Land and Community Design Case Study Series

A case study is a well-documented and systematic examination of the process, decision-making and outcomes of a landscape project or issue that can inform future practice, policy, theory and/or education.

- Mark Francis, "A Case Study Method for Landscape Architecture," 1999

The Landscape Architecture Foundation's Land and Community Design Case Study Series consists of analytical publications by contemporary scholars and practitioners about topical issues and actual places in which design offers holistic solutions to economic, social, and environmental challenges. The goal of the series is to provide a legacy of rigorous, in-depth research and critical thinking that will advance enlightened planning and development in the classroom, in practice, and in policy.

As one of its highest priorities, LAF is developing the Land and Community Design Case Studies Series to show how design provides holistic solutions to economic, social and environmental problems and to meet the following objectives:

• to meet the public's demand for more livable communities and improved environmental preservation and protection
• to inform public policy and support community and environmental advocates
• to enhance the skill and knowledge base of the planning and design professions

To achieve broad coverage and maximum impact, the series is based on a comprehensive framework of three unique study types: 1) issue-based case studies, 2) site-based case studies, and 3) hypothetical case studies for teaching. By using this three-prong approach, LAF hopes to provide professionals and their clients with timely information on emerging issues and innovative projects, and to integrate the case study method into design education, thereby training current and future designers and policymakers with a systematic documentation and research method.

Reviews

Landscape Architecture, March 2004

"The Landscape Architecture Foundation has embarked on a noble mission to demonstrate design and planning's ties to the quality of human activity and to the natural environment. The [series] has an ambitious goal: to disseminate lessons learned from key projects and issues so that practitioners, governments, and the public may better protect natural resources, design landscapes, and foster sustainable communities. Presented in a highly illustrative format, the case studies serve as good educational primers for the public, and they will make good teaching tools.

Environmental Building News, February 2004

"Village Homes: A Community by Design is a real gem, and it does contribute significantly to the already extensive body of literature about this landmark community in Davis, California. This is a great resource, and we look forward to future titles in the series."

 

Journal of the American Planning Association, Autumn 2004

"The books are richly illustrated, and provide concise treatments of their topics in a straightforward manner that will benefit a broad audience including policymakers, design and planning professionals, students, and educators."