My Life in Landscape: Yue Rao

We asked eleven landscape professionals, all at different stages in their careers, to tell us what inspired them to follow a career in landscape.

Yue is a Chartered Member of LI and a landscape architect. She graduated from The University of Edinburgh with an MLA in landscape architecture and is about to move to Australia.

What inspired you to study to become a landscape professional?

My bachelor degree course was a combination of interior design, architecture and landscape architecture. After a few years I found that I was more interested in landscape architecture. I like outdoor and natural spaces, plants and animals, I would like to create a space not only for humans but for wildlife as well.

How did you train, what sort of work experience did you have?

I started my internship in a small practice called Spacehub, working on mixed use/ housing projects in the UK. Then I joined Grant Associates where I worked on large planning projects, public realm, schools and universities, hospitals, and international projects.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Working with creative people, and developing exciting design projects, and seeing my design and my work finally get built!

How do you make your mark on the world?

I worked on Tianjin Friendship Park in China last year. My major inputs were the water park and the wetland. Tianjin is a key location for migratory birds, and the park will create a pleasant environment for both humans and wild life.

What trends do you predict for your industry within the next 10 years?

Humans must learn to share the world with wildlife. Technology will develop a smarter and greener city.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming a landscape professional?

What you do will make an impact in the world, for human and for nature.

Why is the landscape profession a great career path to get into?

It’s a career which can bring changes to everyday life and have huge impact on the environment around us. It’s a profession that can shape our future world; when you see something you designed getting built, you feel proud – you know you made a mark on this planet. It’s a profession which provides a platform for creativity and which recognises and rewards hard work. It’s a profession for people with great ideas and originality. And it’s a future proof career. Originality can’t be programmed and demand for landscape professionals will continue to grow as other profession are replaced by AI.

Why is the landscape profession so important to the future of society and the environment?

We are facing all sorts of challenges nowadays, climate change, flooding, pollution, reduction of wildlife population. Many people are aware of that, but have not enough knowledge to make changes. As landscape architects we use our professional knowledge to help decision makers to make sensible choices, hence to create a more sustainable environment.