Synopses & Reviews
Landscape architecture projects have always begun with the site. As the practice of landscape architecture has changed so have the types of sites that designers are taking on. Projects now have to help connect neighborhoods, manage stormwater, cool urban centers, and provide wildlife habitats.
In Landscapes of Change, Roxi Thoren, associate professor at the University of Oregon, examines how these new types of sites drive the design process and result in innovative and groundbreaking work that serve the needs of a wide variety of users. With twenty-six case studies from around the world, the book explores how the site can serve as the design generator, describing each project through the physical, material, ecological, and cultural processes that have shaped the site historically and continue to shape the current projects. Case studies include Queens Plaza in Queens, New York; the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston, Texas; and the Jaffa Landfill Park in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Review
“Taking readers on an intriguing international journey, Thoren eloquently profiles the vanguard of imaginative, artistic, and inspired designers who are creating an invaluable legacy for their profession and the land itself.” Booklist
Review
"Thoren's writing offers a critical overview of contemporary landscape architecture that restores the notion that natural systems are at the essential core of the practice. Offering a wide variety of project examples and attendant approaches to design, Thoren reaffirms the power of the profession of landscape architecture in addressing pressing social and environemental concerns." Thomas Woltz, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Review
"Presents a compelling and modern vision of landscape architecture.” The Dirt
Review
“Experiencing Landscapes of Change will color the way you look at vacant lots, abandoned structures, playgrounds, parks and pavement. You will imagine more than you see. And because of this book and the realized visions within, you’ll know your imaginings can become realities.” The Register-Guard
Review
"Landscape architects and urban dwellers alike will find pleasure and hope in these imaginative integrations of nature and city." Publishers Weekly
Review
“This is an important survey of contemporary landscape architecture and its ability to meet environmental and urban challenges that are taking place all over the world.” GardenDesignOnline.com
Synopsis
Landscape architecture projects have always begun with the site.
Synopsis
Climate change, natural resource use, population shifts, and many other factors have all changed the demands we place on landscape designs. Projects now have to help connect neighborhoods, absorb stormwater, cool urban centers, and provide wildlife habitats. Landscapes of Change examines how these challenges drive the design process, inspire new design strategies, and result in innovative works that are redefining the field of landscape architecture. In twenty-five case studies from around the world, Roxi Thoren explores how the site can serve as the design generator, describing each project through the physical, material, ecological, and cultural processes that have shaped the site historically and continue to shape these ground-breaking projects.
About the Author
Roxi Thoren is an associate professor in the departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon and director of the Fuller Center for Productive Landscapes. She holds master’s degrees in architecture and landscape architecture from the University of Virginia. She is a Fulbright Fellow (Iceland), a Landscape Architecture Foundation research fellow, and a recipient of multiple awards including research and design awards from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards.