No comments about Greater Perfections: The Practice of Garden Theory (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture).

1 comments about Canyon Gardens: The Ancient Pueblo Landscapes of the American Southwest.

1. I'm a trained archaeologist and worked in the field for many years. I learned much from this book, including some things that I had never even imagined. Well done -- easy to read.

No comments about The Edwardian Garden.

1 comments about Color in Your Garden.

1. I have pored over the pages of this book and learned volumes from it. Hobhouse's discussion of color theory and its relationship to the garden is a revelation, and her suggestions and illustrations of garden companions are inspirational. When you get serious about designing your borders, this is essential reading.

No comments about Kerr's Cost Data for Landscape Construction: 1994 Unit Prices for Site Development (Landscape Architecture).

1 comments about Industrial Ruins: Space, Aesthetics and Materiality.

1. A work of unremitting genius, by the foremost scholar of our age. Insightful and informative, this original masterpiece should be owned by every household.

3 comments about Security and Site Design: A Landscape Architectural Approach to Analysis, Assessment and Design Implementation.

1. Frankly I was disappointed in this book. Its emphasis on landscape only doesn't mean that all the same information isn't already to be found in other sources on building security. Although the authors relish the information on the power of differing explosions, there's not a lot of technical information on actually countering them. Vehicle delivered bomb blasts are pretty much it for the threats considered. And the suggested responses are predictable ones already seen around government buildings. This book might be useful if you have never considered the subject at all; otherwise it's not.



2. Today's discussions of the public realm seem dominated by the idea of threat - whether natural or man-made. As designers we have an obligation to respond both to public concerns and to our professional charge of creating dynamic and vital spaces. But how do we create these spaces, and integrate security measures so they're not rendered as arrays of bollards, streetlamps, and planters?
   
   I was pleased to find Security and Site Design to help guide my questions on this issue. Where we as a culture quickly become absorbed in escalating levels of fear, the authors, Hopper and Droge, outline a basic plan for integrating our concerns into our designs. Of particular note is their emphasis that not all potential threats can be nullified through design. In fact, our public places would no longer be the civic spaces they were meant to be if we were to cater solely to our worst fears. I found in their writing a delicate balance between designing to a reasonable threat level and maintaining our professional charge of creating "a sense of place".
   
   The book outlines through examples and numerous case studies the basic physical areas where one can have the greatest influence in terms of security: street, parking lane, sidewalk, building yard, building perimeter, and building interior. Although I was admittedly dismayed to find out at what distance my body would completely disintegrate if standing near a truck bomb, I appreciated the fact that frank discussions about threats and their relative likelihood were contextualized in the practical issues of design decisions that have to be made.
   
   Hopper and Droge do not purport to have all the answers, pointing out that the field of security design is still in its infancy and holds the potential for many technical and programmatic innovations to be made. For better or worse, it looks like we'll be exploring the topic for a long time to come.



3. A very good basic resource for understanding what 'physical security' is about and how it can be combined with landscape design to look good and include public amenities. The best section is the collection of case studies of how it has been done well already, such as at official public buildings and public streetscapes. There's a good synopsis of the book on the NJ landscape architecture assoc. (...)

No comments about Gardens Of Philadelphia.

No comments about Two Brazilian Capitals: Architecture and Urbanism in Rio De Janeiro and Bras-Ilia.

2 comments about The Gardens of William Morris.

1. Excellent book! Delivered as described. Thank you!



2. I loved this book. It demonstrated for me the real "art" of gardening. William Morris was a clever and far sighted man who advocated staying within the parameters of nature and natural beauty when making gardens. He also perpetuated the "garden room" theme which has been enormously popular since the eighteeth century. I refer to this book continuously and strive to design and construct garden rooms in my own garden which are as beautiful.