A Case Study Method For Landscape Architecture

Abstract

Case studies are widely used in most professions, including medicine, law, engineering, business, planning, and architecture. This practice is becoming increasingly common in landscape architecture as well. The primmy body of knowledge in landscape architecture is contained in the written and visual documentation—that is, stories—of projects, be it well-known ones such as New York's Central Park, or more modest projects such as a small neighborhood park. Together, these cases provide the primary form of education, innovation, and testing for the profession. They also serve as the collective record of the advancement and development of new knowledge in landscape architecture. This article summarizes a research project commissioned by the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) in 1997 to develop a case study method for landscape architecture. The project concludes that the case study method is a highly appropriate and valuable approach in landscape architecture. This article presents a case study methodology for landscape architecture including its limits and benefits, a suggested methodology and format, and an example case study of Bryant Park in New York City. With increased rigor and funding, the case study method promises to be an increasingly common and effective form of analysis, criticism, and dissemination for landscape architecture research and practice.