A profile of Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, 94, landscape architect par excellence:
Great insights. Choice quotes:
” Her lifelong devotion to sustainability, pedestrian-friendliness, universal access and integration with nature dovetail with what we collectively recognize as the new imperatives for city-making. “
” I have never deviated from my dictum to bring nature into the city, and make people enjoy nature. And the passion is what drives me to keep going — just to make the world a little greener. “
On September 20, 2016, Dr. Oberlander was the recipient of the first-ever Governor General’s Medal for Landscape Architecture. (Ottawa Citizen, September 17)
Erwin
August 2, 2016; updated September 19.
UPDATE – May 30, 2021
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander died May 22, 2021, age 99. The Globe & Mail’s obituary by Alex Bozikovic is here. Quotes: “Ms. Oberlander had an abiding interest in ecology, and the links between nature and culture. She always favoured the plant species native to a particular region; her designs often used them to create a sense of place. … she also argued that landscape had an important task in managing storm water and adapting to climate change. “The challenges of climate change, hyper-urbanized growth … the loss of open space and agricultural lands, and resource scarcity are expanding the scale, methods and demands on our profession,” she wrote last year.
These are now mainstream concerns in landscape architecture; her profession caught up with her.”
Other coverage: CBC (with an excellent picture of the rooftop garden of Vancouver’s public library). Wikipedia. The Tyee.
Erwin