Pivoting From History

As a core part of the Manhattan grid, Central Park helped define the very essence of landscape architecture. Before its creation, landscapes were either left completely wild or highly orchestrated strictly for visual effect. Central Park introduced a completely fresh perspective and gave rise to the profession we know today.

Decades later, Ian McHarg's 1969 book, "Design with Nature," became an essential manual for understanding the broader environment. It championed a scientific approach to spatial design, urging us to carefully respond to existing natural elements like geology, hydrology, and ecology to create holistic plans.

Central Park and "Design with Nature" remain two of the most significant influences in shaping landscape architecture over the past two centuries. However, whether we are looking at a small neighborhood park or a vast regional expanse, these spaces are deeply affected by broader human activities. Everything from manufacturing and infrastructure expansion to global trade has a direct impact on the life within our immediate neighborhoods.

Today, these global activities are creating immense challenges for our daily lives. Because of this, it is absolutely vital to look at nature from a worldwide perspective. When designing even the smallest intervention, we must anticipate these wider impacts. Our goal must be to create adaptive strategies that not only respond to the local context but also actively future-proof our designs for the years to come.

This write-up is a shortened form of my three part article published in LA Journal, Issue 45 (Download here)