nca

You seem to be contradicting yourself, perhaps on purpose?

In your opinion, should ASLA approach people like Brad Pitt, for example with an honorary membership?

I think I’m going to hire the person that will make me the most money. Which one is that?

I think its ludicrous that some firms are requiring the MLA. That said, even if they advertised the MLA as a requirement I’d still send them my portfolio. For what it’s worth, and I dont know if I should admit this, but I havent completed my BSLA yet, but I can’t afford the remaining classes right now. It’s always seemed to me that your work and…[Read more]

Thanks Hazel. I’ll get back to you.

Thanks Steve.

I’m excited at the possibility of implementing some of the new methodologies I’ve learned about here in the real world. Call me a nerd, but I think this is all pretty exciting.

As I understand, Barry, this is the basic premise of the Smart Code. (?)

We’re just about to get started in working on writing new Form-Based/Smart Code for a small, rural town in Colorado. It will be bboth mine and my bosses first experience with it, but I’m very optimistic.

The project was actually brought to us by a private developer. We had…[Read more]

That’s hilarious Noah. I never heard that.

In my mind that is a perfect example of what we’re driving at with regard to the shortcomings of our professional organization to, well…organize.

It’s now coming out as I’m interpreting that ASLA has been doing som internal reshaping, which is all fine and good, but I hope future actions are more in…[Read more]

I ordered your book Steve. I’ll be looking forward to it, thanks.

Aside from that how about some of the neighborhood, city, and regional planning being done from the perspective of landscape? What about the socio-economic, and environmental aspects of public spacemaking in he 21st century? The Lurie Garden at Millenium Park in Chicago and the Highline come to mind.

Let’s not sell ourselves short.

I agree Noah.

It’s not tha I want ASLA to make work for us, but I think the purpose of the organization, or one of, is to promote our service to the community at large. I remember watching the show narrated by Brad Pitt on PBS (e-squared design). Every episode I caught I found myself waiting in vain for them to interview/include a landscape…[Read more]

Mike,

I think what you described in the latter part of your message is the scenario typical here in northern Colorado. There is so much open/rural land primed for development that there is no financial basis for infill or denser development such as in the second image. I could visulaize myself drawing something like this for one of the many fast…[Read more]

Thats a cool graphic Mike.

What I dont quite understand though with this particular scenario is what happens with all the parking. I’d guess that what is shown in the first image is parked per town standards for the restaurant alone, no more, no less. Then, add all that (what looks like) retail with residential and it seems way underparked. I’m…[Read more]

I agree.

The NU projects here in CO may be unaffordable for a great number of people, but they’re also typically built out and occupied relatively quickly. I would think this to be an indicator of demand, but opponents say otherwise.

I’ve heard time and again that NU/mixed density neighborhoods are more expensive to build both architecturally…[Read more]

What about Occam’s Razor?

Just to reiterate my point that I think I miscommunicated:

I don’t believe in a ‘catch-all’ formula for planning communties, be it specific intersection spacing, block sizes, front porches, or white shutters and picket fences. I believe in good design, as generic and unspecific as that may be. The term ‘smart’ in this case to me denotes or is…[Read more]

i think the generic term ‘smart growth’ tends to take on more specific and often misconstrued meaning for different people. In my interpretation Smart Growth is non-prescriptive, but conscious of context and character with particular regard to the current market/end user.

I think a lot of people tend to attribute smart growth to high density,…[Read more]

I’ve been using alot of the following:

Miscanthus sinensis (Maiden Grass)

Blue Avena (can’t rememeber horticultural name)

Schyzochyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)

For what it’s worth-

Before I went to school I did residential design for a couple years.

For a designer with no formal education, only field experience I would have considered myself a pretty good landscape designer. I charged $50/hour with what I would consider the typical mid-sized residential back yard running between $150-500. Most f the…[Read more]

After reading that, all I can say is…about freaking time.

I’ll let others comment before I divulge my own opinions.

Here’s an updated rendering of the final plan you can read.

SVVSD ES26 100% Site Rendering 4-22-2010[1].pdf