In the landscape, every design decision plays out over time. Plants mature and spread, hardscape materials deteriorate, and people use spaces in new ways. Students need to learn how to design with time. This means imagining how the spaces they create will look in the future, and considering the legacy of the decisions they make today.
Understanding time influences a student’s decision-making process. For example, when selecting a material for paving, a student who considers time might choose a material that can withstand a lot of foot traffic and use, even if it is more expensive or less attractive than an alternative. Similarly, when designing a planting scheme, a student who considers time will think about how the plants will grow and spread over time, rather than how they will look in the first year.
To encourage students to think about time, I ask them to visit the same site repeatedly, over the course of several weeks or months. Over time, they begin to notice the ways in which natural light falls on the site, how water drains, and how different people use the space. There is no substitute for this kind of direct observation. It is only through actually experiencing a site over time that students can gain insight into how spaces evolve and change.
Time also factors into the student’s sense of success. When students design with time, they realize that their project is not finished when the class ends. Instead, they see their project as an ongoing process that will continue to unfold long after they have moved on. This knowledge frees students from feeling like their project needs to be perfect.
Instead, they can take risks and trust that future designers will continue their work. Students who design with time are able to practice their skills without the burden of responsibility for every consequence of their actions.