Julius Fabos, FASLA
Julius Gyula Fábos
(1932 - 2022)
We are saddened to announce the passing of Julius Fabos, FASLA.
Julius Gyula Fábos
(1932 - 2022)
Julius Gyula Fábos was born April 15, 1932 in Marcali Hungary. He grew up in an extended family of proud farmers who instilled in him a strong agrarian work ethic, values of land stewardship and prudent resource use, and loyalty to family, colleagues and friends. These values served him well as a young man enjoying a “demanding but beautiful way of life”. After 1949, successful farming families as his were labeled “Kuláks” and treated as enemies of society. Julius and his family lost their farm, were arrested, tortured and jailed. At age 24, soon after the Hungarian revolution in 1956, Julius boldly escaped from Hungary to begin a new life in America (Fábos 2010).
Julius settled in New Jersey, learned English, met his wife Edith, and earned a bachelors degree from Rutgers in Agronomy in 1961. He continued his education at Harvard where he earned his Masters of Landscape Architecture degree in 1964, under the tutelage of Hideo Sasaki. He learned of ecological planning and was introduced to a regional view of landscape architecture by Phil Lewis, visiting instructor at Harvard, and through the work of Ian McHarg. He credits both as formative influences on his career. A chance meeting with Sidney Shurcliff at Harvard, inspired Fábos and classmates to organize an exhibition of the works of America’s first landscape architect to mark the centennial of Olmsted’s coining of the name “landscape architect” in 1863. The exhibition documented and illustrated, for the first time, Olmsted’s major contributions to the profession in the areas of: park design, regional design, community planning, campus planning, urban design, and conservation. The exhibition toured major cities of the U.S. and was subsequently published as Fábos’ first book Frederick Law Olmsted. Sr.: Founder of Landscape Architecture in America (Fabos, Milde and Weinmayr 1968). Fábos also credits the exhibition as a significant factor in his appointment as an Assistant Professor of landscape architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Landscape Planning Scholar
Early in his tenure at UMass, Fábos found his scholarly niche in articulating theory and developing parametric methods for landscape planning - building on the pioneering work of Ian McHarg. Through his highly collaborative research program with physical and social scientists and economists at UMass, he learned the importance of research for advancing landscape architecture from a professional field to a respected academic discipline. At UMass, in collaboration with Ervin H. Zube, Fábos integrated his Ph.D. research with landscape planning and seminal landscape assessment research (Zube, Brush and Fabos 1975). The visual assessment of the island of Nantucket mapped scenic landscape resources using Zube and Fábos’ method and has influenced land planning and protection for nearly four decades. He started the Metropolitan Land Use Planning Research Group (METLAND) with numerous faculty colleagues and students and published a suite of research reports that are considered seminal in the field of landscape planning (Fabos 1973; Fabos and Caswell 1977; Fabos et al 1978). The METLAND research established a science-based, parametric approach to landscape assessment and planning. METLAND was applied to the then-rapidly expanding Boston metropolitan region to assure that natural, physical and cultural resources were duly considered in landscape and land use planning decisions. The METLAND group also pioneered the computerization of landscape planning in the 1980’s.
Fábos was influential in advising the Portuguese government on establishing a national geographic information system during a Fulbright Fellowship in Portugal in1986. As a maturing scholar, he organized his contributions in landscape planning theory with national and international examples and references into two important books on landscape planning (Fabos 1979; Fabos 1985). Through his many publications and conference participations he was recognized internationally as an academic leader. In 1985, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in recognition of his contributions to the knowledge base of the field. In 1997 he received the ASLA medal, the highest honor given by the Society.
Greenways Research
In the 1980’s Julius Fábos refocused his research on the theory and practice of Greenways. With faculty colleagues at UMass he co-edited three special issues of Landscape and Urban Planning Journal on the emerging practice of greenway planning and design (Fabos and Ryan 2006; Fabos and Ryan 2004; Fabos and Ahern 1995). His individual contributions in these greenways special issues defined greenways as a flexible strategy for integrating natural, recreational and cultural preservation appropriate for international application. Collectively these special issues defined theory from emerging international practice and established a future research agenda for greenways. For the 1999 Centennial of the ASLA, Fábos and UMass colleagues Robert Ryan and Mark Lindhult organized hundreds of professionals and officials to create a comprehensive Greenway Plan for the New England region – thinking and planning regionally in the spirit of Fábos’ idols Ian McHarg and Phil Lewis. The New England Greenway Plan put into practice the theory and methods that Fábos developed with colleagues at UMass and internationally over the preceding decade.
After his retirement from UMass in 1997, Fábos continued to promote landscape planning and greenways. Julius and Edith Fábos established an endowment at UMass to sponsor a triennial international conference on Greenways and Landscape Planning. The Fábos Conferences started in 2004 and will continue this July in Budapest, Hungary. The Fábos Conferences have attracted international academic and professional participation and have resulted in substantial published proceedings.
Julius Fábos will always be known as an inspirational and demanding professor. Students he taught and advised have become noted academic, governmental and professional leaders internationally. He served as advisor and mentor to many. He is a tireless and effective advocate for the profession – urging landscape architects to “make big plans; aim high in hope and work…” in the spirit of Daniel Burnham, another of his idols.
Julius will be missed tremendously and remembered fondly by his family, friends and many colleagues, around the world.
—written by Jack Ahern, FASLA
former student, colleague, mentee and close friend
posted 4 March 2022
Read Professor Fabos’ obituary at the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
