Landscape Architects as Stewards of the Land

The term “blue sky” is used with two parallel meanings. The term is used when discussing the value of a business, such as a landscape architecture consulting firm.4 Blue sky refers to non-physical values or worth of a firm, such as reputation. The reputation of the firm grows as clients and potential clients view the quality of a firm’s designs, the value added of these designs contributing to the increased worth of a built property, due to the quality of the landscape design. Blue sky can also include how reputable and ethical are members of a design firm (the owners and principals). Are the word and ethical conduct of members of a firm reliable? Is the firm to be trusted? The question of trustworthiness is particularly important when the landscape architect takes on the responsibility of representing the client during the administration of a construction contract or appearing before a government board for some legal or administrative matter such as a zoning application.

Other words and terms and their meaning will come to your attention as you advance in your academic studies and continue in the profession. Words are important and one learns that choosing the right or best word can make a difference in achieving effective communication skills, both in writing and speaking.

Those who choose landscape architecture as their profession, generally have an affinity with, certainly an appreciation of, nature. This appreciation of nature is manifested in two ways: (1) valuing the natural environment; and (2) assuming a professional responsibility caring for or acting as a steward for the land and its natural elements. Stewardship is a basic tenet that has been institutionalized by landscape architects in America through their national professional organization: the American Society of Landscape Architects. The mantle of steward of the landscape is a legacy that can be attributed to Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted was instrumental in persuading the U.S. Congress to designate Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, as public reserves. The action of setting aside and therefore preserving large tracts of wild lands later resulted in establishing the U.S. National Park Service. For Olmsted, his agrarian roots reinforced by his altruistic endeavors early in his career,5 guided his later work of creating public parks and designing new communities. These works, beginning with the design of New York’s Central Park, were informed by his sense of improving the lives and health of people these places served. His approach to design began with what we today call a site analysis: a thorough investigation of site conditions, including topography and land form, soils, vegetation, and other physical features of the landscape. His understanding of a site gained from the site analysis served as the framework for subsequent design decisions. Olmsted was greatly influenced by the works of early landscape designers in England such as Capability Brown and Humphry Repton, whose works he visited during his travels in England prior to his commission to design Central Park in New York with his partner, the architect Calvert Vaux.