Reply To: State of the Profession

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

I don’t think there is this big bad statusquo. Things are always changing and I have seen nothing but improvement in how we handle the environment and development over the course of my lifetime. Negativity and paranoia run rampant despite the fact that we are constantly improving every day (landscape architects AND everyone else).

Each project is an opportunity to make an impact. Every project that is not done IS maintaining the status quo.

Yes, there has been more land developed, but it is done much better now than a few years ago and a hell of a lot better than many years ago.

We can have it both ways. We can develop land, particularly re-develop land, in positive ways. When we do, we not only work and have jobs as well as others, but something is getting built to fill a need. If there was no need there would be no profit for the developer. The need is usually that of us regular folks to have either a home, a place to get goods or services, or a place for entertainment, or a place to house manufacturing or off site services. ….even greedy pigs don’t build things that no one else values orthey would not get any money out of it. … you don’t see them building much of anything right now, do you?

We are over built for the moment. It happens in cycles. This last growth cycle went too long and will take longer for us as a nation to swell our needs back up. If half of us decide to farm their backyards, live in tents, and ride bicycles everyday it will take way longer.