Trace One

Tax and economic structures affect growth patterns enormously..Look at the highway subsidies for the past forty years – yet Amtrak’s little budget just clings on to life..Look at the ease of getting mortgages – our entire economy melted down in small part because of that..In Germany, you don’t own a house, you rent..Look at how in America, renters…[Read more]

NIck, I strongly believe that, as a general rule (of course if you have the General Sherman Oak or something, that is different..) if you let the plantings dictate the design, you are not letting them be plants..I feel the same for the use of color in plantings – should be very minor element..What we have, that architects dont’ is weather..Plants…[Read more]

william whyte discovered that you need to let people move things around in the park..give them things they can interact with..and sound – can be a design element.. the plantings should NOT dictate the design..circulation is number one, besides drainage..don’t be too fussy – AE Bye said all you need for a good park is a tree stamp and a bench…[Read more]

didn’t see Food, Inc. yet – it’s on the list! I really got upset reading how they are warping studies on the effects of GMO seeds…It’s reallly almost too late – they are everywhere, and in everything….

Nick, Landscape Arch’s who work as planners spend their entire lives worrying and working on where density belongs, so I disagree with your statement that we don’t get to choose where the projects go..Perhaps an individual project, but in working as a planner, as I said, it is your job to decide where stuff goes..I started to think about this in…[Read more]

NIck, I see New Urbanism as indistinguishable (functionally) from suburban sprawl, and therefor not a good paradigm..Urban infill with growth boundaries are better answers… Actually New Urbanism combined with urban infill is an even better model, that will help prevent sprawl,maybe… That is sort of what happened in Tysons Corners II, in…[Read more]

I hate new urbanism (big surprise..) It is garbage..Planning needs to occur at a much more general scale – draw the line on the urban center density, and stop there for new villages – go up,not out! within that core. And within that core, focus on banishing the car. The small scale interests of new urbanism drive me crazy – picket fences!! gack!!…[Read more]

I was completely being sarcastic and ironic in elaborating on the idea of ‘satirical ‘ landscape writings,. It was a response to to Richard Longman’s post that “sarcasm is easy – what about satire..” Interesting direction the postings went, after that…Landscape ‘satire’ does not sound very interesting to me, actually..

“satire” in writings about landscape design..and construction. now that is a novel idea..Lots of in – jokes..the satiric set of specs, the satiric design, the satiric cost estimate..hee hee..too weird..how about satiric irrigation plans..

I see our field as needing sociological landscape design analysis. I see the model as the architecural critic…[Read more]

Alec, I may be interested. I love to write, and love LA, lots of opinions..I also have a really boring gov. job that would afford me time to do articles..I worked as a reporter in the eighties, this year I wrote an article for the company rag on a garden our office designed, an article for my alma mater alumni rag, and presented a paper at the…[Read more]

I see a difference in the status of LA’s, east coast and west coast..In Virginia, Wlm. McDonough is like a little god, and New York, home to the most beautiful designed parks in the world, loves LA;s unqualifiedly.. But I think here in CA., we are more decorators and irrigation specialists, less land forming and site interpretation..

Perhaps…[Read more]

Florida to me is all about invasive species (animals). How about something with the symbiosis between urban forests and the species that survive in them (animals) (or Don’t survive in them.)

Urban forests and the abiltily to support endangered plant species. Urban forests and projected changes through rising water tables (? just geussing).…[Read more]

say please.

Yeah, thanks Tanya, interesting comment..Check out Ponyo if you havent’ seen it yet – I think the best yet, especially in terms of the imagined landscape, although it IS hard to beat “Totorro.”
Yes, it would be interesting to see if these images influenced childrens visions of nature..Personally I grew up in TinTin land..

I have always been…[Read more]

Definitely support this effort – review sessions are garbage, exam itself has parts that are off the wall, and they never tell you the right answer – Many many complaints..
Many people will not agree with me, but I am adamant – HISTORY of Landscape Architecture MUST be part of exam!!!

what are we, cretins? We need to support cultural history, for…[Read more]

Will check out book – looks good, thanks! I have a lot of respect for U of Va. landscape school..
I want less personal vehicles because I see them as disruptive of the environment and of our social systems.. I think they (obviously) have led to the disintegration of our little social fabrics..I also blame the car for our national health issues, to…[Read more]

I don’t see cars as inevitable as the weather.. i see them as something that will be transformed to our will. It is possible to decrease car use – I disagree with your statement that excluding them will just put ‘the problem’ somewhere else. I geuss I don’t see cars as here to stay..’the problem’ is transportation; the solutions, over time, have…[Read more]

Hello, roland. In Southampton, NY., two large commercial centers were presented as shared space – an addition to Bridgehampton Commons, and a new commercial development across the street, forget the name..You can see it on google. earth. ..they were not calling them woonerf, I was stretching the concept of my own volition..we did traffic calming…[Read more]

I have had the identical experience with institutions, shopping centers, residential..No-one ever tries to save the trees..And small flocks of birds, here in CA. hummingbirds, are suddenly cast adrift in a barren landscape, for no reason – there is a huge predjudice against eucalyptus in this state, no matter how big, people in califiornia want to…[Read more]