ABSTRACT

The European Landscape Convention recognises landscape planning as “strong forward-looking action to enhance, restore or create landscapes”. Landscape architecture education provides a step towards accreditation in national associations, helping form future landscape architects and landscape planners who will have defined and recognised roles in society. The emphasis of teaching often focuses on instrumental and functional knowledge of planning and design tools and approaches that will be required in professional life. Landscape assessment is or can be present in many course modules throughout the landscape architecture/planning education. Pressing for critical thinking is not at the expense of other important aspects of landscape architecture education, but as a complement. Critical thinking in landscape planning education provides a means for questioning the dominant discourses on the landscape as well as the tools the discipline uses for perpetuating or disrupting these discourses. Pressing for critical thinking is not at the expense of other important aspects of landscape architecture education, but as a complement.