The Land Design Institute (LDI) pursues a mission of ecologically and culturally responsible land design through education, research, outreach and service, and through the integration of current and future efforts into a land design agenda. The LDI and its mission grew from decades of applied land design research and outreach projects of faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture, R.. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, and other university units. This work includes land management, planning and design initiatives and specific projects addressing resource sensitive urban design, regional planning, GIS mapping and land use planning, greenway planning, urban forestry, historic landscape preservation, recreational design, alternative/sustainable agriculture, ecological restoration, equestrian facilities design, and alternative energy production. Prior to creation of the LDI, this work was largely conducted by individuals or interdisciplinary teams formed on a project basis. The LDI mission grew from the need to integrate discrete efforts into a land design agenda.