Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Residential estates are created without any adaptation to the users who will use them. Clients would
profit on involving users in an early project stage to create housing estates adapted to the user’s needs
and wishes. Clients of the housing estates that require missions from consultants should realize that no
one exclusive can represent other people's needs, regardless of the theoretical expertise they possess. The
Swedish million programme in the 1970s is an example of how objective expertise gained control, which
led to the creation of outdoor environments where few wanted to stay and live. A residential yard is part
of a home, it is the urban man's garden and a meeting place for social interactions. Landscape architects
have a responsibility to help create a long-term development and a better adaptation for user needs. It
requires that the landscape architects adapt their professional role, that they combine their knowledge and
experience and that they work together with users. A change in the clients’ role as a constituent is also
needed and a continuous dialogue between users and clients have to be maintained.
The purpose of this work is to deepen the understanding of landscape architect's ability to motivate
clients of housing estates, to make room for the landscape architect to work with users from the project's
early stage. The work presents the experience of what may affect attitudes towards working with users in
the planning- and design process of housing estates. Interviews with clients in the residential sector and
landscape architects point to the importance of communication are done by consensus. Understanding
gives a feeling of security and a suitable language selection shows respect for the other operator’s role.
Clients are motivated by arguments that they can absorb and when used the in the right context these
arguments receive a greater importance. Illustrative presented ideas in images or models inspire and are
for most people easier to relate to than a technical drawing. Clients are motivated by the commitment to
find the best-fit solution for their company. Interviewed clients and landscape architects believe that
users should have the right to participate in the design of housing estates but the view of how involved
they should be differs. Of those interviewed three out of five clients and four out of five landscape
architects think that users should have the right to take decisions that affect their outdoor environment.
Landscape architects agree that the client’s assignment can affect their ability to work with users. Clients
may be inspired by projects which proved to be successful and be motivated by evaluations, research, the
founders behind them and by substantiated arguments that can show, for example, economic, timing or
qualitative benefits. A well-planned resource allocation and schedule early in the project provides a solid
foundation for creating a balanced process. Clients who have social motives know that users '
participation in a process provides a qualitatively better and lasting results. The process can get users to
enjoy and feel responsibility for the yard which leads to a more careful use of it, which can reduce
maintenance costs. A housing company dependents economically on users as source of income and a
long-term saving strategy with users who live longer means a stable source of income.
Interviewed client believes that landscape architects are well placed to lead users in a process and one of
them stressed the landscape architect students' skills. All landscape architects do not have professional
skills or commitment to work with users and it is therefore not an obvious choice for a client.