nca

who’s got the word-processor?

I’ll admit this was probably a bad question–

Are we eating ourselves alive and we’re just so desparate as professionals that we allow it unwittingly?

But really, if all we’re after is convenience and profit, then what do we have left as a society? There is no intervention or mitigation big enough to put a silver lining on that cancer.

I dont think it’s necessarily about being totally against development as it is against the status quo, for me anyway.

I think defaulting our reason and logic to money is a cop-out. I’m sure you’re smarter than that NR.

Ugh.

Yes, I get that our professionas are dependent, at least in large part, to development and the business of development whether we like it or not. I get it.

What I was trying to say in the last reply about things needing to change was essentially conceding to both your points. I was saying that greater mechanisms beyond the realm of…[Read more]

Interesting. What do you mean by “Nebulosity” of the form?

I was responding to the way I see most designers likely using curvilinear geometry in their work–It’s easier to work with and allows a designer to be more loose. I think it’s easier to or feels more natural to make curvilinear geometry be whatever you need it to be versus rectilinear…[Read more]

I have a little theory that designers are drawn to curvilinear geometry because of the nebulosity of the form. You can apply almost any type of program to a curvilinear form. Curve tend to be all inclusive, loose, and also unsure at atimes, whereas bold axis and straight lines tend to speak to that part of our brain that needs to apply direct…[Read more]

To answer Andrew’s questions–

Is all development on the land irresponsible?

No, but is most? Probably. How many 5 star island resorts in the south pacific do we need, especially now? How many drive-thru coffee shops and gas stations do we need? If there truly is demand, is it in our best interest as a society to keep repeating these patterns?…[Read more]

I agree, but I also think the connotations go beyond semantics and sensitivity to certain verbage.

When we say ‘development’ we all know what we’re talking about–houses, streets, bridges, highways, gas stations, strip malls, and yes…even parks. But I think we all also know that the old way of thinking about ‘development’ is based on false…[Read more]

well, i think the word development in the context of land issues implies building and paving, vertical construction, highways, gas stations, and irrigated lawns. In essence, it’s a one dimensional, one-directional verb whereas ‘improved land’ may be more multi-directional in the sense that we can improve the value of something, in this case land,…[Read more]

So would you say it’s a completely symbiotic relationship, in an ideal world? Should our professional values and objectives be in perfect alignment with development? Is it in the best interest of our profession, our individual careers, and planet Earth to align ourselves so closely with land developers?

I think what all these questions come down…[Read more]

Is that to say that LA will inevitably always be dependent on growth?

My full prtfolio last spring was approx 60 pages in a 9MB pdf which printed relatively well and contained two animations. 12 pages over 10 megs is kind of ridiculous.

You only need 150 dpi for printing and as low as 72dpi for stuff that is only intended to view on screen. Your images should be raster and resized (or close to the final size…[Read more]

The problem with being a ‘realist’ is that reality is completely subjective, no?

Forces in the field now are striving and hell bent on making this field a “specialized niche” with sub-niches and nooks and crannies and their own little private pedestals. Thankfully they have not had success. Yet. Because I want to know if my garden is healing based, sustainable, energy focused, sensory, or if it is GLBT sensitive, HGTV…[Read more]

Russell,

Have you ever thought of submitting an op-ed to LA mag or another relevent publication? Seriously.

3. Architects (and some engineers) in some states have the power to stamp planting plans and other landscape architecture projects, thereby lessening the demand for more specialized LA services.

Wait a second..not to derail the discussion, but weren’t you arguing against this point a month or two ago? The way I’m reading this says to me that the…[Read more]

It doesn’t make me feel better, sorry to hear that.

I’ve heard that THE actual unemployment figures for Architecture were up over 30%, maybe as high as 50% at the end of 2009. I have no idea what the actual number is for LA. I know the civil firms around here aren’t doing much better, if not entirely worse.

What’s beginning to get a little unnerving for me is that it seems there is little, if any,…[Read more]

* Of the LAs you know, how many lost their jobs after the economy went bad?

I could only throw out a guesstimate of maybe 50% or more. I know a lot of LA’s. Maybe 1 or 2 are working from my graduating class. It seems like it went for months where I’d hear of layoffs by the tens almost weekly just in the Denver/Front Range area. I have no ide how…[Read more]

In that scenario I could see how design fee could help qualify clients very easily as well.