Landscape architects and urban designers engage critically with the landscape and its processes.
Through analysis, research and design they seek to protect and enhance the cultural and ecological resources of the site.
Design is a process of active involvement with place making; the design process seeks to make visible the various forces acting in and on site, to understand and manipulate what is occurring there and so arrive at a design outcome that is responsive as much, if not more, to the spaces between than any point within the landscape.
In design for the public realm, landscape architecture and urban design bring an important critical awareness to site use and redesign, acting on a scale that is beyond the object and is concerned with force and activity, attempting to create functional connections.
Quality landscape architecture begins at the very beginning of new works, before decisions of placement and form have been solidified. It must be engaged at the front of the place-making process.
The design process unfolds slowly, requiring commitment from all parties – clients, the public and users. It must be resourced fully – both time and money are necessary to obtain top quality new, critical design outcomes.
