As an ASLA Spotlight in 2017, Transitional Landscapes: Bereavement Garden for Children, looks to redefine transition in landscape architecture.

‘Transitional landscape’ often refers to a median space between two main spaces, but what if we evaluated the concept of ‘transitional’ differently? What if transitional landscape referred to a timeline? Whether it is due to social, economic, or natural issues, many individuals often find themselves in transitional living situations - voluntarily or otherwise - such as camps, shelters, prisons, and temporary housing, to name a few. Most individuals who seek these temporary and transitional living circumstances have experienced trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder; however, the landscape and shared spaces of these places are far from serene, beautiful, and considerate of the physical and psychological needs of these individuals. The question that this research seeks to answer is how can landscape help improve the lives of those already suffering from trauma and unfortunate circumstances, through specific research on needs of individuals suffering PTSD, and designing a landscape in response to those needs in a local context.

Life transitions, especially when unexpected, tend to drastically change a person’s life, while also imposing emotional, mental, and physical challenges on them. Studies suggest that therapeutic gardens, through engagement with nature, social contact with others, opportunities for exercise, sense of belonging, and a sense of safety have healing powers. This approach is especially important for marginalized and vulnerable groups within the society, which includes children. Even within this group, there is a topic often not discussed: child bereavement. Annually, a staggering 2 million children (between the ages of 7 and 17) go through a grieving period in the United States alone.

This on-going design research is crucial because when an opportunity is provided for many grieving children to learn the necessary skills to process challenging and unexpected transitions in life, it not only can help them tremendously in their individual lives, but also the society as a whole.