Landscape Architecture's Obscurity

L.A.'s landscape architects are relatively obscure compared to their architect counterparts. Is this obscurity the reason landscape architecture isn't as protected as architecture?

1 minute read

May 3, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"To get at the peculiar anonymity of the Southern California landscape architect, it seems to me, requires exploring a notion that barely got a hearing at "Landscapes for Living," at least during the panels I attended: the L.A. garden as a vehicle for - and expression of - a certain democratic impulse.

Because Los Angeles was built from its earliest days around the primacy of the single-family house, garden space here has always been widely available to families with a range of incomes and backgrounds. Instead of a Central Park by the famous Frederick Law Olmsted at the very heart of our metropolis, we developed tens of thousands of private amateur parks in our backyards, to go with a relative handful of parks and plazas by prominent designers."

Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne argues that landscape preservation lags far behind architectural preservation, and that more attention should be paid to these spaces in L.A.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 in Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Amtrak train with downtown Seattle in background.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record

The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

February 2, 2025 - Daily Hive

Close-up of Donald Shoup during interview.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

February 10, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Top floors of blue and white apartment building with palm trees against sunny blue sky in Malibu, California.

LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging

Landlords who raise rents sharply after disasters could face fines of up to $50,000.

February 11 - Los Angeles Times

Man and two children on bikes next to red and silver train on sunny day.

How ‘Anti-DEI’ Efforts Impact Sustainable Transportation Studies

Research into accessibility, transit equity, and traffic safety is losing federal funding at an alarming rate.

February 11 - Streetsblog USA

Man sitting in chair along River Seine in Paris with fishing pole.

River Seine ‘Teeming’ With Life

Decades of restoration efforts are yielding positive results as dozens of species of fish return to the once-polluted waterway.

February 11 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

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.