In my first semester of college I decided to take landscape architecture to get one of my art credits done. At first, I assumed this would be a snooze-fest that would not require much time or attention. I scheduled it at 9am sharp and for the first week or so I may ort may not have used the course to catch up on some much-needed sleep. However, On the second week I got stuck in traffic and arrived a little late. The only seat available was front and center, staring dead at the professor as he shifted around the stage with his clicker. The lesson he chose for today was called “Planting: The World Over”. To my surprise, I was sitting on the edge of my seat for the next hour and a half!
My professor showed us beautiful foreign cities that utilized every square inch of space to make the scene as vibrant as they could. Sidewalks lined with shrubbery in the shape of animals, people, and deities as detailed as a statue. Every public garden had fountains surrounded by color. Buildings were covered in flowing vines. My professor would go slide by slide, explaining how he scrimped and saved every penny during his own years in college just to take these very pictures from around the world. He visited all over South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and so many other gorgeous places I never took any interest in before this class. He explained that, while there is much great history and natural splendor to visit in the U.S., many other country’s geography forced them to use much less space and recourses to achieve some incredible feats.
Admittedly, I was jealous to see how open even the biggest of cities in Europe were to pedestrians. It seemed like the engineers and landscape architects took great pride the world over in ensuring a pleasant experience for people. People were the first and foremost priority. Aesthetically pleasing gardens in every commons area, parks for children and art pieces for the adults: I can say without a doubt that travel has finally made its way onto my bucket list.
I wanted to leave off with this picture, the last slide of “The World Over” lecture. It really illustrates how, with too much focus on what is good for cars, business, and efficiency, we kind of lose a sense of what looks good, what is in the public’s interest, and what you would want to bring your kids to see. I would love to see a push towards taking back some of Main Street from cars and using our space in ways that make our cities look alive!
Thanks for reading, Have a blessed day!
