Landscape Architecture

With this blog being mainly about recreation activities and legislation I thought I'd explore the design of recreation facilities for my last post.  The field of landscape architecture was born in the late 1800's by a gentleman named Frederick Law Olmsted.  At the time the city of New York City was experiencing a severe case of urban blight and the city commissioners speculated that the cause was a lack of green space and recreation opportunities (The American City).   In an effort to combat this a tract of land was purchased in the middle of town and a park design competition was held.  Olmsted, having little formal training, entered the competition and hired a draftsman to draw the illustrations he had in his head.  Olmsted's design focused heavily on passive recreation, such as reading, sitting, and strolling, incorporating many curvilinear trails and open spaces into the design (Charles Leider, former principle HNTB Design).  Ironically, not being a trained landscape architect, the field had yet to be created, Olmsted won the competition and his design became what is now known as Central Park (Charles Leider).  This first design of Central Park has become the crown jewel of the landscape architecture as the first design and possible one of the most popular ever.

Since that time the field of landscape architecture has blossomed, covering designs from urban planning, to recreation.  Trails and parks are the largest part of the recreation field and firms such as PDG in Tulsa, OK focus on this aspect.  I think many of us take for granted the birthplace of parks and trails, and those who create them.  I know I did, until I began studying the field of landscape architecture, earning a BLA at Oklahoma State University.  Landscape Architects thoroughly enjoy creating recreation opportunities for the public, as we view the design process as a recreation opportunity in itself.