Landscape Architecture

Lawns and Suburban Homes

Sacramento Reconsiders Ban on Artificial Turf

Brown lawns may be less aesthetically pleasing than synthetic lawns, but are they safer?

August 16, 2015 - Sacramento Bee

Los Angeles River

Frank Gehry Hired to Plan the Los Angeles River—Controversy Ensues

Details are scarce—but reports are that Frank Gehry has been working behind the scenes to create a new vision for the Los Angeles River.

August 9, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Dueling Proposals for Seattle's Waterfront Park

Eventually, Bertha will push through and create an alternative route for what is now Highway 99. Eventually, also, Seattle will decide on a plan to build a park where the viaduct now runs.

August 6, 2015 - KOMO News

Human-Centered Design

Innovating the Planning Process Through Community-Centered Design

Sean O'Malley and Andrew Watkins, of the landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm SWA, describe the benefits of a design process that empowers people and communities to participate.

August 4, 2015 - Sean O'Malley and Andrew Watkins

Guidance for Providing Safe Access to Parks

The American Planning Association has released new information on the role of planners in providing safe routes to parks.

July 31, 2015 - American Planning Association

Lessons in Waterfront Revitalization from Boston and Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's Riverlife recently hired Vivien Li from the Boston Harbor Association. Li's career trajectory helpfully informs the kinds of decisions that drive good waterfront planning.

July 29, 2015 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

TxDOT Ditches Proposal for Pierce Elevated Park

A proposal to transform the Pierce Elevated in Houston into a linear park joins the slag heap of Houston's history of never-built projects.

July 28, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Chicago Riverwalk

Celebrating Chicago's Must-See Public Realm (Part 1)

Chicago has recently opened some of the most exciting urban landscapes we have seen in a while. And, as with New York and other cities, landscape architects are leading the charge.

July 28, 2015 - Mark Hough

Improving Mental Health May Be As Easy As a Walk in the Park

A new study offers evidence that walking in a natural setting is more beneficial to mental health than walking in an urban setting.

July 24, 2015 - New York Times

Normal, Illinois

A Sad Goodbye to Peter Lindsay Schaudt

The death of the Chicago landscape architect, Peter Schaudt, leaves an unfinished body of work and a deep void within the profession that adored him.

July 22, 2015 - Mark Hough

Imagining Livability Design Tools

The "Imagining Livability Design Collection" by the AARP Livable Communities and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute provides a visual portfolio of placemaking solutions that can be implemented quickly, for not too much money.

July 20, 2015 - AARP

Seattle's Alleys Getting a Face-Lift

Since 2010, planners, designers, and community members have been actively transforming Seattle's alleys into beloved places within the city's urban fabric.

July 17, 2015 - The Seattle Times

President Obama Designates Three New National Monuments

President Barack Obama once again called upon the Antiquities Act to further his legacy as a champion of public lands. A famous example of land art will gain protection under the action.

July 15, 2015 - The Washington Post

China Bridge

Chinese 'Sponge Cities' Will Capture Rainwater

Existing grey infrastructure in China cannot cope with rapid urban expansion and frequent droughts and floods. Several cities, with Beijing's approval, are experimenting with rainwater capture methods as an alternative.

July 13, 2015 - Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E)

A Call for Better Urban Design on Tampa's Grand Central Avenue

A local columnist voices a harsh critique of a development proposed for one of Tampa's most beloved streets. So far the developer seems responsive to the community's concerns.

July 8, 2015 - Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Students Design and Build Downtown Portland's First Parklet

The newest addition to the city of Portland's Street Seats program is the result of a student team of designers and builders from Portland State University.

July 8, 2015 - Portland State University

Parking Sign

Maryland Parking Lots Go Underground

For a long time, surface parking lots blanketed Maryland's Montgomery County. Developers and county officials now prioritize mixed-use infill with parking concealed underground.

July 7, 2015 - WAMU

Architecture Critic Finds Faults in Chicago Placemaking

Architecture Critic Blair Kamin wants more from Make Way for People, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's placemaking program, and finds faults with the Lincoln Hub as an example of tactical urbanism.

July 7, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

High Line

The Urban Landscape Rock Star

Continuing to heap praise onto James Corner and his firm, Field Operations, may seem like an exercise in redundancy at this point. But there is little doubt that all of the attention is good for landscape architects—and for cities.

July 6, 2015 - Mark Hough

Adapting Landscape Architecture to the Anthropocene

As the effects of humans accelerate the changes occurring on the planet, landscape architects and planners alike will need to take into account ways that civilization can adapt to a lack of stability.

July 4, 2015 - Places Journal

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.