I’ve met quite a few. Some know their onions from their oak trees but the majority are honest about how inadequate they feel when faced with a list of Latin names, or when trying to identify species on site. The reason is very simple; no-one taught them, and they didn’t have time to teach themselves. The more experienced they are, the more they have picked up from friendly contractors and nurseries, but this knowledge is very limited. It rarely produces the confidence a designer needs to be creative and find the courage to stray away from very well trodden paths - paths lined with Cotoneaster and Hebes as far as the eye can see.
They should know, though. Any designer needs to understand the material they are working with. Imagine a fashion designer who doesn’t understand the properties of fabrics, or an aircraft designer hazy on the details of aluminium. The result of this sorry state of affairs is urban design overwhelmingly dominated by the materials they do understand; granite, steel and concrete. This happens even though we know how universally beneficial urban plants are in all kinds of practical and psychological ways (more of which in future posts).
Exchange Square Manchester (before the Wheel)
Of course student LAs have a lot to do already. But so they should, they are training for a professional career with massive potential for improving people’s lives. This key field of knowledge has been neglected, but it's the mission of this blog to raise the subject and carry out some thought experiments in urban planting.
Of course student LAs have a lot to do already. But so they should, they are training for a professional career with massive potential for improving people’s lives. This key field of knowledge has been neglected, but it's the mission of this blog to raise the subject and carry out some thought experiments in urban planting.
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