Lessons From a Landscape Architect

As a civil engineer, that is not something I thought I would say, but this post at Signal vs. Noise is pretty interesting.  Plus, Olmstead is pretty amazing (h/t Ritholtz):

Frederick Law Olmstead (1822-1903), the father of American landscape architecture, may have more to do with the way America looks than anyone else. Beginning in 1857 with the design of Central Park in New York City, he created designs for thousands of landscapes, including many of the world’s most important parks. His works include Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, Mount Royal in Montreal, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and the White House, and Washington Park, Jackson Park and the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. (The last of those documented excellently in Erik Larson’s book The Devil in the White City.) Plus, many of the green spaces that define towns and cities across the country are influenced by Olmsted.
Below, ten lessons from Olmsted’s approach:

My favorite is #6, Formal training isn't required