H I S TO R I C A L C O N T E X T O F L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
Later, after World War II, in the 1960s, licensure to practice landscape architecture was established in a few states. Today nearly all states in America and the Canadian provinces require licensure to practice. One is eligible to take a state licensing exam in landscape architecture after meeting two requirements: (1) graduation with an accredited university landscape architecture degree; and (2) serving an apprenticeship period. Licensure is administered by individual states while the exam is a national examination administered by the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Board. Currently there are approximately 80 university programs in North America offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificate programs. Close to all 50 states and Canadian provinces require licensure for an individual or firm to offer professional landscape architect design services. The profession as a distinct discipline was recognized in the United Kingdom and later France, Germany, and the Netherlands in the midtwentieth century. Most other countries in the European Union have subsequently recognized the profession and established university degrees in landscape architecture. Several European countries (Spain and Italy, for instance) are still in the process of considering recognition of landscape architecture as a distinct profession from architecture or engineering. In these countries, architects and in some cases engineers (engineering agronomists) are required to perform the services legally while those who consider themselves landscape architects by education or training must provide their services under the supervision of an architect or engineer. The profession exists in other regions of the world with significant university programs in many countries, particularly in Asia and to a lesser degree in Latin America. While landscape architects are active in many parts of the world, each country and each region have their own history in terms of recognizing these professionals. Keep in mind landscape architecture is a relatively new profession, compared to architecture and engineering. Given the unique set of skills and knowledge base, particularly the emphasis on the incorporation of natural system thinking in the design process, landscape architects are providing a valuable contribution and thus finding acceptance in increasing numbers in other regions of the world. At the end of the twentieth century with the launch of the Le Nôtre initiative, members of the profession in the European Union worked to establish a universal landscape architecture curriculum. The goal of this initiative is to allow anyone who successfully graduates with a degree in landscape architecture to practice in any of the member countries of the European Union. Similarly, other professions (architects, engineers, doctors, to name a few) have established a parallel initiative under the aegis of the European Union.
Historical Overview of Landscape Architecture The term as opposed as to the practice of landscape architecture came into common usage in the twentieth century. The practice of garden, park, and public spaces design, irrespective of what the designers were called (gardeners, horticulturists, and the like) from a Western perspective began symbolically with the Garden of Eden 67
