Vision
A living classroom across centuries of landscape design.
This week-long field trip immerses Agricultural Campus students studying Landscape Architecture in diverse U.K. landscapes, from historic estates and botanical gardens to contemporary public spaces, revealing how design, engineering, horticulture, and agriculture intersect to shape functional, culturally significant places. With limited access to landscapes of this scale and history in Nova Scotia, students gain valuable perspective on long-term land stewardship and consider how these approaches might translate to rural contexts at home. The experience is formally recognized on students’ academic transcripts through a co-curricular record.
Story
This trip was developed in response to a gap we see in our program. Our students do strong work in rural and working landscapes, but they have limited opportunities to experience places where design decisions have accumulated over long periods of time. Seeing how landscapes evolve through centuries of use, care, and adaptation is difficult to fully understand without being there in person.
The UK provides a unique setting to expose students to this kind of long-term thinking. The goal is not to replicate what students see, but to help them build a broader design lens and better understand how history, maintenance, and public use shape the land. That perspective is especially valuable when students return to designing in smaller, rural contexts at home.
Support for this trip helps make an academically meaningful experience accessible to students and strengthens their ability to think critically about landscape design beyond what can be taught in the classroom.
Strategy
This trip is only possible because of student interest and willingness to participate. Cost remains a significant barrier, so funding from industry and the public plays a major role in making the trip accessible. In addition to seeking direct support from industry partners, we plan to run several localized fundraising efforts on campus and within the Truro community.
Impact
Funds will be used to help offset student costs associated with the trip, including airfare, tours, and local transportation.
Please contact Kristina Schuler, Instructor in Landscape Architecture and the Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Science, at K.Schuler@dal.ca with any questions.
Supporters
