About the Author

Dr. Michael D. Murphy was a professor of landscape architecture at Texas A&M' University from 1969-to 2012, and served as head of the landscape architecture department from 1989 to 1991. Dr. Murphy has extensive experience in both practice and teaching, also serving as department head at the University of Pretoria. In earlier work, he held appointments as an urban designer and ecological planner on large-scale landscape assessment, planning, and design projects at Chris Mulder Associates Incorporated. He has been particularly interested in ecological design and in programming as a means of integrating the talents of multidisciplinary planning and design teams. In recent years, he has been involved in landscape restoration in the hill country of central Texas.

Reviews

"Landscape Architecture Theory is indispensable reading for anyone looking for a compelling synthesis of seminal ideas that have shaped theory about how people interact with the landscape--and how the ensuing knowledge can be translated successfully into practice. This book stands apart from other theory texts as a persuasive investigation of the role of design in mediating the dialogue between biophysical and human processes, in order to facilitate a mutually sustaining relationship between people and the landscapes they inhabit."--Forster Ndubisi "Professor, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University"

"An instructional, highly-narrative book that strikes on the fundamentals while stepping lightly through complex subjects...This distillation of a huge number of important ideas into a quick and coherent format is the blueprint for a go-to book. Landscape Architecture Theory is eminently useful and widely applicable...There is not a single landscape architecture student who wouldn't benefit from reading this book cover to cover, and general readers will appreciate its simple and direct treatment of even widely understood subjects." -- "ASLA's The Dirt"

"As Kurt Lewin observed, "There is nothing so practical as a good theory." Landscape architecture is a discipline which has benefitted greatly from a few good theories, including, "parks are good for people" and "design with nature." Even so, theory in the field has not been well organized or systematically understood. With this fine book, Michael D. Murphy wonderfully fills these gaps. Landscape Architecture Theory provides a valuable resource for scholars, students, and practitioners to understand how the discipline can help guide change to improve the human condition."--Frederick Steiner "Dean, The University of Pennsylvania School of Design"