Landscape Architecture

Metropolis Magazine examines the 21st century efforts at creating wild places in cities, exemplified by the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston and the Passaic River in Newark.

February 7, 2014 - Metropolis Mag

The flood management story of Boulder, Colorado, includes a successful encounter with a 1,000-year rain event, and its lessons are less about concrete and dams than one might think.

February 6, 2014 - Next American City

Human beings are both born and programmed to need open spaces. As our existence becomes increasingly urban, cities and towns must provide the open spaces our natures require.

February 6, 2014 - Steven Snell

Minneapolis is working to turn the deteriorating Nicollet Mall into a vibrant public space—even hiring James Corner Field Operations (of High-Line fame) as designer. Will the revitalization of the area require the removal of the mall’s four skyways?

February 6, 2014 - Minneapolis Post

On a site overlooking the Mississippi River's St. Anthony Falls, where Minneapolis' first sushi bar stands, officials are planning the newest addition to the city's Central Riverfront system of parks.

January 17, 2014 - Star Tribune

Preserving urban landscapes can be just as important as preserving historic buildings. However, saving our design heritage needs to be balanced with the imperative that places effectively meet the functional needs of contemporary cities.

January 13, 2014 - Mark Hough

Pressure is mounting for a decision regarding the future of Crissy Field, an iconic site in the Presidio of San Francisco currently in the final stages of a design competition.

January 9, 2014 - Huffington Post

In cities like Houston, officials are utilizing established transmission right of ways (ROWs) to provide walking and biking trails without the land acquisition challenges that typically confront urban areas looking to expand their open spaces.

January 7, 2014 - American Trails

Led by the nonprofit David Suzuki Foundation, a volunteer workforce of "park rangers" is deploying creative green interventions along private properties and public spaces throughout Toronto to create a citywide green corridor.

January 3, 2014 - Fast Company Co.Exist

We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.

December 30, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council demonstrates that commercial investment in green infrastructure, particularly in stormwater management, can lead to substantial financial benefits for both owners and tenants.

December 22, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's "Great Streets" plan is long on vision, but short on budget details. Terry Sweeney identifies some wealthy locals who should be called on for help.

December 22, 2013 - Future Cities

Will 2013 be remembered as the year that Los Angeles embraced a new urban identity? Cultural, political, and planning and design-related events over the past year seem to suggest the city is experiencing "an urban reawakening".

December 21, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of gardener Andre Le Notre. Eleanor Beardsley traces the legacy of the designer of the gardens at Versailles, whose visionary work influenced many, including landscape architect Peter Walker.

December 10, 2013 - NPR

As the president and co-founder of Friends of the High Line prepares to leave the park he helped to create, it is a good time to consider the legacy of what is now one of the most famous contemporary landscapes in the world.

December 8, 2013 - Mark Hough

Jan Gehl argued at the Royal Institute of British Architects annual research symposium that architects and urban planners must do more research on how their schemes affect people.

December 8, 2013 - Future Cities

Charles Birnbaum, president of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, offers his assessment of the notable controversies, credits and completions in landscape architecture over the past year.

December 6, 2013 - Huffington Post

If you think your city is doing all it can to make its public spaces pleasant for all residents, think again. From “pig’s ears” to the "Camden Bench", Frank Swain explores the "secret tricks" cities use to make spaces uncomfortable and unattractive.

December 4, 2013 - BBC

Students of landscape architecture are obsessed with cities and all things green - at least according to recent design awards. But are they forgetting about design?

November 24, 2013 - Mark Hough

There's no shortage of bold and bizarre ideas for how to make our future cities more livable, sustainable, and efficient. Whether many of these ideas are feasible is another story.

November 24, 2013 - Future Cities