Landscape architects shift emphasis to the ecosystem

LANDSCAPE architects are finding themselves on the front lines of the climate change crisis, having to come up with creative ways to adapt and help mitigate problems like rising oceans and extreme weather as they design projects across the country.

"The focus on sustainability has been building slowly for a long time among landscape architects, but in recent years, that commitment has really taken hold," says Jacquelyn Bianchini, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Landscape Architects. She said those in the profession "have to deal with climate change more than almost any other design fields."