Wild By Design: Strategies for Creating Life-Enhancing Landscapes

The book is a deep review of current landscape architecture ideas. Fascinating as far as that goesIs a high voltage tower beautiful? How do we relate to, improve, restore and revive our many urban areas and mindfully work on new development-- all with a global perspective.I liked some of the seeming one liners"The waterfront park is the new Central Park""Places that attract children attract lots of people"Might have wanted to hear more about the home project in Philadelphia that resulted in NYT coverage...for the urban naturalist environmental movement fans.

This book is for gardeners of all levels and for non-gardeners interested in how 'wild' or native plants are being used in newly designed or reclaimed areas. Margie Ruddick writes well, uses lovely pictures and plans and we see her projects through her eyes. The book is interesting, informative and educational and can be enjoyed by many.

A wonderful book written by a true humanist. Margie's warmth and unique perspective will inspire you to be a better landscape architect!

Fascinating book even if you are not in landscape architecture! Understandable language and good flow to the text. I like gardens, architecture and wild nature and was fascinated by the history of all of it and the new movements emerging from merging designers and ecologists! I appreciated even the little explainations like defining the chapter headings Reinvention, Restoration, Conservation, Regeneration and Expression in the table of contents! I felt like I knew what she meant from the get go! Wild gardening...it even sounds perfect, wild by design is both wild and clearly designed, maintained but not slavishly ordered... 'natural processes are in and wasteful decadence is out'. Very intresting read!

Not only is the author very humble in her way of seeing life and the projects she has done, which is for itself already an inspiring thing, she demonstrates many important visions to consider as a landscape architect - every one in the field should read it, so that discussion and study can go from this book on.

An important and beautiful book that everybody involved in creating public spaces ought to read and enjoy.