A new Undergraduate program in Landscape Architecture at Bezalel, in collaboration with the Hebrew University

With the current climate crisis, growing population density and the rising threat to our natural resources, landscape architecture is becoming ever more critical in Israel and beyond. Landscape architecture deals with the planning and design of natural systems as lived environments; it integrates cultural, social, and ecological perspectives at varying scales— from public and open space systems to urban and regional design, infrastructure planning, the design of neighborhoods, and public institutions. The profession is recognized by the Registrar of Engineers and Architects in Israel.

The Undergraduate Program in Landscape Architecture is a joint program of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and the Hebrew University. It is the only program of its kind in Israel, combining landscape architecture studies with architecture and planning taught at the Bezalel School of Architecture with an in-depth study of plant sciences, ecology, and environment taught at the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Hebrew University. Through this unique collaboration, our goal is to train the next generation of designers with expertise in the fields of ecology and the environment.

The program was developed jointly by faculty members in the School of Architecture at Bezalel and the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University in plant sciences, ecology, and the environment. Graduates of the four-year program (150 credits) will receive a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (B.L.A), a recognized professional degree.* 

The curriculum is divided into three sections: design studios, methods, and theory. The first and second years include foundation studies, mainly consisting of required courses that represent the core knowledge, skills, and basic methods of landscape architectural practice. The third and fourth years offer advanced studies, which include elective courses.  Students may choose from elective courses offered at the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment or Bezalel.

The Landscape Architecture program will be headed by Prof. Elissa Rosenberg, a landscape architect and professor in the Master’s Degree Program in Urban Design at Bezalel, as well as a professor (emerita) at the University of Virginia, where she taught from 1989-2007 and served as Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department. Prof. Rosenberg studies the landscape as a cultural practice and a model for urbanism. Her research links contemporary landscape architecture and urban design, focusing on cultural landscapes, post-industrial landscapes, green infrastructure, and mobility. Her recent publications dealing with Israeli landscapes, such as “Inventing the Seashore: The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Promenade” and “Landscape Modernism in Israel: the work of Shmuel Bickels,” have received international recognition.

The joint program of Bezalel and the Hebrew University will train a new generation of landscape architects in Israel by imparting the integrative and multidisciplinary knowledge necessary to design the urban and regional landscapes of the 21st century.

Registration for the upcoming academic year has begun.** An Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Campus, 1 Zmora St., Jerusalem. Registration closes on August 17, 2023.

For details and registration, click here.

* Award of the degree will be conditional upon the approval of the Council for Higher Education (as is standard in new programs in the certification process).
** Since the program has only just been approved, the opening of the program in the 2023-2024 school year is conditional on a minimum number of registrants.