Living Landscapes

Above is a close-up of balsamroot (Balsamorhize sagittata) in bloom in late April in the Columbia River Gorge.

The choice is ours: We can continue to design static, ecologically dysfunctional landscapes on life support—that may be attractive, but that cost a great deal both to install and to maintain, and that provide very few environmental benefits—or . . . we can create and care for dynamic landscapes that support life, are pleasing to the eye, cost relatively little, and provide a host of environmental benefits.

An information-packed elective that advocates for a LEED-type certification for landscapes.

The course is designed especially for students in the departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, but is open to all.

No prerequisites—although it would be very helpful to have taken the Plants sequence (LA 326-328) or The Nature of Eugene (LA 337).

More than half of the class is spent outside and includes three Saturday-afternoon field trips.

(This page updated 29 September 2023.)