Past Presentation
David Hopman
ASLA, PLA — Landscape Architect and Educator
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 · 7:00 PM
About the Talk
Creative Regionalism, Plants, and Natural Systems
David Hopman, ASLA, PLA, has pursued a long career as a landscape architect and educator. In both professions, he continually looks for and transmits an ideology that promotes thriving for humans, non-humans, and natural systems. This search culminated in an award-winning book published in 2025: Creative Regionalism: Renewing the Aesthetic Experience of Landscape in Environmental Design and Planning, with a Foreword by Frederick R. Steiner. David will briefly cover some of the book's main themes. A regionalism that is creative, cosmopolitan, and critical will be defined and explained, with numerous examples and a special emphasis on native plants. He will explore environmental psychology, cultural values, personal growth and creativity, and learning from the poetics of natural systems, all in the context of how people experience landscapes. This discussion will expand attendees' understanding of both their landscape experiences and design tendencies. Social time and equipment check from.
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