Expanding the Scope of Landscape Design: People, Ecology, & Time 33rd Annual Landscape Symposium

Landscape designers who successfully employ an ecology-based approach typically draw from a variety of sources. The inextricable link between people and ecology only increases the need to broaden the investigative lens. Join us as we explore the integration of “ecology-based” design with “people-based” factors, including the lingering effects of historic land use and the need to accommodate diverse cultural perspectives on the meaning of “ecology”.

Module 3:  Ecology and Landscape Design:  A Reciprocal Relationship

Flowers, Insects, and People: Stewarding an Ancient Mutualism through Greenspace Design
Douglas Sponsler, PhD
Together, flowering plants and flower-visiting insects make up a third of the Earth’s species. In this talk, we
will trace the relationship between flowers and insects from its ancient origins to its modern application in
greenspace design. Along the way, we will explore the ecological and philosophical basis for understanding
greenspace design as an act of radical stewardship.

Ecology-Based Landscape Design:  A Collaborative Effort
Barbara Wilks, FASLA, FAIA;  Steven Handel, PhD
Landscape professionals working on public landscapes are increasingly attempting to make ecological improvements in conjunction with their practical, aesthetic, and cultural design enhancements. Landscape architect Barbara Wilks and ecologist Steven Handel have collaborated
on numerous projects over the past ten years. They will review their collaborative design process through a series of public park projects where ecological structure and function were a significant part of the design approach.  They will conclude with a conversation on the nuts and
bolts of their Eco-Design collaboration.