Conflict-Responsive Urban Landscapes

The mission of the Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management at the American University of Beirut is to graduate landscape architects who are lifelong learners and critical thinkers equipped with interdisciplinary scientific knowledge and creative skills for managing natural and cultural resources. It is the only landscape architecture department outside the United States holding full accreditation from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Emphasizing interdisciplinary teaching and research relevant to the Middle Eastern region, the Department collaborates closely with academic units within and outside the faculty. It prepares professionals to tackle the region’s ecological and social challenges, training students to read landscapes as layered human-natural systems. Core values include regenerative design, ecological-systems thinking, health-of-nature metrics for long-term benefits, and integrated sustainability addressing economic, social, and environmental goals. The Department offers a four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree, in which the final two semesters constitute a capstone project. It aspires to remain the Arab world’s foremost center for landscape architecture and environmental science, producing socially responsible practitioners whose work reflects local culture and addresses global environmental challenges.