‘Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood’
(Daniel Burnham – City Planner, Chicago)

Landscape is an essential component of any planning exercise: and thoughtful designers should listen to what the site is telling them. The existing site characteristics should direct the development; furthermore the pattern of open spaces, streets and public realm should establish the quality and nature of the project; whilst the landscape design should mitigate any environmental impact. Together with architecture, engineering and transportation, the landscape is what makes a good master plan.

I have been contributing to the master planning process in collaboration with other professionals for a number of years, and as the following projects show, the importance of a landscape architect’s approach to the ‘making of a place’ is paramount. It should occur from the beginning with the early conceptual moves and brief development; the opening up the site; the layout of the site uses and open spaces; and the roads and infrastructure. It should then go on to guide the detail nature of the master plan and its components whether it be a leisure resort, a new piece of City, or a village extension.