Abstract

Landscape ecology has the potential to help landscape architects take a more holistic approach. Such an approach can simultaneously inform, guide, and inspire designers to create environmentally sustainable landscapes that are also culturally and aesthetically appropriate. This paper examines two potential ways for landscape ecology to advance landscape architecture: (a) by providing a holistic and dynamic framework that contributes to an alternative landscape design (e.g., ecological landscape design); and (b) by establishing scientific knowledge (e.g., landscape heterogeneity, biological and ecological diversity, and ecological networks) that can inform the design process at the local and regional levels.