Program Development

A program is a list of all the needs a design must include and satisfy. Designers use programs to clarify their thoughts and to give themselves some direction. There are two reasons why I use them:

1) It can be a summary of the site analyst and the client interview.

2) It acts as a checklist to compare the design proposal against.

A written program should consist of three things:

- A list of goals and objectives

- A list of elements (spaces or things) to be included in the design

- A list of special requirements the design is to fulfill

With a program, I can make some of the earliest design decisions at this point. The more thought that can be given to a design at this stage will make the following stages easier because most of the decisions will have been made.

Cristin M. Larson; The Garden Consultant and Landscape Design