WEEK04

Foreseeing the Future

The instructor shared in class about the future trends in the landscape industry and the skill points that need to be in place. Combined with my own internship experience and exchanges with professionals, I deeply feel that the landscape profession is always updating and iterating its own knowledge system and needs to go on learning. I have heard from professionals that the government is focusing more and more on data indicators, hoping to confirm the performance of the landscape through quantification. This is not the same as the previous romanticization of landscape, and new tools, such as calculators, need to be used to assess the carbon absorption effect of a park.

In mainland China, sponge city regulations have been issued, so storm water mitigation is now a necessary specialization in landscape design. This involves new tools for low impact development, such as rain gardens, bioswales, and calculations related to stormwater runoff control rates.