Landscape Architecture

Rethinking The Fountain

For thousands of years, fountains always featured a water basin. Then landscape architect Peter Walker designed Harvard University's Tanner Fountain, and a revolutionary new idea was born.

May 2, 2008 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Green Buildings Need Green Cities

While cities are focused on promoting green 'buildings', planners and landscape architects need to advocate more green city planning.

April 30, 2008 - BBC News

Urban Railyard Finds New Life As Wetland Park

A former bus and rail yard in park-poor South Los Angeles will be converted into an "urban wetland park".

April 27, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

'Guerrilla Gardeners' Taking Over Neglected Public Places

Vacant lots and underutilized dirt patches are the the romping grounds of a new breed of activists. Known as "guerrilla gardeners", groups of people all over the world are reclaiming their cities' public spaces and landscapes by planting seeds.

April 27, 2008 - The Guardian

Re-Making Tacoma Walkable

Tacoma, Washington, could become a walkable city, according to Danish architect Lars Genzoe.

April 24, 2008 - The News Tribune

Front Yard Farming

A few eco-conscious -- and business savvy -- suburbanites are ripping up their lawns and growing vegetables to cater to the increasing demand for local produce.

April 22, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

New York City's Unwelcomed Foresters

New York's newest force of foresters, hired to plant one million trees in all five boroughs by 2017, are receiving more opposition then one might expect.

April 22, 2008 - The New York Times

Can Landscape Architects Get Kids to Walk to School?

Fewer kids are walking to school these days. This piece from the American Society of Landscape Architects' Land Online wonders what landscape architects can do to reverse the trend.

April 17, 2008 - Land Online

Central Park on the Sea

Cruise ship designers have announced plans for a new 1,180-foot long ship that will be equipped with a "central park" they are comparing to a traditional town square.

April 17, 2008 - Daily Mail

Market Woes Stifle 'Great Park' Progress

Three years after Irvine, California's "Great Park" was approved, development of the planned public spaces, homes and businesses has struggled to move forward. The housing crisis is being blamed for the lack of action.

April 17, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

A New Era Of Urban Parks?

In response to the growing demand for urban greenspace, cities around the nation on working on plans for large new parks -- rivaling the urban park boom during the 19th or early 20th century.

April 14, 2008 - USA Today

Rooftop Gardens Offers Alternative To Backyards

Green roofs offer an opportunity for outdoor space and gardening for people with little or no yards.

April 13, 2008 - The Hartford Courant

'Subway Reef' Adaptive Reuse Project Brings Population Boom

Old subway cars are being dumped off the coast of Delaware, creating a manmade reef. Life is flourishing in this new underwater subway cemetery, but officials worry the reef may be too successful.

April 12, 2008 - The New York Times

Park And Play

Parking structures topped off with synthetic fields offer a practical solution for areas where parking and recreation space is in short supply.

April 5, 2008 - Athletic Business

The Fiscal Power of Public Art

The upcoming public art project by artist Olafur Eliasson that will place free-standing waterfalls in the waters around New York City highlights the power public art has to generate economic development and revenue for cities.

April 3, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Transplanting A Forest

A real estate developer in Southhampton Village, New York is planting over 400 mature trees on an undeveloped plot of land -- hoping to recreate the area's historic scenery and make a fortune in the process.

April 2, 2008 - The New York Times

Building Sustainably For Dummies?

A new book from Landscape Architect Professor Carl Smith provides designers with an easy-to-use checklist for building sustainable housing.

April 2, 2008 - University of Arkansas

Funding Bureaucracy Highlights L.A.'s Parks Deficit

The city of Los Angeles is currently sitting on more than $130 million dollars intended to build parks. But those funds are tied to council districts high in development, leaving districts with little development high and dry.

March 30, 2008 - LA Weekly

Is a Bronze Fonz Public Art? Aaaaay!

A proposed public art piece featuring a bronze statue of the "Happy Days" character Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli has many up in arms about the process creating and approving public art.

March 29, 2008 - The Next American City

Street Trees Are New York's Newest Accessory

A new zoning requirement passed by the New York City Planning Commission will require all new developments to plant trees along the street.

March 28, 2008 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.