The month of April has plenty to celebrate, including National Landscape Architecture Month. As a profession that greatly influences and impacts community planning, we took some time with WakeUP Board Member, Jon Blasco, a local Landscape Architect at WithersRavenel, to get a better understanding of the role this work plays in community development.
What is a Landscape Architect?
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Landscape Architects describes landscape architects as design professionals who make our communities better places to live, work and play by designing healthy, safe, and beautiful outdoor spaces for everyone through the blending of art and science. In addition, we strive to protect our environment through the use of sustainable design. We do a delicate dance every day by balancing our contributions to the built environment with embracing the natural environment.
What educational and professional background is required to be a landscape architect?
Landscape architects come from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. While many find their way to the profession through horticulture, environmental sciences, and design and engineering (architecture and/or civil engineering) many more come from a whole host of other backgrounds. I think the diversity of the people and the perspectives is what makes this profession so great.
In order to be called a landscape architect in the state of North Carolina:
- Degree – First, you must earn a degree from an accredited landscape architecture school, whether through a bachelor’s program or a master’s program. Landscape architecture is my second profession so I went to graduate school for my masters. There are routes to a license without having to attend an accredited school, but it requires additional work experience and a petition to the licensing board.
- Experience – After you earn your degree, then you need to practice under a licensed landscape architect for at least four years.
- Exam – All landscape architects must pass a national 4-part exam that tests knowledge of project and contract management, analysis and design, and construction detailing and management – all with a focus on health, safety, and welfare. Some states require an additional exam section, such as a plant identification or irrigation design.
- Licensure – Obtaining your license is critical to working and practicing. Most large scale projects require plans to be sealed and signed by a licensed landscape architect in order to be permitted and built. Those who have not been licensed can work in the field as long as they work under a licensed LA, but they cannot use the term landscape architect, nor can they seal and sign plans for construction.
- Continuing Education – In order to maintain your license, you need to complete continuing education throughout your career, with specific requirements varying by state (North Carolina is 10 hours / year).
How does landscape architecture help communities?
Landscape architects design many of the public spaces in a community. If we’re doing our job right, we are blending science and art to create comfortable spaces for people to enjoy. Sometimes that means designing the subdivision you live in, the pedestrian experience in your favorite section of downtown, the park your kids play in, the greenway you bike on, or the plaza where you take photos after the big game. Our goal is to create outdoor spaces for all people to gather and come together.
In addition, we think about how to protect our environment (even while providing access to it). How do we protect our rivers and streams? How do we protect sensitive ecological habitats? How do we improve our stormwater management systems? What design solutions can we implement that help foster climate resiliency? And how can we do all of this in a meaningful and beautiful way? These are things that I am constantly thinking about in my work. And if I am doing all of this, I am helping the communities in which I work.
How long do projects typically take, start to finish?
It all depends on the project. Some can take a couple weeks while others can take several years. Most of the projects I work on take years to be fully realized. I work in the public realm helping local municipalities design parks and other public facilities. It’s common for the design and permitting process to take 12-18 months and for the construction process to take anywhere from 4-12 months depending on the size of the project.
The firm I work for designs residential subdivisions and these can take upwards of 10 years to fully realize. Often it can take up to two years to get through initial design and rezoning, another year or two to complete full construction documents and permitting and then another several years to finish construction. From the time you hear about a new development at Planning Commission or Town Council, it could be another year before they break ground on construction and then another year before the first house goes up.
One of the biggest factors in a project’s timeline is permitting. It’s common for even the simplest of projects to take 2-3 months to get permitted by the municipality. Bigger and more complex projects can take up to 18 months to navigate the design and permitting process. And the more complex the project, the more review agencies that are involved. Some of the various permitting agencies include local jurisdictions, NCDOT, US Army Corps of Engineers, and NC Department of Environmental Quality. Navigating this process can be daunting!
What are some of your favorite projects that you have been involved with in Wake County?
- Number 1 has to be Coaches Corner, the plaza outside of NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum with the statue of Jimmy V and other important coaches. This was my first real project after earning my LA degree (and first of several NC State projects). How cool to work on the NC State campus and to create such a special place for so many people!
- The playground at Harris Lake County Park. My coworker and I came up with some fun and unique ideas to expand the playground beyond just the traditional play equipment. It’s always fun to visit the park and see kids playing on the mound and crawling through the tunnel. I am lucky enough to be currently working on more improvements at the park.
- I’ve worked with the City of Raleigh to help connect communities to the greenway system. The trails may be short, but they are important for providing access to such an amazing system.
- This is an odd one, but something I am very proud of … I have been involved with and led the site design for the solid waste convenience centers at North Wake and South Wake Landfills (where you drop off your recycling and junk from your garage). Who would have ever thought an LA would be the one to design these facilities?! These sites may not be sexy, but they provide an important service for our community where safety and flow are of utmost importance. We were lucky to have a great client who understands the importance of design and making these industrial spaces usable and attractive (the planting plan at South Wake Landfill is more elaborate than most of my park planting plans!).
How can residents have an impact on their community planning?
If residents want to have an impact on community planning, they need to get involved at the local level:
- The easiest way to be involved is to attend Planning Commission and Town Council meetings where projects are often discussed and approved. These are great opportunities to learn about what is happening in your community and to learn about the municipal planning process, which can be foreign to most. These meetings are also good opportunities to provide feedback on the projects through public comment.
- Nearly every city and town has a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and a Comprehensive Plan. Start by reading these documents and understanding their purpose. These documents guide how a city or town develops and often are the basis for planning decisions. A comprehensive plan provides the long-term vision for community growth while the UDO sets the minimum standards for development today.
- If a resident is motivated, they can apply to serve on various town and city boards, including planning commission, board of adjustment, parks & rec advisory board, and others. Boards are a great way to get involved without having to campaign for or feel the burden of an elected position. Most boards are composed of community volunteers with various areas of expertise, and not necessarily expertise in planning or development.
- In addition to being involved with boards, I would encourage residents to attend community engagement sessions that are held for various projects, whether that be for a new comprehensive plan, a BRT corridor study, or a new city park. Attend the meetings, review the planning documents and provide feedback. And encourage your neighbors and friends to attend as well. Getting involved is valuable for you and for the Town. I would say most municipalities and designers truly value the input of the community.
To learn more about ways to get involved in community planning like what Jon listed above, be sure to check out our Community Engagement, In Your Area, and Community Calendar pages on our website.