At the core of landscape architecture is the interaction of humans and nature. We may quibble about whether humans are inextricably linked with or distinctly separate from nature, but as designers and users of landscapes, in either case we must address the ethics, aesthetics, and environmental consequences of our interactions with the living planet Earth. In Placing Nature: Culture and Landscape Ecology edited by landscape architect Joan Nassauer, scholars from widely disparate disciplines boldly converge on such difficult questions as, "What is our appropriate role in nature?" and "How should we live?" To describe the mission of this volume as ambitious is indeed an understatement.

Not surprisingly, answers to these rather thorny questions vary widely, from novelist Jane Smiley's condemnation of industrial agriculture to philosopher Marcia Eaton's cogent explication of the relationship between aesthetics, knowledge, and ecology. Ecologists Eville Gorham and Bill Romme provide careful summaries of ecological impacts of past and present human activity. Conservation biologist Curt Meine describes our metaphoric imprisonment in the grid of 18th century land surveys. Geographer Judith Martin and historian Sam Bass Warner emphasize connections between ecology and design in urban landscapes, and geographer and landscape architect Deborah Karasov calls for locally-driven community development. Nassauer weaves the volume together with her own research on aesthetics and ecology in residential landcapes, as well as introductory and concluding chapters emphasizing general questions and themes.

Despite the range of approaches brought to this conversation, there is much common ground. The writings complement and strengthen each other with the tone of a group of thoughtful, compassionate, and intelligent people conversing around a table. Perhaps most importantly, this collection of essays admonishes environmental professionals that efforts to meld human activities and natural processes require a truly integrated approach. No longer can we expect to resolve these complex issues within the limited realm of our own disciplines; instead, we must dissolve disciplinary boundaries. Fortunately, Placing Nature provides fresh perspectives and novel insights with which to collectively continue this conversation.

Sharon K. Collinge is an assistant professor in the department of biology and the environmental studies program at the University of Colorado.