Professional development of landscape design
Gardening art in Chinese and western cultures in the agricultural era, geographical concept and land occupation technology in the pre-scientific era (called geomantic omen in China), agricultural and horticultural technology, experience in water conservancy and traffic engineering of different scales, landscape aesthetic art, residential and urban construction technology and concepts, etc. It is a valuable technical and cultural heritage and the source of innovation and development of modern landscape design.
Just as China's arithmetic is not the same as mathematics and acupuncture is not the same as modern medicine, any empirical science or skill originated from the agricultural era has to undergo a process of being thoroughly remoulded with modern science and technology and theoretical methods, so as to better solve the problems in the industrial era, especially the relationship between man and land brought about by urbanization. As early as 1858, olmsted, the father of American landscape design, recognized this point, and insisted on calling his profession landscape architecture, instead of gardening, which was widely used at that time, thus opening up a broad space for the development of landscape design specialty and discipline, which lasted for more than 100 years.
Similarly, the space defined by olmsted for this major and discipline should never be the boundary of the development of landscape design discipline today. As early as the 1960s, Macharg, another leading figure in American landscape design discipline, shouldered the banner of ecological planning in view of the inability of landscape design discipline to deal with urban problems, land use problems and environmental problems at that time, making landscape design discipline once again come to the forefront of saving cities, saving mankind and the earth.
Another century and a half have passed, and the deepening and spreading of urbanization, the change of lifestyle brought by information and network technology and the trend of globalization will all pose new problems and challenges, which will require redefining the connotation and extension of landscape design discipline. Sustainable theory, ecological science, information technology, modern art theory and ideological trend will all provide new solutions and countermeasures for new problems and challenges. We don't need old wine in new bottles, let alone new vinegar in old bottles.
However, no matter how the discipline develops, some fundamental things of landscape design discipline remain unchanged, that is, the ethics of loving land and nature (heaven and earth), humanistic care (people), respect for local culture and history, and awe, belonging and recognition (God) of the land under our feet.