Cover Story

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

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

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

“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 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 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

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

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