For this assignment, you will select a major issue of relevance to landscape management to research throughout the semester. In two separate submissions, you’ll develop a well‐structured essay outlining the issue, discussing it from various perspectives to answer these questions:
- How does (your issue, program or initiative) relate to landscape management and to the practice of landscape architecture?
- What are the principles that must be articulated and actions that must be taken to address the challenges and opportunities associated with (the issue, program or initiative)?
Research is integral to the practice, profession and discipline of landscape architecture. The ability to locate and select relevant information about designed landscapes and issues pertinent to contemporary practice is an important attribute in our information rich environment. The scholarly practice of research is also central to the aims and mission of UNSW. Specifically, this assignment relates to the course aims by assessing your ability:
- to understand that landscape management—like landscape design—is an intentional, cultural activity related to looking after designed landscapes and natural ecosystems that are continually changing
- to deepen your knowledge of contemporary approaches to sustainable and resilient landscape design and management
- to research and synthesise information and construct a coherent analysis of a topic of personal interest current significance to landscape
Responding to the feedback and suggestions received on your draft essay proposal, the final draft of your research essay will be submitted before the start of Week 13. The essay will include:
- an evocative title that expresses a key idea or argument of your essay
- well‐developed topic and clearly presented stance on the issue(s) that answers the two main questions
- clear and coherent essay structure
- 100% correct in‐text referencing and listing of references (minimum of 10) using the Harvard style
- a Word or pdf document with tables, photos, diagrams, integrated into the text; all sources correctly cited
- 2000 words, in
Upload your proposal in a Word or pdf document to Moodle via Turnitin in Sunday, 28 May by 11.59pm. Feedback will be available to you after Week 15.
The following Assessment Rubric will be used to assess each of the phases of the Research Essay:
|
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
Fail (FL) not satisfactory performance |
Pass (PS) satisfactory performance |
Credit (CR) good performance |
Distinction (DN)
superior performance |
High Distinction (HD)
Outstanding performance |
| THEME The topic of theme is clearly understood; key words, frameworks have been addressed, interpreted and referenced correctly | |||||
| SYNTHESIS
Demonstration of ability to locate, synthesise and interpret ideas from a range of sources, including readings and case studies; linking the ideas to landscape architecture practice and guest presentations, where relevant |
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| ORIGINALITY
Identifies current thinking on the topic and provides new insights, and/or further perspectives on the issues; for example, relating to class discussions and guest presentations |
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| COMMUNICATION
Essay well structured, correct length; text clearly and fluently written, uses in‐ text referencing as per the Harvard style; no typos, misspellings; attractively presented with illustrations integrated with the text and correctly sourced; title page |
Suggested topics/topic areas to consider for Research Essay assignment
- Bushfire—as a management strategy; planning/design to mitigate bushfire dangers
- Case study of a specific ‘landscape management’ project (not one already covered in any group projects)
- Urban ecology—What is it? How does it relate to landscape architecture?
- The 100 Resilient Cities Initiative
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Urban greenspace and metropolitan planning
- Healthy cities—planning and design for…
- Urban agriculture
- Community gardens
- Cultural values and landscape management—eg. how attitudes toward nature influence human activity
- Detailed review of individual designers or practices, as they relate to landscape management approaches
- Water sensitive urban design (WSUD)
- Street tree planning and management
- Nature strips/green verges for biodiversity or food production
- Green roofs/green walls—city policies to encourage implementation; research on their contribution to mitigating against UHI
- Rating tools—eg. Green Star Communities, SITES,
- Recyling materials—their use in contemporary landscape architectural design projects (eg Julie Bargmann’s projects)
- Phytoremediation—what is it? when/where is it effective?
- Urban forests—Australian city policies
- Urban food systems
- New technologies and landscape management—eg. drones for mapping, monitoring, dispersing seed; apps for the community to use to document street trees; robots…!
- Specifics of soil remediation
- Bush regeneration—for ecological restoration, and also as a social initiative
- “Rewilding” urban areas for increased biodiversity…
- Community consultation and landscape management
- National Parks and recreation areas
- Indigenous culture and landscape management
…and many more possibilities! You are not required to select your topic from this list.
