Landscape+Urbanism

Category: resources

  • Introducing THINK.urban

    I am happy to announce the formation of a new organization, THINK.urban in Portland, Oregon.  Along with colleagues Katrina Johnston and Allison Duncan, our group plans to promote, as our tagline mentions: “Better Design Through Applied Research.”   We bring a range of experience in urban design research, landscape architecture, urban ecology, public space, and…

  • Data Appeal – Making Map-Landscapes

    A follow-up on new mapping tools from the author of ‘The Exposed City: Mapping the Urban Invisibles’ (read a review of this great book here).  Nadia Amoroso alerted me to a new endeavor called Data Appeal, which provides tools for visualization of data through mapping in order to engage people in new ways. London –…

  • Gardner Museum Fellowship

    An interesting opportunity for the Gardner Museum Fellowship in Landscape Studies for 2012, which is open to a broad definition of “…an emerging design talent whose work articulates the potential for landscape as a medium of design in the public realm. This new initiative is intended to recognize and foster emerging design talent from across…

  • Unlocking LU 2: The Re-Representation of Urbanism

    Continuing the thread of review for the new landscape urbanism website, I’m discussing ‘The Re-Representation of Urbanism’ by Gerdo Aquino, SWA Principal as well as educator and author of the book ‘Landscape Infrastructure’ (see L+U review here).  As a fundamental opening to his essay, Aquino mentions the major shift that has taken place towards urbanization…

  • Unlocking LU 1: Indeterminacy & Multiplicity

    So as promised, I was planning on posting on some of the great content related to the initial issue on the Landscape Urbanism website.  The introduction by Sarah Kathleen Peck and Eliza Shaw Valk brings up some of the questions around the concept – with a focus on ‘indeterminacy’ and ‘multiplicity‘ as well as looking…

  • Unlocking Landscape Urbanism

    Right before I took off on my travels, the brand new Landscape Urbanism website launched with its first issue.  Due to the rigors of travel (you know, scenic vistas, wine, great food, etc.) I was not able to dig into the content before I left – but finally did manage to get all of it…

  • Source: Terrain Vague – de Sola Morales

    A formative source in thinking about indeterminant spaces is Terrain Vague, a 1995 essay by Spanish Architect Ignasi de Sola-Morales.  The essay starts with a discussion of the idea of photography, which is mentioned by the author as vital to our understanding, particularly through photomontage and their inventive juxtaposition of forms, aiding our ability to…

  • Reading the Landscape: The Emergence of Landscape Urbanism

    The next essay from the Landscape Urbanism Reader is by David Grahame Shane, entitled ‘The Emergence of Landscape Urbanism’.  This essay builds on Waldheim’s essay and further elaborates on the origins of the theory – with a broad take on the historical foundations and precedents around landscape urbanism as mentioned in the introductory text: “Shane…

  • Reading the Landscape: Landscape as Urbanism

    The next essay in the Landscape Urbanism Reader, following ‘Terra Fluxus‘ and the initial ‘Reference Manifesto‘ is a longer essay by Waldheim exploring the idea that landscape is most suited to the modern metropolis, being “uniquely capable of responding to temporal change, transformation, adaptation, and succession… a medium uniquely suited to the open-endedness, indeterminacy, and…

  • Reading the Landscape: Terra Fluxus

    This essay, Terra Fluxus by James Corner, from the Landscape Urbanism Reader is considered one of the seminal texts in formulating landscape urbanism theory.  Obviously it has had an impact on me personally, as I used it for the name of my firm, with a respectful tip of the hat to Mr. Corner.  The concept…