I'm John Lightle, a licensed landscape architect and Director of Landscape Architecture and Land Planning for Urban, Ltd's. office in Chantilly, Virginia.  Urban, Ltd. is a multifaceted firm with civil engineers, land surveyors, land planners, and landscape architects that design residential and commercial communities for private developers and public agencies.  Landscape Architects are a key component in the land development design process as well as construction administration that protect the health, safety and welfare of the public not only during these processes, but also long after the design is built.

For example, almost every public plaza in Northern Virginia was designed by a licensed landscape architect.  The design of hardscapes, such as retaining walls, stairs, fountains, walkways, and numerous overhead structures, in those plazas must be structurally sound and were done so by a licensed landscape architect professional.  The design of pedestrian movement, such as interfacing crosswalks with vehicular patterns, in those plazas must be protected and were done so by a licensed landscape architect professional.  The design of plantings with woody structures, such as overhead canopies that could fail due to placement of the wrong species with weak wood over public gathering areas, were protected by a licensed landscape architect professional.

I implore you, keep the public safe by continuing the licensure requirements for landscape architects.