Reevaluating Olmsted
Date
2022-05
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Abstract
Description
Landscape designers incorporate a wide range of design perspectives into their work. Often, these perspectives can feel completely opposing. One example is the relationship between the public good and personal desires. These themes have been worked into landscapes around the world. In the United States, the profession of landscape architecture has shifted in the past century from its praise of designers who strictly follow artistic beautification principles, to a stance that praises scientists as well. Where designers like Andrew Jackson Downing who pioneered the English pastoral style were once revered as the best among their peers, the designers of the 21st century skillfully weave the environmental sciences into their work. There is no longer room for landscapes that are harmful to the Earth in the face of climate change.
While the Earth must be considered a top priority in all design, it is also high time that the vast, ever changing US earns a seat at the table. This is something that few famous landscape architects have historically considered. When it was considered, designers often fell short of their goals in some way.
It is important that in its transition to a socially conscious ethos, landscape architecture models its new perspective on the right role model. Careful reading of the Earth and its systems must be paired with genuine attention to the people and their needs.
Here, two cases of landscape architecture as social activism are examined, and used to chart a path toward a more just United States.
Keywords
Landscape architecture, Education, Equity, Inclusion, Injustice, Frederick Law Olmsted, George Washington Carver, Digital media, Spatial injustice, Curriculum