The evolving relationship between landscape practice and urban design

The relationship between urban design and landscape practice has always been close. LI member and Honorary Secretary of the Urban Design Group Paul Reynolds marks two birthdays.

In April 1979 the ‘Institute of Landscape Architects’ was putting the finishing touches to its plans for celebrating its 50th Anniversary. At the same time, a diverse group of professionals from a range of built environment professions, including Landscape Architects, were also preparing for their General Meeting at the Polytechnic of Central London.

They had met initially in November 1978 at the RIBA on Portland Place, under the title of Architects in Planning. However, it was quickly recognised that this title did not embrace the wide spectrum of professionals that were involved in the creation of our towns and cities, many of whom were not architects at all. As a result, the main motion for this General Meeting of the group was to formally incorporate as an organisation to be known as the Urban Design Group – a forum for Architects, Landscape Architects and Designers in Planning.

“White City” buildings in Chicago, built for the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893) widely displayed and inspired the City Beautiful movement, influencing architecture with such Beaux-Arts structures as the Museum of Science and Industry building.

© Wikipedia Commons

It was made clear in the invitation to this first meeting that the intention was not “… to usurp the various professional institutions already concerned with our environment and quality of life (notably the RIBA, RTPI, ILA and ACE), but rather to help close the gaps and take up a sensible, strong, helpful position in the ‘middle ground’ between them.”. This still holds true of the UDG mission today as a membership organisation with more than a thousand members from all professional backgrounds. What has become clear over the past 40 years is that our urban environment is shaped by an even wider group of professionals than just architects, town planners and landscape architects, with, arguably, professionals such as highway engineers having an impact which is often even more significant.

Throughout this time the Urban Design Group has maintained its original ethos by welcoming all into the fold no matter what their professional background. The only requirement for membership is an interest in our towns and cities and how to make them better.

However, the relationship between Landscape Architecture and Urban Design has always been particularly closely entwined. Thomas Mawson, the first president of the Institute of Landscape Architects back in 1929, was a man whose background was in Garden Design, but he also held the post of President of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 1923, influenced by a period travelling around Canada and North America when he also designed a number of urban plans based on the principles of the City Beautiful movement popularised by architects such as Daniel Burnham in Chicago. This interest in design at the nexus between landscape, architecture and town planning could arguably make him what we would today call an urban designer.

Peace Gardens, Sheffield.

© Sheffield City Council

My own interest in our urban environments began when I was at university studying as an undergraduate student in Landscape Architecture. Urban design, like landscape architecture, operates at all scales from individual streets and spaces to large scale masterplans and development strategies. I found I was far more interested in the modules that focused on the relationships between buildings, people and the environment; such as understanding environmental capacity when planning for new housing development or looking at the spaces between buildings and how these should be designed at a human scale which promotes walking and cycling. I remember looking at the work that was completed in city centres such as Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham at that time which was all about landscape architecture as a driver for urban regeneration. This was reflected in the work of the Urban Task Force chaired by Lord Rogers and their ‘Towards an Urban Renaissance’ report struck a chord with me and I decided to continue to pursue my passion in all things urban by taking a Master’s Degree in Urban Design.

I quickly discovered that there were many similarities between the two and this is something which is reflected in the work I have been undertaking as a practitioner ever since. The course ran for two years part-time, and much of the first year was teaching the spatial design basics that I had learnt as a landscape architecture student, but then the second year taught me a new range of skills which I hadn’t gained on my undergraduate course. Understanding the relationships between buildings, learning about block sizes and basic development economics are all vital tools in urban design, were not on my curriculum as a student of Landscape Architecture. However, I believe that the basic skills and understanding of people, movement, nature and unconfined space is something which underpins good urban design and is at the heart of the Landscape Architect’s toolbox.

In 2008 I wrote an article about collaboration between the professions and in that I spoke of how I see Urban Design as a common language which is spoken by many people across the built environment professions, but not everybody knows or understands it. I think that this still holds true but going forward there will be greater emphasis on trying to break down any language barriers and deeper co-operation between the professions and between the institutes, as perhaps we see a blurring of the traditional professional disciplines. There are now a significant number of people that see themselves first and foremost as Urban Designers, no matter what their original training. They often struggle to find a home in any of the ‘traditional’ institutes, and there is a clear demand for somewhere they can get the professional recognition and support they need. As somebody that sits in this space between Landscape and Urban Design, I am pleased that we are starting to have conversations about how this demand can be met, and I am sure that in the future the relationship between urban design and landscape architecture, and urban designers and landscape architects, will continue to strengthen.

Paul Reynolds is Director of Urben Studio.