In the first annual PPN survey back in January 2013, members of ASLA’s Professional Practice Networks (PPNs) were surveyed about their favorite spaces, with questions on the most innovative projects, the best small but mighty spaces, and favorite designed spaces, among others. In 2014, the PPN survey focused on career paths in landscape architecture. Members shared how they first discovered landscape architecture, their favorite cities and regions to work in, and how they keep up with design trends, to name just a few of the topics covered. The next survey’s theme was creativity and what makes for inspired design in landscape architecture, covering everything from where landscape architects go to feel inspired to finding the next big thing.
For 2016, we opened the survey-making process to our PPN leadership, asking each group to contribute one question that would then be shared with all 10,000+ collective PPN members. The key themes, trends, and responses to the survey were originally highlighted in the PPN News section of LAND, and we are sharing that information again here on The Field in case you missed any PPN updates.
Below are a few of the questions included in the 2016 survey. In future posts, we’ll pull out unique responses, summarize trends, and highlight the most popular answers from PPN members.
Children’s Outdoor Environments
What are the most difficult challenges you face when designing for children in outdoor environments?
What do you plan to do this year to positively impact your community?
How did you learn to use most software that you’re currently using for production and visualizations?
If you could go back and change one thing about your MLA or BLA education, what would it be?
What does Environmental Justice mean to you?
How can design and planning be enhanced by integrating culture and history more fully into the process?
What is the most important design element that makes for a successful community?
What’s one epiphany or A-HA! moment you’ve had in a park or public space that changed the way you plan or design?
Sustainable Design & Development
What technical skills do landscape architects need to further develop to compete in the evolving markets of sustainable design and climate resilience?
Why do we need Landscape Architects when there are plenty of Civil Engineers, Garden Designers, Urban Planners, Ecologists, and Architects?
Why does landscape architecture matter in the 21st century?
Women in Landscape Architecture
Many professionals cite the importance of mentorship at different points in their careers. If you have a mentor now, or have had one, name one essential lesson you learned from them.
