For most people, the image that first comes to mind upon mentioning the words “landscape architecture” is that of a well-manicured lawn or a beautiful garden. People make immediate assumptions that this field is more concerned about ways through which people could achieve attractive gardens or lush green spaces that could add value to a place’s façade. However, while the beautification of cityscapes is one of its purposes, the field is about more than just that. From preventing soil erosion to promoting the benefits of clean air on the human body, landscape architecture is a truly essential field, especially for those living in a metropolis.
Before you start looking for a landscape architect in Spokane, here are some of the advantages that the domain of landscape architecture brings to urban areas.
Increase in aesthetic value
A lot of people consider landscape architecture as a means to beautify or create green spaces in urban concrete jungles. After all, urban areas are, more often than not, concrete jungles where there are buildings and concrete as far as the eye could see. Through landscape architecture, citizens of a city center could fill their area with picturesque community parks, urban forests, and other green spaces that could serve as a refuge to the weary where they could spend their free time in rest and relaxation.
Promoting sustainability
Aside from its aesthetic benefits, landscape architecture offers a way through which areas could be responsive to the environment and even contribute to the development of healthy societies. Pieces of land that undergo developments for sustainability can sequester carbon, prevent soil erosion around buildings or other highly developed areas, increase energy efficiency, and even restore habitats for wildlife in the area. It also provides means through which stormwater runoff could be cleaned by filtering pollutants, encouraging more supply of groundwater, protection from flooding, as well as improving air quality. In addition, sustainable landscapes also create value in an area by bringing significant environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Spending more time with nature
Several studies have already been conducted showing the health benefits that come when humans with commune with nature. Because of our instincts, we feel better when we spend time surrounded by green spaces. People who are suffering from illnesses, stress, or even trauma could spend time in quiet contemplation in gardens or be taken to the woods or the mountains to recuperate faster. Landscape architecture offers a way to bring the benefits of the wilderness to cities through community parks and other green spaces.
A multi-disciplinary field, landscape architecture incorporates various disciplines such as horticulture, fine arts, botany, architecture, soil sciences, industrial design, civil engineering, geography, ecology, and even environmental psychology. From creating public parks to designing urban forests, landscape architects have a wide range of projects and activities to do. Such projects lead to a variety of benefits to stakeholders like promoting sustainability for different landscapes, allowing people to reap the advantages to their health of spending more time surrounded by nature and increasing the aesthetic value of properties especially in those urban areas enclosed by a sea of concrete.