Be the Hands that Restore the Land: “Physical geography should be integral to larger ecology and not just a beautification tool,” says landscape architect Akshay Kaul

Note to Reader:

The following is extracted from an interview that Akshay Kaul, founder of Delhi-based architecture firm Akshay Kaul and Associates, gave to livemint.com in June 2018. His firm focuses on environmentally sustainable landscape planning. He has a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the State University of New York.

While building on steep land, the important issue of hydrology is rarely taken into consideration in India.

Learn the Lay of the Land

“There is a limit to the carrying capacity of hill towns. People run to the mountains during the most dry months and that adds to the water crisis even more. So if you want tourism, manage your water better,” says Akshay Kaul, founder of Delhi-based architecture firm Akshay Kaul and Associates, which focuses on environmentally sustainable landscape planning.

Kaul says landscapes are fragmented; so are water systems. “We look at landscape as a beautification tool rather than as part of larger ecology and regional landscape possibilities or green infrastructure,” he adds.

Kaul says there is a severe shortfall in human resource in India to manage the environmental challenges in planning and design. The reason for this is the gap between academia and the profession. “Our landscape education is very ‘garden centric’ in approach,” he adds.

To Learn More:

To read the complete article, download Learn the Lay of the Land.

Watch Akshay Kaul speaking on the topic of Ecology Restoration, Water, Landscape & Environment Planning at a workshop in 2017.