Lost in Translation: Society’s Mix-Up of ‘Environment’ in Landscape Design
Green fissure / image: LAUD – Lucila Silva-Santisteban In the fabric of our language, words have different shades of meaning. Each word carries a special sense, reflecting its depth and complexity. However, one word, ‘environment,’ has kind of lost its original meaning, especially when we talk about landscape architecture. People often use it carelessly, and this has watered down its real significance, overshadowing the nuanced understanding that landscape architects want to convey. At its core, ‘environment’ is not just the background or a general term for our surroundings. It’s a concept that includes the complex relationship between living things and the world around them, stressing how nature and human intervention work together. However, in today’s talk, ‘environment’ has become a cat...Read More
How Can Landscape Architects Learn From Botanic Gardens?
If you’ve worked in the landscape architecture field for long, you’ve likely noticed that landscape architects often struggle with plants. Plants are one of the primary materials in our palettes, but they’re often undervalued by clients and the profession. Most landscape architects don’t learn much about planting at university. Unless you get a lot of early planting experience or mentorship, it can be difficult to learn much about planting design from behind a computer. Fortunately, landscape architects’ attitudes towards planting are slowly changing. High-profile planting design projects such as the High Line and larger conversations around ecological performance are forcing landscape architects to acknowledge the value of thoughtful planting design. As the legislation increasingly restri...Read More
The Urban Playground: Designing for Joy, Resilience, and Health in Our Cities
Our cities are at a pivotal moment. Climate change, geopolitical unrest, economic volatility, artificial intelligence, and rapid technological advancements are reshaping how we live. The pandemic has intensified these changes, prompting a fundamental rethink of our urban environments. How can we create cities that promote social well-being, ecological balance, and human connection? Social sustainability—emphasizing resilience, play, and health—offers a promising framework. Play as Resilience Play is far from frivolous; it’s a cornerstone of human resilience. Cities need spaces that encourage laughter, exploration, and joy. Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens exemplifies this with its blend of roller coasters, heritage trees, and vibrant green spaces. This kind of playful urbanism can transfo...Read More
Through Lines: An Exploration of Connections Via Chicago’s Alleyways
Alleyways are misunderstood. Upon hearing the term, most people are quick to think dirty, dangerous, or dark. While all of these reactions are valid, they undersell the magnificence of alleyways. Defined as “a narrow passage behind or between buildings,” the designation of an ‘alleyway’ can be ambiguous. For our purposes, we will define an alleyway as a narrow passage bisecting a city block, typically accommodating back of house functions like trash collection, utility routing, and delivery services. At one point in time, the idea of housing utilities at the back of the house was radical. In Chicago, public sentiment regarding alleyways eventually shifted to a sense of pride. Serving as neighborhood capillaries, they provide physical and social connections for Chicagoans. Simply, alleyways...Read More
Harmonizing Nature and Design: Acoustic Landscape Architecture for a Sustainable Future
“The earth has music for those who listen.” — William Shakespeare In our fast-paced, urbanized world, where the constant hum of city life often drowns out the subtle symphony of nature, finding ways to integrate human and natural environments is increasingly crucial. Businesses are catching on – ForestLive.com, SoundsRight.earth, WeBelongHere.world, and suggest an untapped niche for the field of Landscape Architecture. Soundscape Ecology stands tall in the pursuit of radical synergy between human-made and nature-grown environments, incorporating music and acoustic design principles into landscape architecture. This innovative practice promises to enhance urban spaces, improve human well-being, and support ecological health by mitigating an increasing divide between human activities a...Read More
Land8 Launches App for Landscape Architects!
Land8 is excited to announce the launch of our new app, “Land8 Lounge,” named to honor the original Land8 community. The Land8 Lounge app is designed to be the ultimate virtual hub for landscape architects to connect, collaborate, and share ideas. This app will eventually replace the “Forum” on the Land8 website, offering a more dynamic and interactive experience as technology changes. With the Land8 Lounge app, landscape architects can: Build a profile: Create and customize your professional profile. Join groups: Participate in public groups or request a private group from Land8. Explore Land8 features: Access all the resources available on the Land8 website. View upcoming events: Stay informed about industry events and webinars. Ask and answer questions: Engage wi...Read More
Transit Oriented Districts: Urban Design Experience
Transit Oriented Districts have been helping reinvigorate towns and cities across the United States and Canada. Beyond the limiting definition of Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Transit Oriented Districts (TODts), are typically defined as the whole area within half a mile of a transit station and are seen as desirable choices for development in metropolitan areas to accommodate the concerns surrounding population growth. TODts are typically characterized by higher development density and a varied mix of land uses, offering sustainable development options to counteract some of the negative effects of urban sprawl, declining urban cores, and congestion sparked by rising populations and mobility. They contain a diverse mix of uses such as housing, employment, institutions, shops, restaura...Read More
Why Real-World Experience for Students Is Needed
Cultivating the next generation of successful landscape architects means offering the opportunity to hone important skills that are not always taught in the classroom. This needs to be done before students leave the classroom because the learning curve that takes place in the first few years as a landscape architect job is steep. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a large gap between the theoretical approach taught in the classroom and the actual practice of applying it to real project work. Working for communities and with clients means understanding construction budgets, managing time constraints, navigating material limitations, and many more challenges, all the while trying to create meaningful and impactful work. As seasoned landscape architects, we need to take the time to inv...Read More
Reimagining Abandoned Airfields Through Adaptive Reuse
By Anhad Viswanath, Associate ASLA This post discusses “Reed City’s Exhilarating Thrust,” a design concept I crafted while a student at Michigan State University that illustrates the wonder and excitement that the race circuit brings. The design includes a four-mile racetrack with elevated inclines over an existing road, housing, and spaces for residents and visitors to socialize and enjoy the races. Pedestrian bridges, trail connections, and a bus transit hub create multimodal connectivity. Globally, many airports face an uncertain future, and some are at the brink of closure. In the United States, there are 20,000 functional airports (private, commercial, and military), and 1,000 more that are abandoned, on-hold, or underused. This represents both a significant issue moving forward, and ...Read More
The Curation of Practice [Video]
At the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Miami, Simone Stark offered insights into the multifaceted nature of the profession and the vital role of authenticity and personal experience in shaping effective landscape architecture. Simone began her presentation by emphasizing the importance of authenticity in practice. “It begins with authenticity of self,” she stated. For Simone, the curatorial process of landscape architecture is rooted in the genuine display of one’s personal experiences, skills, and passions. This approach has defined her career, from founding and maintaining her own design-build studio since 2011 to leading the landscape architecture division at Strang Design since 2020, and teaching as an adjunct professor in the graduate program at Florida International Univ...Read More
Design, Art, and the Natural World: Thinking and Being Through Making [Video]
During the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Miami, landscape architect Roberto Rovira, professor at FIU and principal at Studio Roberto Rovira, shared his profound passion for the natural world, reflecting on the vibrant landscapes and ecosystems of South Florida. Roberto commenced his talk by highlighting the unique beauty of South Florida’s landscapes, which may lack mountains but boast stunning skies and an irrepressible natural world teeming with life. He shared an inspiring image of a royal poinciana tree outside his studio window, symbolizing the resilience and vitality of nature. Throughout his presentation, Roberto emphasized the transformative power of landscape architecture, showcasing various projects that merge design, art, and environmental stewardship. One notable project inv...Read More