The Great Exchange

Professors from both sides of the Pacific talk about the amazing cultural exchange happening between American and Chinese universities and the rising stature of landscape architecture in China.

By Daniel Jost

The Panelists (clockwise from top left): Jeff Hou, ASLA; Zhifang Wang; Kongjian Yu, FASLA; Ron Henderson, FASLA; Frederick R. Steiner, FASLA; Binyi Liu, Honorary ASLA; Chuo Li; Daniel Jost, ASLA; Jie Hu, International ASLA
The Panelists (clockwise from top left): Jeff Hou, ASLA; Zhifang Wang; Kongjian Yu, FASLA; Ron Henderson, FASLA; Frederick R. Steiner, FASLA; Binyi Liu, Honorary ASLA; Chuo Li; Daniel Jost, ASLA; Jie Hu, International ASLA.

A decade and a half ago, the Chinese government “canceled” landscape architecture education in China. Continue reading The Great Exchange

The View from the Crowds

A UC Berkeley scholar uses Flickr to study what the public considers scenic.

By Lydia W. LeeLAM-Jan2013-Interview-HalfDome

Even though Alexander Dunkel, Student ASLA, has never visited the High Line in New York City, he can tell you exactly what part of the park is the most popular: the 10th Avenue Square. How? He spent a year analyzing Flickr, the popular image web site, and seeing where people take the most photos. Continue reading The View from the Crowds

Why Floor and Brown Left SmithGroup JJR

And why the new firm has only her name.

By Daniel JostBrown and Floor small copy

Kristina Floor, FASLA and Chris Brown, FASLA, are two of the most prominent landscape architects working in Phoenix today. Their work on the Lost Dog Wash Trailhead and the “Desert Lives” exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo received national recognition from the ASLA. They are also a married couple. In 2008, their Phoenix-based firm, Floor Associates, merged with JJR, a subsidiary of the large multidisciplinary firm SmithGroup. But as of January 1, they are working on their own again. In a brief phone conversation, they explained why. The conversation below has been edited and condensed. Continue reading Why Floor and Brown Left SmithGroup JJR

Parklets, Everywhere

As parks the size of postage stamps pop up all over San Francisco and spread to other cities, “tactical” urbanism is taking on a cannily strategic edge. 

By John King, Honorary ASLA

SF Planning.

If you’re a tourist who’s visiting San Francisco, you’re unlikely to find yourself on the 4600 block of Noriega Street near the Pacific Ocean, and until recently there’s been little to miss. Continue reading Parklets, Everywhere

The Utterly Meaningless Agenda 21

In sustainability programs and smart growth, some people see a United Nations plot to take over your community. 

By Linda McIntyre

The commissioners of Baldwin County, Alabama, are set to decide this month whether to file the comprehensive county plan the commission adopted in July 2009—a plan that cost $280,000—in the garbage can. Continue reading The Utterly Meaningless Agenda 21

The Magazine of the American Society of Landscape Architects