Landscape Architecture

Sacramento Reconsiders Ban on Artificial Turf
Brown lawns may be less aesthetically pleasing than synthetic lawns, but are they safer?

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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

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.
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.

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.
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.
Pagination
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont