Landscape architecture is a multidisciplinary field that is expected to experience growth in the future. Landscape architects design attractive and functional public parks, gardens, play areas, residential areas, university campuses, and public spaces. To become a landscape architect, one must complete an internship at a landscape architecture firm during educational studies and pass the Landscape Architects Registration Exam (LARE). Additionally, they must obtain a certification from the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards.
Alpa Nawre, from ASLA, assistant professor of landscape architecture at Kansas State University, has called on landscape architects to focus their efforts on the developing world. This is due to the fact that most of the current population and most of the future population growth will occur there. Landscape architects have always worked on a wide range of project sizes and scales, from small gardens to large parks and regional urbanization or conservation strategies. Over the next 50 years, landscape architects must coordinate their actions worldwide to combat climate change, help communities adapt to a changing world, offer ingenious and sustainable parks and open spaces to all communities rich or poor, preserve cultural landscape heritage and sustain all forms of life on Earth. ASLA professor emeritus of landscape architecture and planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design has also called on all landscape architects to become more active on an urban and regional scale. The Harvard Department of Landscape Architecture has experienced a political divide due to the loss of interest in the larger landscape and the growing separation between design and planning.
This led to the creation of the first Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the United States. The future of landscape architecture is bright. With the need for new and existing landscapes for commercial, industrial and residential construction projects expected to drive employment growth, there is no doubt that landscape architects will be in high demand. By meeting national requirements and obtaining a license in another state, landscape architects can make a positive impact on their communities by providing attractive and functional public spaces.
