In memory of the lives that were lost, saved, and changed forever in the attacks on September 11, 2001, here is a review of Bill Thompson’s recently published book, From Memory to Memorial: Shanksville, America, and Flight 93. Thank you, Lisa Horne, for this review
(more…)Book review
‘Therapeutic Gardens’ – Book review by Lisa Horne
September 8, 2016
Collaborative and Compassionate Design – Guest post & book review by Lisa Horne of Therapeutic Gardens: Design for Healing Spaces
Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World
June 2, 2015
Wait. Take a deep breath. Before you throw your hands up in hopeless despair that the world is coming to a quick and ugly end, I have a book for you to read. Jared Green, author of Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World (Princeton Architectural Press) asked 80 global leaders who shape our built environment (architects, urban planners, landscape architects, journalists, artists, and environmental leaders) the question, “What gives you hope that a sustainable future is possible?” Each one-page answer, illustrated with an image on the opposite page, is thought-provoking, informative, and inspiring.
In the introduction, Green says his book “represents the collective wisdom of a hive mind.” And it really does. With my particular interest in landscapes for health and healthcare, I especially enjoyed John Cary’s “Butaro Hospital” and Tim Beatley’s “Koo Teck Puat Hospital.” (Full disclosure, I also have an excerpt in the book, about Central Park as an ideal example of “nearby nature”). While all of the essays resonated with me in one way or another, a few stand out: Janine Benyus’ “Termite Mounds,” Jeff Stein’s “City Repair,” John Peterson’s “Holding Pattern,” Janet Echelman’s “Park(ing) Day,” and J. Meejin Yoon’s “The Lightning Field.”
Green tell us that “We can’t give up yet.” He also says,
And reading through all the answers, I thought again that hope is perhaps the most valuable currency we have, as it motivates all our actions–from creating a world-changing new technology to preserving a beloved old building or town or square to protecting a threatened community or ecosystem. We have the answers.
The book is a really good read, and designers will appreciate it for the aesthetics as well–not what you’d usually think of for the beach, but pack it along, you won’t be disappointed.
The Nature Principle – Guest book review by Lisa Horne
December 14, 2012
And while we are in book mode…
Lisa Horne’s review of Richard Louv‘s newest book, The Nature Principle was first posted on The Field, ASLA’s (American Society of Landscape Architects) Professional Practice Network blog. Which, if you haven’t checked it out, is worth a look, and even a bookmark. Lisa and ASLA were kind enough to allow the TLN to share the review here:
Seven years ago, Richard Louv coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. He is now giving us possibilities to move beyond it in The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder. While the first book looked at nature’s absence from children’s daily lives, the second recognizes that the need for nature extends to all of us. The Nature Principle, as articulated by Louv, provides that nature is crucial for humans to be healthy—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
A strong thread of hope and optimism runs through these pages. Louv notes that arguments for environmental change have run from a first generation warning of catastrophe to a second generation argument of economic benefits to a third generation assertion that the environment impacts our well-being (Louv 284). Another unique concept he identifies is the value of human energy. Designers often think in terms of energy efficiency, but the human spirit renewed and refreshed by nature brings energy into a system as well.