Landscape Architecture Education Research Articles

TASARIM EĞİTİMİNDE YARATICILIĞIN GELİŞTİRİLMESİ: PEYZAJ MİMARLIĞI ÇEVRE TASARIMI STÜDYO ÇALIŞMASI

“Developing Creativity in Design Education: Landscape Architecture Environmental Design Studio Work” Landscape architecture is a discipline that creates livable places for the users by designing the environment in line with people’s needs and desires. In landscape discipline, the designs that are user-centered, different from each other and creative designs should be at the forefront when designing these spaces. Therefore, the landscape architecture education should aim at giving design and creative skills to the students. The theoretical and practical studio lessons during which master-apprentice relationship is at the forefront are very important in the landscape architecture education to give design and creative skills to the students. In this study, Environmental Design Project 1(edp1) courses that hold an important place in the education program of Karadeniz Technical University Architectural Design Department was considered. Within this course, the design training that is process-oriented and not result-oriented aiming at developing the design and creative skills of students was evaluated. In this process, firstly the students are given the project title “Coasts and Coastal Activities”. Students are asked to make primarily a literature survey about the coast (abstract-character union, tangible- real coastal examples) and then make a list of coastal activities implemented on the coast. After then, to develop creative skills, they are expected to put forward a function chart by choosing an original activity(main activity) and then identifying the other activities(after-activities) associated with the main activity. They are asked to create their original stylistic approaches in line with their activity lists, an example of emulation as a result of literature survey and the scenario. In this direction, sketches are drawn, and mock-up recommendations are created. One of the suggestions created is selected and spatial configuration, which consists of sizes appropriate to the capacity, reinforcement appropriate to the activity and format, is developed. As a result, with all these process, in addition to the theoretical knowledge, students are taught practically in stages how to organize a space. Within the context of the course, the final product will be that the students will be able to make plasticism in local design in accordance with the design concept and the user activities, and they will be able to identify the human needs and design activity fields and reinforcement based on this knowledge. Keywords: Design, Education, Creativity, Landscape Architecture

조경교육에 있어 학습자 중심 스튜디오 수업의 쟁점

산업사회에서 지식기반사회로의 시대적 변화에 부응하는 새로운 조경전문가의 인재상과 핵심역량에 대한 정의가 필요한 시점에서 스튜디오 교육은 조경학과 교과과정에서 실천적 전문가를 양성하기 위한 핵심적인 교육방법론이다. 본 연구는 실무현장과 대학교육의 간극을 극복할 수 있는 스튜디오 수업의 의미와 주요 쟁점을 교육학적 접근을 통해 도출하여 스튜디오 수업을 재정비하기 위한 이론적 기초를 제공하고자 하였다. 조경의 외부적, 내부적 여건 변화와 교육의 관계성을 역량을 중심으로 살펴보고, 대학교육 패러다임의 변화와 스튜디오 교육을 학습자의 관점에서 고찰하며, 조경교육의 변화를 추적하여 현재 우리나라 조경 스튜디오 수업의 현주소를 살펴보았다. 이를 통해 우리나라 스튜디오 교육을 진단하기 위한 다섯 가지 쟁점을 도출하였다. 먼저 역량에 대한 총체적 접근의 필요성을 제기하였으며, 두 번째로 전체 교과과정에서 스튜디오 과목의 위상을 재정립하고 이론과목과의 연계성을 강화할 필요성을 제시하였다. 셋째, 현재 가장 활성화되어 있는 설계 스튜디오의 의미를 되짚어 학년별 차별화 전략을 도입할 필요성을 논의하였고, 네 번째로 스튜디오 방법론의 연구와 실천을 통한 실질적인 수업개선이 필요하다는 점을 제기하였다. 마지막으로 스튜디오의 현장성 강화 및 다양성 확보 전략 수립과 기반시설의 확충과 관련한 문제를 제시하였다. The knowledge-based society of the 21st century requires a new kind of professional. Studio education has been the core pedagogical method to bridge the practical world and higher education in the field of landscape architecture. However, it is questioned whether studio classes have truly been performed from the learners' perspectives to solidify the competencies to meet the demands of the changing society. This study tries to draw key issues related to studio pedagogy in order to make a foundation for the improvement of studio classes in landscape architectural education. Five issues regarding landscape architectural studio education have been suggested through the literature review of three categories: the core competencies required for the future professionals, the pedagogical paradigm shift, and the changes along the evolution of landscape professions and curricula. The first issue is suggested as to approach the competencies from the holistic and systematic approach to define landscape architectural professionals for the 21st century. Second, studio classes should be redefined in the context of an entire curriculum, and, as a consequence, the linkage among the individual courses is found to be important. Third, design studio classes need to be restructured to have differentiated pedagogical objectives for the development of the learning phase. Fourth, it becomes crucial to research the pedagogical methodology and the reflective actions of instructors. Finally, it is required to think about what it means to be practical in the context of studio classes and the enhancement of educational infrastructure for the studio classes is to be important.

BASIC DESIGN EDUCATION IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The basic design course, a 1st semester curriculum course at the Department of Landscape Architecture, forms the basis of design education as a part of landscape architecture education. The landscape design course, provided as part of the 2nd semester curriculum, is a continuation of the basic design course and allows basic design concepts to be transferred to landscape design. Similarly, courses for other semesters are also developed based on the knowledge and acquisitions attained through the basic design course. This article is based on the educational experiences that have been obtained in the basic design course administered at the Department of Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara University, between 2005 and 2010. The content and objectives of the basic design course, and the educational methods and the process used in the course are described; the challenges and problems faced with respect to the theory and practice of the course are presented. Additionally, instructions for education related to basic design are discussed, based on experience.

Stewardship Now?: Reflections on Landscape Architecture's Raison d'etre in the 21st Century

Written on the occasion of the centenary of landscape architectural education at the University of Pennsylvania (1914–2014), this paper is a wide-ranging reflection upon landscape architecture’s highest ambition: to serve as the agent of large-scale landscape stewardship leading to an ideal state of sustainability. Stewardship, as conceived by Ian McHarg, is critically examined, with discussion of how nature and ecology are constructed in McHarg’s worldview and how this legacy continues to inform landscape architectural discourse. Reactions to and extensions of McHarg’s planning methodology are summarized with particular emphasis on the lineage of thought emerging in large part, but not entirely, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Landscape architecture (UPenn). As it emerged out of the rift between planning and design that opened up in late 20th century landscape architecture, landscape urbanism is discussed and situated within the deeper and broader concept of stewardship, as is the emerging interdisciplinary field of Geodesign. The theory of stewardship is then related to the current global crisis of biodiversity depletion and the research directions in this regard being undertaken at UPenn’s landscape department are outlined.

‘Making Green the Motherland’: greening the Chinese socialist undertaking (1949–1978)

‘Making Green the Motherland’: greening the Chinese socialist undertaking (1949–1978)

Landscape machines: productive nature and the future sublime

Design and research in landscape design have yet to be balanced into a fine triad of theory, method and practice. Many practitioners worry that such academic seriousness may weaken the imaginative aspects of landscape design. Their trouble reveals a typical weakness in contemporary landscape architecture that somehow limits the understanding of design to an intersubjective acceptance of artistic patterns that celebrate a characteristic visual eloquence. In such cases, landscape design is limited to a symbolic representation of a wished-for world. This is, however, not helpful when dealing with the more fundamental necessities of landscape performance. When food production is not a mere urban fashion to redeem footloose consumerism and waste treatment is not only worn like a sustainable fig-leaf, landscape processes are needed to provide for human increase. Design research is facing real and annoying uncertainties because science is not as advanced as we had hoped. We know only a little about dynamic landscape processes and all the inherent chemical interactions. We take only very little advantage of surging winds, erosion regularities or wild animal behaviour. Instead we have adapted our design principles to essentially static and closed systems that provide a maximum of growth circumstances to enjoy colours, odours and proportional regularities. The challenge to design new living landscapes with interconnective features is the challenge for a new generation of landscape architects. We will discuss the general principles of designs we call ‘landscape machines’ and exemplify them with two projects developed by Master students at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. They reveal that design research cannot be limited to literature or reference study but is in need of experiential learning and 1:1 testing. Such landscape laboratories are an enhancement of the design studio as introduced by Donald Schön. Its underlying artistic principles are agrarian rather than architectural and its aesthetic foundation is more sublime than beautiful. Is the current condition of landscape architectural education ready for such a challenge?

ECLAS Lifetime Achievement Awards for outstanding contributions to European Landscape Architecture Education

ECLAS Lifetime Achievement Awards for outstanding contributions to European Landscape Architecture Education

Social justice agency in the landscape architecture studio: an action research approach

In landscape architecture education we often make reference to passion, to imagination and to rigour as desirable attributes in our students. But what of cultivating a capacity to care? Lynn Davies, in Building a Civic Culture Post-Conflict, urges educators to initiate a new normality of cooperation (Davies 2004, p. 243), where students are challenged to take on roles as active citizens who will challenge social injustice (Davies 2004, p. 229). In our discussions regarding the application of Davies' work to landscape architecture, we anticipated that memorial sites, because of their strong social, political, symbolic and emotional associations, would provide a transformative means of introducing students to critical issues that affect the human experience of public space. Moreover, we anticipated that the educational value of these sites could be intensified through the application of peace pedagogy. Employing a practical action research methodology we critically reflect upon the impact of the successes and failures of a landscape architecture design studio conceived in the spirit of a social action agenda of peace and commemoration.

Teaching with Culture in Mind: Cross-Cultural Learning in Landscape Architecture Education

Teaching with Culture in Mind: Cross-Cultural Learning in Landscape Architecture Education

Learning by Teaching Others: a Qualitative Study Exploring the Benefits of Peer Teaching

Abstract This research explores how peer-to-peer teaching, a form of collaborative learning, can enhance student learning in non-studio landscape architecture courses by integrating the learning-by-doing model employed and valued in our curricula and profession. We describe a peer-teaching case study, and use qualitative research analysis to explore students’ perceptions of the method’s impact on their learning. Students reported that the peer teaching experience increased their understanding of the subject matter, enabled them to apply course concepts in new settings, and encouraged them to take initiative and be responsible for their own learning. We suggest that peer teaching is a valuable, even critical, experience for students in a professional education program. As this is a single case study utilizing a relatively new pedagogical approach, particularly as it relates to landscape architecture education, we encourage additional research on applications that explore the broader implications for student learning.

Dialogue through Design: The East St. Louis Neighborhood Design Workshop and South End Neighborhood Plan

Abstract This article reflects on cross-cultural learning in the context of the University of Illinois’ East St. Louis Neighborhood Design Workshop and its two-year engagement with the South End New Development Organization to develop a neighborhood plan. Initial descriptions of East St. Louis and the student body suggest the cultural and experiential hurdles to be overcome through engagement techniques. In light of service-learning and participatory design theory and methodology, the design studio provides an opportunity to advance cultural competence through a reflective, interactive design process. Acknowledging that cultural differences between students and residents was initially affecting the ability to produce a useful plan, the faculty revised the course to incorporate new approaches to design and discussion, including quick-paced scenario charrettes and development of alternative neighborhood visions. The ensuing discussions helped community members and students develop a clearer vision of what the residents wanted for their neighborhood’s future, which the students could then develop into a plan and related design proposals. The essay concludes with reflections on the meaning of cross-cultural dialogue for landscape architecture education and practice.

Defining the Sustainable Park: A Fifth Model for Urban Parks

Abstract How can parks contribute to the overarching project of helping cities become more ecologically sustainable? The history of urban parks in America reveals more concern with social problems than with ecological sustainability. Four types of city parks have been identified—the Pleasure Ground, the Reform Park, the Recreation Facility, and the Open Space System—and each of them respond to social issues, not ecological ones. Yet today, ecological problems are becoming one of our biggest social concerns, so a new urban park type focused on social solutions to ecological problems would be consistent with this pattern. Using the same social and physical criteria that described the previous four models, Part I describes a fifth model, the Sustainable Park, which began to emerge in the late 1990s. Part II postulates three general attributes of this new kind of park: (1) self-sufficiency in regard to material resources and maintenance, (2) solving larger urban problems outside of park boundaries, and (3) creating new standards for aesthetics and landscape management in parks and other urban landscapes. It also explores policy implications of these attributes regarding park design and management, the practice of landscape architecture, citizen participation, and ecological education.

Social Consciousness in Landscape Architecture Education: Toward a Conceptual Framework

Social Consciousness in Landscape Architecture Education: Toward a Conceptual Framework

Emotional phenomena and the student–instructor relationships

Design studio—the axis of architectural and landscape-architecture education, has also been viewed as a paradigmatic model for future education in other professions. As such, understanding it thoroughly may be valuable far beyond professional considerations. Existing research presents evidence on the complex and ambiguous nature of the studio, intensified due to the uniqueness inherent in design problems and the creative process. The primary educational method of the studio is the ‘desk critic’. It is affected, inter alia, by the relationship between the instructor and the student. However, this facet has been discussed relatively infrequently in published studies. Based on the working hypothesis that one of the factors that make the student–instructor relationship very influential is its emotional dimension, this paper presents results of an ongoing research into the emotional experiences of students and instructors. In our research sixteen interviewees (at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, IIT) reported on more than 40 emotional events. They provided evidence that emotional phenomena are part of studio interaction, and agreed that these phenomena influence the educational process. Further analysis of the interviews applied a general research model of emotions (based on current psychological and philosophical approaches). Results suggest that both students and instructors experience different emotions of different intensities. The paper presents examples and analysis of the emotional events described by interviewees.

Everyday Ecologies: Cities, Nature, and leaching Urban Ecology

Conventional geographical approaches to the city tend to place the study of urban form and urban space squarely within the political-economic and cultural branches of geography. Geographic pedagogy has tended to assume, therefore, that nature is absent from the city or exists only as a backdrop or stage on which urban economic and cultural activities take place. In contrast, there has been a recent groundswell of interest—originating in places as diverse as environmental activism, environmental history, landscape architecture, and environmental education—in reinterpreting the city as a space intimately connected with nature. This article examines the possibilities for integrating this rethinking of the relationship between city and nature into undergraduate education. Specifically, it outlines the rationale, objectives, and design of a course on urban ecology and examines the benefits and challenges of doing urban ecology as part of geographic education.

Inside the Service Learning Studio in Urban Design

Abstract Traditionally landscape architecture education has used the design studio as the core of its curriculum in which students learn through the master-apprentice model. This paper discusses an alternative teaching model, community service learning, in which students learn from multiple sources while providing a service to disadvantaged communities. Based on the results of two undergraduate urban design studios that used the service learning model, a case study approach is used to evaluate the role of community service learning in low-income and ethnically-diverse neighborhoods. It argues that service learning studios can help landscape architecture students learn the skills necessary to work in an increasingly complex and multi-cultural context.

Student learning styles in landscape architecture education

Everyone has a preferred style of learning. These preferences can be measured through several methods, including personality typing. This paper has used learning styles of landscape architecture students at the University of Guelph to determine effective means of teaching. The learning styles of the student population were determined to be very different from the general population. The students were represented by a disproportionately high number of ‘intuitive’ (N) learners. More than 75% of the students preferred to learn as either intuitive ‘feelers’ (NF) or intuitive ‘thinkers’ (NT). These students tend to learn best through problem-based learning, colloquia, and group work, and prefer workshops and seminars to lectures. The teaching styles of teachers of landscape architecture were also determined and compared with student learning styles. Not surprisingly, there was considerable similarity between the two groups. Suggestions for effective teaching methods have been outlined, with the recommendation that a wide range of teaching methods be employed in an attempt to communicate with all students.

The Ecological city: preserving and restoring urban biodiversity

Interdisciplinary in content as well as approach, this collection of original essays takes a fresh look at the ecology of urban communities. Written by experts from a variety of professions--academic researchers, private and public program managers, and citizen activists--the book explores issues of geography, ecology, landscape architecture, urban forestry, law, and environmental education. Contributions include broad overviews of common problems a well as detailed case studies of specific programs. Although several contributors are natural scientists, the book focuses on matters of public policy and public-private collaboration. The aim is not only to assess the impact of increasing urbanization on biodiversity, but also to propose new ways of preserving and restoring the balance between the natural and the built environment through planning and design.

A working paper on the structuring of environmental design education

Abstract The structure of contemporary environmental design is distorted by paradoxes perpetuated by the professional associations, practitioners, university faculties, and many design students prior to their graduation. Although landscape architectural education is utilized, in this paper, to exemplify three of the structuring paradoxes, planners, architects, and interior designers will readily note similarities within their own respective professional educational processes. The paradoxes are presented as an outgrowth of the rise of technical rationality and the transition from traditional to modern society. They are examined through interviews and discussions with a cross section of undergraduate landscape architecture students at the universities of Toronto and Guelph in Ontario and Rutgers University in New Jersey. Awareness of the paradoxes enables the formulation of suggestions as to how to begin restructuring the professional education of environmental designers.