Reflections on landscape - Sheila Harvey

One of the results of the enormous technological changes of the 20th century has been the transformation of the surroundings in which we live. The landscape has been altered dramatically both in the urban environment and in the countryside. Landscape architecture has played a vital role in attempting to shape and control these transformations for the benefit of all of us and this volume presents a first hand account of the lives, work and vision of five of its most eminent practitioners. - - Based on interviews conducted by Ian Laurie and Michael Lancaster (and including a posthumous chapter on Brenda Colvin), the contributions come from Dame Sylvia Crowe, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, Sir Peter Shepheard, Professor Peter Youngman and Professor Brian Hackett. Their recollections cover such diverse tasks as the creation of the post-war new towns of Harlow and Basildon, the landscaping of power stations, reservoirs, forests and crematoria, and the designing of both public and private gardens. What is particularly striking in these informal autobiographical accounts is the development of firmly held views on design philosophy, education and social problems and the firm conviction that there must be cooperation between all persons concerned with the environment if its future is to be safeguarded. - - This fascinating collection will provide stimulating reading for those professionally concerned with the environment at every level. It will also offer the general reader a useful introduction to the world of landscape architecture and an intriguing insight into the professional lives of six exceptional people.