Fresina, Frances. An Ecological Method For Landscape Architecture

In this reading by Ian Mcharg, ecology is the basis for landscape architecture and regional planning. Nature is a process. One of the first steps of understanding ecology is to understand the history of the place. He goes on to explain that everything in nature builds on itself. Once one has the data the next thing is to interpret that information and propose the future land use. Mapping the data allows for connections to be seen allowing for better land use planning. It allows us to see nature as a process. It also reveals the cause of certain processes. Planning based on natural processes allows for a plan of a large area. This process can be used for regional planning or it can be brought into the city.

From the Ian Mcharg reading the overall topic was the importance of ecology, understanding these processes, and using them to influence the design. Using the knowledge gained from ecological study, one can design a plan for a large-scale area. One needs to take into consideration the ecological aspect of the site to influence a sustainable design. It is also important to understand the history of the site, which is very relevant to Poverty Point. It was interesting to see some of the parts of analysis broken down and then seeing how every little part builds on the other.