The Research Connection
Studies shed light on what works in gardens, parks, and other landscapes.

By Jean Marie Cackowski and Sally Augustin

Illustration by William Brown

How can landscape architects inform their planning and design work with what has succeeded and failed for others?

Today, information applicable to design is continually being added to the body of knowledge from research disciplines as diverse as conservation biology, crime prevention through design, wayfinding behavior, and zoo design. Research provides critical information about how environments enhance human health, safety, and productivity. This knowledge can help landscape architects continue to advance beyond an intuitive and anecdotal rationale of what they believe should work and to open up more productive and substantive dialogues with their clients.

The problem, too often, is that research information is difficult to locate and digest-—some of it is published in arcane, hard-to-find journals, while some is available only in conversations with researchers. To help overcome these obstacles, Landscape Architecture, in partnership with the web-based newsletter Research Design Connections, is introducing information gathered from scattered sources and presenting it to readers in an easy-to-read format. This column will report on current research studies of interest to landscape architects and will include references so that interested readers can obtain the studies if they want more in-depth information.

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