Effective use of water in the landscape architecture curriculum

Abstract

Water is an indispensable life source for all living creatures, and such a vital source is being increasingly polluted and running out due to lack of effective use. Aridity is on the rise due to water cycle issues caused by global warming and, as such, water is becoming more and more a limited resource for the future. Necessary measures should be taken immediately to prevent this outcome. Training and awareness raising campaigns for effective use of water play a significant role in this respect. Striving to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources for improving the living quality of humans, landscape architects take various courses on the effective use of water throughout their education from the preservation, planning, design and management aspects of such endeavor. Topics such as xeriscape landscape designs, effective irrigation methods, choice of right vegetation, effective use of water resources and assessment of water resources on ecological level are considered to be significant elements of landscaping studies in tackling water scarcity issues brought on global warming and aridity. The present study aims to emphasise the place and significance of landscape architects and landscape architecture, as an academic study, in tackling the issue of water scarcity, which is an important issue on a global scale. With this aim in mind, the courses and syllabuses concerning the effective use of water included in the landscape architecture programs teach in both Turkey and around the world have been identified. The case studies on the effective use of water resources in Turkey and elsewhere have been studied and the things to be done in this respect have been presented. Keywords: Water, climate change, xeriscape landscaping, landscape architecture programs.