American cities face immense physical, economic, and social problems. While we are concerned about all three, our primary goal is to prepare our students to solve many of the problems of the physical environment. The lack of privacy and adequate open space, deteriorating public facilities, poor maintenance, and visual pollution are distressing realities.
As a professional landscape architect or horticulturist, you can help improve these conditions and create a more livable and beautiful urban environment. This requires creative, high-quality rehabilitation and maintenance of both private landscapes and public open spaces which are so crucial to the quality of urban living A vigorous urban landscape improves comfort, pleasure, and privacy by providing cooling shade and increased oxygen and by reducing pollutants.
Other benefits are an enhanced sense of order and beauty. Contact with nature is recognized as a basic human need, and the urban landscape often provides the only opportunity for residents to have that contact. Intelligent planning and management of streets, walkways, plazas, parks, and play areas can provide high-quality recreation space for all ages, as well as places for social interaction and celebration.
As a landscape architect, you will work closely with planners, architects, and engineers to address the total urban environment, including buildings, open spaces, and areas for pedestrian and vehicular movement. As a horticulturist, you will be responsible for constructing, planting, and maintaining the urban landscape
