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As the world shut down in March in response to COVID19 restrictions, many of us found ourselves housebound. With little warning we were cut off from our places of work, leisure, and gathering, and were quarantined as we awaited word of how the virus was going to impact our lives. Whatever your work status, the amount of time saved each day from not commuting or hanging around the office kitchen with colleagues, now became yours, to do with as you pleased. If you have school aged children, this time was quickly absorbed in making sure they were completing their assignments. But many had the opportunity to focus on finding new outlets, and turned their sights to the outdoors, as most other places where we spent our leisure were now off limits. And this is where we, as landscape architects, could spotlight our profession. In New Mexico, we are blessed with a wealth of opportunities to escape into the parks and open spaces, not to mention the great spring weather with which to enjoy the outings. Backyards From the long lines waiting to enter garden centers in March, it appeared many were using the downtime to get a jump on spring garden projects. The quarantine coincided with the start of the gardening season in New Mexico, so inspirations by landscape architects from magazines, home improvement shows, or online videos served those who didn’t have an actual plan in hand. Now that the nurseries are open again, they are quickly selling out of materials. Local Parks The hundreds of local parks throughout the state were an immediate outlet for those suffering from cabin fever, as many could walk or bike to a park. While New Mexico’s rainfall challenges the concept of what can be found in most parks, the landscape designers and park management teams have created numerous options to provide a variety of activities from hard surface courts and golf courses (when they were reopened) to open lawn and shade trees, with the added twist of keeping the 6 foot social distance standard. Open Spaces Hiking is a natural pastime here, and we have the opportunities to choose either the foothills or the bosque within Albuquerque and along most of the Rio Grande Valley, and the weekend crowds are now dispersed throughout the week. Park planners and designers have made these visits possible through layouts of trailheads, bike lanes, parking lots, and restrooms, even though the associated picnic and gathering spaces are temporarily closed. National and State Parks, Monuments, and Forests While many of these facilities have closed their visitor centers, the locations themselves have remained open (check status on-line). We are fortunate to have a plethora of such destinations in New Mexico, and the grandness of the natural beauty is what attracts people, but a deft hand was needed to design these spaces to accommodate the crowds they attract while protecting the fragile environments. Streetscapes This is an often-overlooked landscape, which includes everything from the median plantings to Interstate interchanges. Municipalities have been actively installing xeriscapes in medians throughout the state, based on plans drawn by our profession. Additionally, the junction of I25 and I40 in Albuquerque is a tour de force of what such an interchange can be from an aesthetic standpoint, from the airborn ribbons of turquoise to the bold landscape on the ground plane. Botanic Gardens With the slow reopening of the state’s businesses and institutions, Botanic Gardens are also starting to reopen. Albuquerque’s garden has reopened on a limited ticket basis, yet the Santa Fe Garden remains closed and is working with the State to establish a reopening date. These gardens always serve as inspiration for gardeners or anyone just wanting to take an enjoyable stroll. All around, there are places of many scales that reflect the broad diversity of the landscape architecture profession that have become destinations during the pandemic. Hopefully with the new pace of life in the recent months, more people have been able to take the opportunity to enjoy these destinations, interact with what we do as a profession, and thus gain an appreciation for it. The work that landscape architects have done in creating and maintaining these landscapes has been invaluable in helping us all cope with the pandemic.
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