Key takeaways

At the beginning of the module five learning objectives were introduced, you can find them below. Go through the key takeaways and see if you have done or learned these elements correctly and feel that you have understood the core message of this module.

• To discover the potential role of landscape design to accommodate various societal functions, including water safety, over short- and long-term time horizons
• To understand what spatial design can do
• To know the definition of spatial quality as used in the room for the river programme
• To explore potential design considerations
• To consider trade-offs in spatial designs by making a rank of your considerations

In this module, we learned about how design can be used in landscapes. Often times when people think of design, they think of flashy products or designer clothers. However, as we saw design extends far beyond that realm. Design can make objects more efficient and effective for use. Through iteration and coming up with multiple design considerations can become more fit-for-purpose. This can be done for telephones as well as for dikes and channels. This is the first key takeaway of this module: design can create a product that is better for intended use. Landscape design is hardly noticed in every day life, but these subtleties can create a world of difference.

Furthermore, we learned that design can be something that is difficult to make tangible. Designers have different ideas and can be creative with their solutions taking into account their design considerations. However, one thing that they all have in common is that they are faced with decisions on how to fulfill the functions of the object. In the case of rivers, this can be, for example, decisions on highlighting nature versus agriculture, or industry versus recreation. In this notion the second key takeaway is hidden. Namely, design is always faced with trade-offs. This is universal for all designers and designs.