What it Means to Design With Nature in 2019

It's been 50 years since Ian McHarg released Design With Nature, and projects all over the world are continuing to employ and improve the design ethos described in that groundbreaking book.

1 minute read

August 1, 2019, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Medellin

Medellin, Colombia is cited int he forthcoming book "Design With Nature Now" as an example of urban futures. | Jess Kraft / Shutterstock

A forthcoming book, Design With Nature Now, updates the teachings of Ian McHarg in the 50th anniversary year of the seminal book, Design With Nature.

Design With Nature Now is edited by Frederick Steiner, Richard Weller, Karen M’Closkey, and Billy Fleming and published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The article previews the book by sharing excerpts from five of the 25 projects featured in the book as the best contemporary examples of McHarg's design philosophy and method.

The 15 projects featured in the book are separated into five themes—Big Wilds, Rising Tides, Fresh Waters, Toxic Lands, and Urban Futures—each of which gets a preview in the article. Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States are represented in the excerpted in the source article.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019 in Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Geese flock to a frozen pond in Aurora, Colorado. There are houses in the background.

Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing

The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.

15 minutes ago - Capital & Main

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

September 16 - Inside Climate News

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

September 16 - Mass Transit

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.