By Meghan Bartels / On November 21st, 2014

This bear is excited to learn about landscape architecture this weekend. Photo by Elizabeth Thomsen, used under Creative Commons licensing. This bear is excited to learn about landscape architecture this weekend from its den outside the Colorado Convention Center. Photo by Elizabeth Thomsen, used under Creative Commons licensing.

Water lilies at the Denver Botanic Garden. Photo by Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis, used under Creative Commons licensing. Water lilies at the Denver Botanic Garden. Photo by Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis, used under Creative Commons licensing.

Because today is the first day of the American Society of Landscape Architecture's annual conference, we thought we'd highlight one of our recent books on the topic, Travis Beck's Principles of Ecological Landscape Design. In it, he offers guidelines to inspire more ecological, and more beautiful, created green spaces. In the excerpt below, he discusses how to build landscapes at an ecosystem level, making them both more less human-made and more resilient. If you're at the conference, visit our friends from Breakpoint Books to browse their collection, keep your eyes peeled for roving editor Courtney Lix, and catch Travis Beck at two sessions ('Designed Ecology: The Art and Science of Designing Meadows, Grasslands, and Woodlands' and 'Native Planting in Public Gardens: Ecological Soundness and Experiential Richness'). And after a brief hiatus, book giveaways are back, so don't forget to enter below.
#forewordFriday
biodiversity
ecology
landscape architecture
design
restoration
trophic cascades
urbanism
water
Daniel Pauly
Meghan Bartels

Publicity and marketing associate at Island Press; avid reader and tea drinker.