The profession of landscape architecture is only a little more than a century old. Although the act of designing the landscape for human use and enjoyment is as old as mankind, it was not until the middle of the 19th century that the term "landscape architect" was first used. In 1863, the Board of Central Park Commissioners referred to Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, the designers of Central Park in New York City, as landscape architects.

Implicit in this designation was the concept that the relationship of the landscape architect to the landscape is analogous to that of an architect to a building; that is, that the design process within which both professions work encompasses the identification of a problem or need, the design of a solution, and supervision of the execution of the design.

Landscape architecture then, as now, is both an art and a science. The landscape architect responds to human needs and social and cultural values by using his or her art to create a design that reflects these needs and values. As a professional practitioner, the landscape architect has the necessary technical skills and training to bring the design from drawing board through construction to the finished product.

Much has changed in the profession since the days of Olmstead and Vaux, but the foundation of the profession in the practitioner's aesthetic and practical relationship to the land remains unchanged. Landscape architects have been responsible for projects as diverse as the preservation of natural treasures such as Yosemite Park and Niagara Falls, design of the U.S. Capitol grounds, plans for Baltimore's park system and Inner Harbor area, landfill reclamation for Fresh Kills on Staten Island in New York City, and master plans of "new towns" such as Columbia, Md., and Reston, Va.

Landscape architects undergo a rigorous period of training and testing to ensure that only competent professionals can enter the field. Following training at an accredited school and earning a bachelor's or master's degree, the future landscape architect must work under a licensed professional for a specified period of time. Only after this internship period is he or she allowed to take the registration examination required in most states.

In New York, as in most states, after successfully completing the exam, the candidate may be registered as a landscape architect by the state registration board. It is illegal for anyone who has not received this official designation to refer to him or herself as a landscape architect in New York. Most states have similar requirements.

Perhaps more than any other design profession, landscape architecture has been in a period of growth for the past several years. This is due in part to the recognition of the importance of the role of the landscape in all its myriad facets in the health and well-being of all people, whether they are city dwellers, suburbanites, or residents of the countryside. The prominence of landscape architecture is also due to the ever-widening range of project types to which landscape architects have been applying their skills.

Some of the areas in which landscape architects work include: site planning, regional and environmental landscape planning, park and recreation planning, development planning, ecological planning and design, historic preservation, urban design, and design for special-needs populations.

Current trends in the profession of landscape architecture make this one of the most exciting professions at the beginning of the 21st century. With environmental concerns increasingly recognized as priorities, landscape architects are being called upon to use their expertise to help solve complex environmental problems, address rural issues such as farmland preservation, provide expertise for the revitalization of towns and small cities, work with urban residents to improve urban neighborhoods, create plans for waterfront revitalization, and even to design indoor environments such as atria and enclosed pedestrian spaces.

There is considerable interest today in design of specialized outdoor spaces, such as children's play/learning environments and therapeutic environments, which have been demonstrated to assist the recovery process in a variety of situations.

Increasingly, landscape architects are heading multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, planners, architects, environmental specialists and others in complex, multi-faceted projects. Landscape architects can bridge the space between the built and the natural environment, between the art and the science of complex projects.

Landscape architects are designers as well as implementers. Their wide-ranging training allows them to view a project as a whole as well as in its innumerable technical facets and legal, social and cultural implications, and to communicate effectively with other professionals and lay people with regard to the scope, details, and implications of a project.

The profession continues to evolve as it meets the challenges of change and, increasingly, can be expected to play a leadership role in shaping the future of the land and man's relation to it.

Richard Eats, a registered landscape architect, is a principal of Synthesis Architects LLP in Schenectady. Susan Rasmussen, an associate of the American Society of Landscape Architects, is a site planner with the firm.