Conclusion (For Now

This capstone investigated only three plant species. While these plants play incredible roles and are of great significance, so are many other plants that I simply did not have the time to investigate. When we think about designing our landscapes, plants are our tools. Their purpose is not just as beautiful ornamental objects, but as literal keys to restoring sense of place, cultural and traditional practices, and the land itself. The three interventions proposed are meant to be implemented by people, by communities, and many kanaka are already doing this where they are able and when they can. Over time, more and more people will realize that they have the power to change our environments. As landscape architects, architects, engineers, planners, we play a key role in our built environments. We cannot ignore the need for infrastructure, housing, or public spaces, the need for built environments. But we also cannot ignore that the effects of our designs have been historically detrimental to the environment and culture. I would argue that this is because our designs do not start at the correct scale. In order for us to design for land and for people we really have to understand our tools. Our primary tool is plants, and when we begin to unravel and understand them from a cultural and performative lens, especially in a place like Hawai‘i where plants are very much the backbone of the culture, we learn how to design with plants better. If we learn to design with plants better, our designs will simply be better.