Landscape Architecture as Storytelling: Learning Design Through Analogy

"Landscape Architecture as Storytelling deftly delves into the neglected realm of narrative in the landscape; a principle once practiced by masters from Le Nôtre to Olmsted. Today’s designers can benefit from a design approach embedded in storytelling to create intimate and impactful experiences for site users; and Scarfo provides the tools to return narrative and experience to the forefront of design." Benjamin George, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning, Utah State University "When designing a campus master plan, aquarium, zoo, or nature preserve, understanding the ‘narrative’ first is key to identifying the kinds of experiences we are trying to create. Equally critical is making that narrative visual. Storyboarding, as an iterative process early on in design, helps us quickly conceptualize key experiences and fun learning moments, share them with our clients and various stakeholders, and through that collaborative effort help ensure a project’s desired outcomes are achieved. Landscape Architecture as Storytelling clarifies and strengthens that narrative, storyboard, and design process." Gregg Leicester, ASLA, Principal, LEED Green Associate, USA "The Analogy meets beginning students where they are, advocates narrative tools familiar to them, and enlarges their design and planning ability through use of Scarfo’s coherent design method. It offers students what landscape architect Garrett Eckbo called 'know-why,' in addition to 'know-how.' This knowledge leads to articulate, empathetic design and communication with diverse clients and users." Joan H. Woodward, Landscape Architecture Professor Emerita, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and author of Waterstained Landscapes: Seeing and Shaping Regionally Distinct Places