About This Issue

This issue of Landscape Journal has seven articles, seven book reviews, and one conference review. The first five papers examine landscapes in diverse cultural and ecological contexts. The paper by Itay Porat is a reflective essay, exploring questions about the intersection of landscape and music. Three of the next four articles report on research from Europe and North America. Ludovico Centis offers a historical perspective on the socioecological context that has shaped the iconic lagoon waterfront in Venice, Italy. Chuo Li examines the important role of urban farming in the Vietnamese Village of post‐Katrina New Orleans. Kenneth Hurst and coauthors focus on universal design and present a post‐occupancy evaluation of three playgrounds within parks near Dallas, Texas.

The article by Laura Cipriani and Maria Villalobos presents an international perspective on institutions of higher education that offer landscape architecture degrees. The authors map the spatial distribution of MLA degree programs globally. Case studies of ten MLA programs explore relationships among program location and program design. The authors speculate on how geographic context influences the education and practice of landscape architecture worldwide.

Two articles focus on professional landscape architecture practice within the United States. Robert Ryan presents findings from a pilot study on how ten design firms investigate design questions and construct knowledge that informs their firms’ work. This study was featured in a keynote panel at CELA 23. His research raises intriguing prospects for synergistic collaborations among academics and practitioners in private, public, and nonprofit practice settings. What are the implications for educating future landscape architects?

Landscape Journal welcomes scholarship on the structure and function of the firms, agencies, and non‐profits engaged in land planning, design, or management. Allyson Mendenhall’s “perspectives from practice” essay in this issue describes synergistic collaboration among Sasaki Associates’ landscape architects and ecologists. The firm’s three senior staff featured in this article have expertise in both ecology and landscape architecture.

Taner Ozdil contributes a detailed review of the CELA 22 conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. The spectacular setting, thought‐provoking presentations, and serendipitous conversations made this post‐pandemic conference especially memorable. Landscape Journal published a special issue this past spring on the CELA 22 conference theme: “Evolving Norms.”

Academic conferences are where educators and scholars share research findings, plan future collaborations, and strengthen networks of friends and colleagues. Publishing this scholarship helps to advance disciplinary knowledge and potentially increase its application in professional practice. This journal welcomes conference reviews from other associations as well, including IFLA, ECLAS, EDRA, and IALE, which, like CELA, feature research on the structure, function, and transformation of landscapes across the urban‐rural continuum.

Rounding out this final issue of 2023 are seven reviews of recent books on landscape scholarship. This issue’s book reviewers are Scott Shannon, Mara Miller, Rick Smardon, Richard Hawks, David Jacques, and Theodore Eisenmann.