There was plenty of good to go with the bad from a year of professional and academic practice in the field of landscape architecture.
Charles A. Birnbaum takes a tour of the year in the field of landscape architecture, noting the big trends in an up and down year for the profession.
Among the highlights of the year: Kate Orff, founder of SCAPE, earned a MacArthur genius grant, a first for the profession. Among examples of the best projects by landscape architecture around the country, Birnbaum explores Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee; and an eight-acre addition to the San Antonio Botanical Garden.
Birnbaum is not as kind in assessing a trend that dominated landscape architecture in 2017—what Birnbaum calls "splash pad urbanism." According to Birnbaum, the reliance on splash pads as a one-size-fits-all park amenity raises the question: "are we becoming lazy?—or just willing to accept a little mediocrity in exchange for a planning board’s easy approval (and public buy-in)?" When considering the rise of splash pad urbanism, and its implications, recall also the term "bouncy house urbanism," coined by Los Angeles Times Architecture Critic Christopher Hawthorne. It seems there's a lowest common denominator available for every age bracket.
Also concerning Birnbaum is the ongoing threat to open space, which includes the Trump Administration's unprecedented decisions to shrink national monuments, but also the decision to site the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, Chicago.
FULL STORY: “Splash Pad Urbanism” and 2017’s other notable developments in landscape architecture.
Planning Trends to Watch in 2021
The nation is now tasked with the challenge of changing course in the middle of multiple, global crises. The necessity of finding a way to overcome the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for a new kind of future has never been more clear.
Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI
Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.
How Might Tariffs and Deportations Affect Affordable Housing Development?
Many affordable housing developers worry Trump’s proposed taxes on imports and crackdown on immigration will be detrimental to the industry. Others hope deregulation reduces development costs enough to offset those effects. What’s the most likely outcome?
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.
Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
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
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service