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What is Landscape Architecture?

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For a profession/practice that has been in existence for over 300 years by its current formal name, there
still lies much to uncover and understand about Landscape Architecture. It is quite easy to reduce it to
simply, as google would put it, “the art and practice of designing the outdoor environment, especially
designing parks and gardens to harmonize with buildings and roads.” However, this definition is too
simplistic and does not comprehensively capture the ideal and practical nature of the practice/profession.
Defining Landscape Architecture in isolation is a feat yet to be accomplished (Gozvada, 2002) , since it is
an agglomeration of various fields put together and practiced in harmony (Milburn, Brown, Mulley, & Hilts,
2003) .
Landscape Architecture, in as much as it is an art, it is a science. Its practice encapsulates earth sciences
in its application of,
I. Land Planning in dealing with spatial organization of services and facilities in space and time.
II. Geology in understanding the nature of solid earth components and applying them to best serve
human needs while retaining the integrity of the substance/components, &
III. Environmental Science by primarily seeking to protect the health of the earth and the health of
man. (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021)
Therein also lies application of both Social Science and Life Science. Yes, these are two very different
subjects.
Life science deals with the study of living things, organic in nature. Plants being a critical element of
landscape architecture and design, an understanding of their nature, behavior, and environmental
tolerances (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021) , are key pieces of knowledge that are applied in the profession
in order to achieve a successful landscape design that will withstand the test of time. A design that will be
an embodiment of a proper symbiotic environmental existence and interaction between the living
elements of the designed space and the users of the space.
Social Sciences, on the other hand, have everything to do with understanding human society. From
interactions between humans and other humans, to interactions of humans with various elements in
space and time. For instance, the way a street is used at 8am on a Monday morning may not necessarily
be the same way the same street is used at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. Parking lots morph into skate
parks and gathering spaces for political rallies, may be used as theme parks or amusement parks. In the
same way, how two strangers interact seated facing each other, may not necessarily be the same way
they would interact seated back-to-back with a water feature, or hedge, between them. Perhaps you have
been to spaces that are designed to encourage interactions and conversations, or designed to completely
discourage the same, or maybe to a place that is very noisy on one end, yet at the same time, serene on
the other.
We could dive into the arithmetic that lies in the practice of Landscape Architecture. As most people
would claim, there is no line of work that is independent of math. This, unfortunately for them that have a
particular dislike of math, is also the case in Landscape Architecture. Quantifications, both concrete and
abstract, are ever present in the field of Landscape Architecture. On the one hand, basic concrete
quantities are needed in terms of areas, volumes, lengths et cetera. Abstract quantities are required as
well. For example, quantification of a space’s impact on society, a space’s implication on the moods of
the users and perhaps a space’s usability over time.
To bring all these together, is the artistic nature of the profession. Landscape Architecture is an Art as
well. An exploration of the creatives’ minds for solutions to problems in society either before they arise, or
after the problem/need has made itself evident. It is an application of creativity in design by exploring the
possibilities within the open space, the potential that can be realized out of either simple organization,
“Less is more”, or, as it is sometimes said, “There is no simple solution to a complex problem.” It involves

pushing limits in terms of creative problem solving, all the while working within the limits provided by the
environment to be careful not to have a space bite off more than it can chew.
So, all these put together, help give a better, albeit inconclusive, but more comprehensive definition of
what Landscape Architecture really is. Inconclusive because as time goes by, and developments are
made, progress is inevitable, and along with it comes change (Gozvada, 2002) . Landscape Architecture
can be defined as a science and a humanity, embodied in artistic spatial organization both in indoor open
spaces (Atria, courtyards etc.), and in Outdoor spaces such as parks, streets, gardens and even regions
and forests.

Bibliography
Gozvada, D. (2002). Landscape And Urban Planning Volume 60, Issue 2. Netherlands: Elsevier Science.
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, June 8). The 3 Branches of Science and Their Career Applications.
Retrieved from Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/branches-of-
science
Mansouri, S.-A. (2021). An introduction to Landscape architecture identification. Bagh-E Nazar The
Scientific Journal in the Field of Theoretical Studies of Art and Architecture, 1.
Milburn, L.-A. S., Brown, R. D., Mulley, S. J., & Hilts, S. J. (2003). Landscape and Urban Planning Volume
64, Issue 3. Netherlands: Elsevier Science.

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