Open Letter to Landscape Architects in Emerging Markets

I am particularly interested in defining and highlighting the importance of the landscape design and its ecological benefits.

In particular, I realize that we must alter the notion that landscape architecture has little or no place in post modern design. There is considerable progress in the built environment with the acceptance of industrialization and technological advancement. Unfortunately landscape architecture has not found its place or is still in pursuit of recognition within the descriptive, evaluative, and interpretive categories of mainstream modernism. The implication of which is value to culture and society have either not been recognized or have been misinterpreted and maligned.

My role as a landscape architect is to change the mindset for the people aware of its existence, but not willing to understand the practice and to create awareness to those that do not have knowledge of its existence.

The following are areas in which its recognition can affect our society;

1. The bases of design and development should be based on experiences that are configured through the knowledge of context and the history of the place which can be better referred to as genius loci.

2. There is tendency to generalize a landscape situation based on related experiences but every space or location however close has its own uniqueness in configuration, development suitability assessment, the environmental impact assessment, neighborhood, aspect among other things hence the need for site inventory and observation, the experience and the sensory experience of the site. Thus, landscape design or space articulation is situational. Before any design architectural or otherwise the landscape existed and had a life of its own. The sensitivity behind allowing it to thrive brings meaning and identity to a place.

3. It is important to dispel the idea that the landscape is a non essential and is not enough in the development strategy of a site. The unheard language can only be reinvigorated through active involvement and acceptance from developers and other professionals within the field of building construction. Landscape design professionals under (SLAN) society of landscape Architects Nigeria are in existence and have know how, of, and about ecological ideas, cultural and historical geography, design and planning methodology, and appropriate site interpretation to carry out a development from inventory to execution and strategic maintenance.

We must do more than recognize how badly served and under rated landscape architecture is by descriptions that rely solely on architectural categories and concepts.

4. Finally, By challenging the “formulation of the crucial questions of the discipline as a whole. We must discuss whether landscape architecture’s quest for status as a profession and discipline on par with that of architecture resulted in the repression of more horticulturally focused designs and designers.” Elizabeth Meyer. Shouldn’t landscape architectural history and theory attempt to uncover the interrelationships between a project and its surroundings? The awareness of how critical landscape architecture is to the environment and modern development is beyond question. Climate change and global warming consequences frame and shape our environment so what better way to approach this vast spectrum of developmental paradigm shift.

The goal therefore is to determine how modern society has to adopt landscape in architecture, nature in culture, and nature and man. The role of a practitioner within this field would be descriptive and an interpretation space that occupies nature within a certain cultural framework.

Andreas Huyssen’s essay “Mapping the Postmodern” may offer direction here. He proposes that “in an important sector of our culture there has been an important shift in sensibilities, practices and discourses formations which distinguishes a postmodern set of assumptions, experience and propositions from that of the preceding period.

“Instead of a static, visual landscape that is out there, irrational, irregular, and open, we have a spatial, temporal, and ecological site that is present before an artist or a designer begins to work. The designer, then, allows the site to speak more clearly through the design interventions he or she makes. The site and the designer are collaborators.” Elizabeth Meyer

The interaction between designer and site is existent on understanding that is a dialogue rather than a monologue. A system through which there is an understanding of what is and what is to be. A double voiced discourse that results in aesthetics that have relationship with each other.

“Landscape architecture is not a practice that can be adequately described as either this or that, Art or science, Culture or nature, Man or nature, Architecture or landscape. Our built works on the land, like the theories we construct, are human interpretations of ourselves and the natural world. If nature is a cultural construct, one that evolves as our society changes, shouldn’t the field that is most concerned with shaping the land develop a shared language that reflects these hybrid relationships?” Elizabeth Meyer

As a leader economically, socially and demographically we as a nation have a rare opportunity of determining the future of a character laden profession in Landscape Architecture let’s live up to this noble task.