Carl Steinitz Method in Landscape Planning

Six Questions

• Steinitz's six questions relate to methods for defining the nature of a design issue and formulating solutions. The questions are based on a six-level process. Assess a study area through description; process or how the landscape works; evaluation or whether it works well; proposed change; impact of change; and decision -- whether it should be changed. Each step is put forward in the form of a question.

Reverse Order

• The Steinitz landscape planning method the reverses the order, starting with decision, and ending with description, or representation. The framework is passed through at least three times during a project to reach the conclusion. For complex projects, changes in time and scale are added for evaluation, and each proposed change goes through the framework.

Positive "Yes"

• In practice, the framework may not be as orderly as the sequence outline suggests, but a design project will pass through each level of the project before the positive "yes" decision is reached. Steinitz includes "do not build" to be a positive "yes" decision. A design problem can be considered at different scales, for example, designing a community, street and house.