Landscape Architecture California

1. Landscape Architecture California What exactly is landscape architecture? Has been a topic of frequent discussion and controversy during the majority of my professional career as a landscape architecture California academic. Although there is general agreement on the topic of "outsides," attempts to come up with more detailed explanations appear to be just as inconsistent now as they were when I was a student. Even a cursory review of the literature attests to the fact that this is a question that has been on practitioners' and academics' minds more or less since the term was coined. This situation, which took place in the early 1990s at the former Leeds Polytechnic, led to my initial, largely coherent definition of what landscape architecture was to me. As a result of the impending conversion of the "Poly" into a University, the academic staff team to which I was a relatively new addition was attempting to decide the direction of a large programme of course revisions. We were all invited to consider personally what we felt was the most significant aspect of the idea of landscape architecture as a field of study and a profession in order to try to guide our thinking. A few years earlier, there were several formative influences that undoubtedly played a significant role in the formation of this viewpoint, not the least of which was my initial exposure to the unique educational experience known as the "Landscape Design and Community" project. This was done by third-year students and was exclusive to the landscape architecture undergraduate degree programme at Leeds Polytechnic, as far as I know. The staff of the landscape department had consistently demonstrated a strong interest in a "hands-on" approach to investigating how knowledge and abilities in landscape architecture could be applied to the benefit of the community. A few years earlier, there were several formative influences that undoubtedly played a significant role in the formation of this viewpoint, not the least of which was my initial

2. exposure to the unique educational experience known as the "Landscape Design and Community" project. This was done by third-year students and was exclusive to the landscape architecture undergraduate degree programme at Leeds Polytechnic, as far as I know. The employees of the landscape department has consistently demonstrated a strong interest in a "hands-on" approach to investigating how knowledge and abilities in landscape architecture may be applied to the advantage of the community.