Landscape Architecture Theory: An Evolving Body of Thought
by Michael D. Murphy
Although we visualize the landscape as a place, it is best understood as a process. Landscape design thus becomes a tool for managing this process of change to create meaningful and compelling places. Landscape Architecture Theory provides an insightful introduction to the evolving body of knowledge that underpins the discipline and practice of landscape architecture. The author’s treatment emphasizes the interrelationships between the biophysical and human dimensions of the environment and the theories and decision-making processes that issue from these relationships. Students and practitioners alike will appreciate how this comprehensive text integrates knowledge from a wide variety of disciplines—including earth science, ecological science, behavioral science, design process, and aesthetics—with the theories that have been formulated to apply that knowledge to understanding the landscape. This understanding, it is hoped, will result in designs that improve both quality of life and quality of the environment.
From the Back Cover “Landscape Architecture Theory is well researched, punctuated with evidence of the author’s scholarship, and written in a lucid style. . . . The book is concise and useful as an introductory text for anyone who is serious about entering the profession of landscape architecture and wants to understand its theoretical backbone.” — Landscape Journal 25:1-06 256 pages Waveland Pr Inc (February 2005) ISBN-10: 1577663578 ISBN-13: 978-1577663577
