A Survey of Resources for Teaching Nature‐Based Solutions in Landscape Architecture Curricula

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, landscape architects have begun collaborating with engineers to evolve and refine the application of nature‐based design ideas like blue‐green infrastructure (BGI) and low impact development (LID) strategies. In the decades that followed, landscape architecture education has embraced the teaching of nature‐based solutions in design and construction studios. Although an array of resources is available to support this area of education, little is known about which BGI and LID topics faculty are emphasizing in their courses and what resources they are using to teach them. This study presents the results of a survey sent to faculty in the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in 2023 to gather information about resources used to teach BGI and LID elements such as green roofs, rain gardens, bioretention swales and basins, and porous pavements. The survey results unveil the strengths and gaps in current resources used to teach nature‐based solutions in landscape architecture courses. We offer suggestions for the development of new teaching resources to help meet the changing demands of landscape architecture education.