Public Practice Data Collection

GIS - Mapping, Surveys, Record Reviews, Site Condition Assessment (Grading and Drainage, Erosion, Circulation, Climatic Conditions)

ASLA 2018 Professional Analysis and Planning Honor Award. Iowa Blood Run Cultural Landscape Master Plan. Lyon County, IA. Quinn Evans Architects. Client: Iowa Department of Natural Resources, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist, and the Lyon County Conservation Board.

Quinn Evans Architects

Data collection and analysis are common components of landscape architectural projects. Tasks may include assessing physical features and boundaries, topography, ecological conditions, climate data, hydrologic data, historic and cultural resources, socio-economic context, utility systems and other infrastructure, land use and zoning, and applicable laws and regulations.

ASLA 2015 Professional Analysis and Planning Honor Award. Dallas Connected Cities. Dallas, TX. Mia Lehrer + Associates (MLA). Client: City of Dallas.

OMA / MIA LEHRER + ASSOCIATES

Public practice landscape architects are responsible for gathering and managing data for use on projects, as well as operations and maintenance of facilities. As public agency representatives, they are charged with responsibly using data. Gathering reliable and comprehensive data is essential for elected officials and agency leaders to make informed decisions and be accountable to the communities they serve. Activities may include:

  • Planning initial data collection and verifying information
  • Creating and maintaining project databases with computer software and project files
  • Conducting community surveys to gather input on project goals and objectives, community needs and expectations, plans, and project proposals
  • Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze data using maps, create computer visualizations, and model existing and future conditions
  • Understanding community demographics using data from the US Census
  • Documenting the condition and assessing the value of publicly owned assets to inform program budgets for maintenance and capital investments

Keep Exploring Public Practice Landscape Architecture

Aerial drawing of the reimagined brownfield site known as the Lafitte Greenway

Guide to Public Practice Landscape Architecture

What is public practice landscape architecture? The not-for-profit enterprise whose mission is to design, implement, and manage functional, liveable, safe, and attractive places for the public, often developed with a larger social objective in mind—community gathering, preservation/acknowledgement of history/place, environmental resilience, and economic vitality.

Engagement facilitated conversation among residents and community members through sketching

Public Communications

Initiatives, Presentations, Media Relations, Progress Reporting, Public Education

Contract Administration

Procurement Proposals, Bid Documents, Advertising, Negotiations, Grants/Funding, Scope-of-work Refinement, Budgets, Billing

Design

Drive design vision, advocate for landscape architecture components, create design standards, direct design processes

Engagement

Political Bodies, Stakeholders, Owners, Community Interest Groups, Programming, Inter-Organizational Relations

Project Management

Synthesize project components, Resolve project-wide issues, Quality Assurance, Construction document review, Budget and project expenditure monitoring, Process and permit administration

Aerial View of the Eastern End of Orange Mall

Public Asset Management

Inspections, Maintenance, Stewardship, Health & Safety, Inventories, Acquisitions & Agreements

Enhanced pathways traverse the Penn and Fountain Landfills, which rise 130 feet above Jamaica Bay.

Regulation & Compliance

Public Policy Development, Ordinances, Development Standards & Guidelines, Zoning Review, Permitting, Specifications

Representation

Coordination, Collaboration, Team Leadership, Subject Matter Expertise, Agency Liaison, Task Force Member, Public Guardian

Academic researchers meet with a firm liaison to discuss a research project

Research & Documentation

Precedent/Benchmark/Case Studies, Historical Record Review, Preservation Studies, Informational Resources