Making Space
Landscape Architecture is playing an increasingly central role in the development and redevelopment of the built environment. This places the consideration of the landscape and landscape related ideas in a leading position. Projects from around the world demonstrate how making space for landscape happens in a diversity of settings and contexts. In all of the projects presented a thread of commonality runs through: the leadership of landscape architects in the creation of new spatial situations.
Landscape Architects Needed More Than Ever
The landscape architect fulfills an integrating role that translates long-term tasks necessitated by climate change into concrete and appealing visions for the future. This is especially true in the Netherlands. Authors: Adam Hofland, Arjen Meeuwsen
Branding the Park
How the High Line and the East River Waterfront Esplanade changed the development model for public space in New York City. Author: Kelsey Campbell Dollaghan
Railroad Park: Magic in the Heart of the City
The new park on a railroad viaduct in Birmingham, Alabama, is an example of successful revitalization. Residents hope that it could accelerate the city’s renewal. Author: Birgit Kibelka
Tempelhofer Freiheit – Interim Use as a Vision
“Planning is a dialogue” is the maxim for the development of the former Berlin Tempelhof Airport into a park. Through active engagement with the park, local residents are playing an essential role in the overall process. The flexible framework for this method was devised by landscape architects. Author: Susanne Isabel Yacoub
The Isar River in Munich: Return of the Wilderness
For decades the Isar River flowed through Munich as a channelized work of engineering. With its redevelopment now complete, this wild river has been tamed and now restored. It has become a part of urban life once more. Author: Thomas Armonat
Leidsche Rijn: Designing with Landscape and the Politics of Process
For over 15 years an interdisciplinary planning team has worked on the masterplan of Leidsche Rijn, a new town adjacent to Utrecht. A careful regard for landscape, design and cooperation are characteristic of the process. Author: Leena Cho
Green Rays in Milan
Since 2005, landscape architects have been working on a green vision for the Italian city of Milan. The first section, near the cathedral in the city center, has now become a reality. Authors: Andreas Kipar, Valeria Pagliaro
Daring Down the Plastic River in Jakarta
A research team from Zurich and Singapore is using methods from landcape architecture to revitalize the Ciliwung River in the megacity Jakarta. Authors: Christophe Girot, Jörg Rekittke
Making Space in New York
The Language of Landscape: Landscape typologies as an engine for urban transformations in the recent work of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Author: Matthew Urbanski
Think Big, Birds First
In China, landscape architecture often involves working within a large-scale framework. During the creation of Tieling New Town’s central landscape system and Lotus Lake National Wetland Park ecological thinking was central to the planning and design process. Author: Xiaodi Zheng
Stormwater Park For a Water Resilient City: Qunli National Urban Wetland
The landscape architecture firm Turenscape developed national Ecological Security Patterns for all of China. Out of this research they designed many stormwater parks for cities all over the country. An example is the Stormwater Park in Haerbin City. Author: Kongjian Yu
Paddington Reservoir: A new public space for Sydney
A focus on design and reuse turned the former Paddington Reservoir into an outstanding park – an urban counterpoint to the city’s range of harbourside landscapes. Author: Scott Hawken
Paradox City: Emerging From Swampy Ground
Most spaces aren’t precisely defined, are not simply objects or landscapes. Hybridity and change are the key words that describe many areas. The concept Paradox City tries to work with these challenges. Author: Jorg Sieweke
Let Us Reevaluate the Landscape
Since 2002 Topos has been giving the Topos Landscape Award to young and upcoming landscape architects. Initially firms were awarded that had made a special contribution to the development of design within the profession, but the 2011 award and its winner Antje Stokman mark a turning point towards those who are able to get things rolling in view of the complex challenges of environmental planning. Author: Special Section by Antje Stokman, Topos Landscape Award winner 2011
