2024 in Review:
Milestones, Partnerships, and a Vision for the Future

A Year of Progress and Promise from IFLA President Bruno Marques

As 2024 comes to an end, the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) reflects on a year marked by extraordinary engagement, impactful partnerships, and significant strides in advancing the profession of landscape architecture on a global stage.

There are many accolades to celebrate. Here is a quick summary:

• IFLA World Congress in Istanbul: Our annual congress was a resounding success, bringing together landscape architects from around the world for a dynamic exchange of knowledge, ideas, and best practices. Through a robust series of roundtable discussions, we strengthened our ties with UN agencies and global partners. The congress was a powerful reminder of the crucial role of landscape architecture in addressing global challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and the need for equitable and inclusive communities.

• A Voice at the COPs: IFLA actively participated in the three COPs held this year—COP16 on biodiversity, COP29 on climate change, and COP16 on desertification. Led by Pamela Conrad and Kotchakorn Voraakhom, we launched the Works With Nature guide in collaboration with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) at COP29. Our presence at these critical summits underscored our commitment to environmental stewardship and highlighted the vital role of landscape architects in mitigating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and combating desertification.

• Strengthening Ties with UN Agencies: At the World Urban Forum, we celebrated the signing of an MoU with UN-Habitat to address urgent urban challenges by leveraging landscape architecture to design resilient, sustainable, and inclusive urban spaces. We also forged stronger partnerships with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Urban Health Programme.

• Working Alongside Our Global Partners: We established impactful MoUs and partnerships with key organizations such as the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN), the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), and the Urban Biodiversity Network (URBIO). These complement the successful MoUs already signed with the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), the Circular Cities Network (CCN), and the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). Additionally, we have also reigned our work with ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners) and the UIA (International Union of Architects) and the International Union of Architects (UIA). These partnerships amplify our collective voice and expand our capacity to address critical global issues.

• IFLA Awards: We celebrated the exceptional contributions of our members through award programs, including the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, bestowed upon James Corner, and the IFLA President’s Award, presented to Prof. Maria Ignatieva. Additionally, regional awards such as the IFLA AAPME Awards and the IFLA ME Landscape Awards recognized design excellence, innovation, and the transformative power of landscape architecture.

• IFLA Global Studio: The IFLA Global Studio Programme (GSP) marked an important milestone as our first step toward integrating global landscape architecture academia. Through four student charettes tied to major events across four IFLA regions, the program fostered future leadership and established a global network of educational institutions. With participation from 20 universities and 40 students, this initiative has been incredibly successful.

• Corporate Members: We welcomed the Lappset Group to our Corporate Membership program and renewed our partnerships with CLARB and LAND F/X. Stay tuned as we anticipate more corporate members joining soon.

• Advocacy and Outreach: IFLA continued championing the role of landscape architects in creating sustainable and resilient communities. We engaged with policymakers, industry leaders, and the public to promote the value of our profession and its contributions to a better future. Our regions actively lobbied for professional advancements and organized numerous meetings to highlight the importance of the profession. We also launched the IFLA Pairing North-South Project to bridge the gap between the Global North and the Global South.

• Education and Capacity Building: To support the next generation of landscape architects, we mapped global educational programs to better allocate resources. Our three standing committees—CER, EAA, and PPP—organized workshops, seminars, and public lectures to raise awareness of landscape architecture’s role in addressing contemporary challenges.

• Governance: IFLA initiated a comprehensive review of its governance structure to ensure it remains effective, transparent, and responsive to the evolving needs of members and the profession. This review aims to optimize our organizational structure, enhance decision-making processes, and better resource our secretariat.

Building on the momentum of 2024, IFLA is poised for an even more impactful 2025. We will continue expanding our global network, championing sustainable practices, empowering future leaders and advocating for the profession.

IFLA's achievements are a direct result of the dedication, passion, and creativity of our members. We celebrate your commitment to excellence and your unwavering efforts to create a better world through landscape architecture.

As we embark on 2025, we encourage you to share your expertise, engage with IFLA and advocate for the profession. Together, we can create a more sustainable, resilient, and beautiful world for generations to come.

Events Spotlight

IFLA at ISUH 2024

Dr Gayle Souter-Brown and Carey Duncan represented IFLA at the 20th Global Conference on Urban Health in Marrakesh, Morocco. We were thrilled by the incredible support for evidence-based design in achieving urban health goals!

At the start of the 20th Global Conference on Urban Health, attendees were curious about the role of landscape architects. By the end, they recognized the power of nature-based solutions and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration from the outset.

Key highlights

• Urban design and landscape architecture need to be recognized as public health tools.

• Greenspaces are about more than physical activity—they also foster stress reduction and restoration.

• Only cost-effective interventions will be politically and economically acceptable.

• While challenges exist in designing healthy cities, these challenges offer opportunities for landscape architects to assist at the local level.

• Health promotion is a place-based issue that extends far beyond the health sector. This creates an opportunity for landscape architecture to lead in the quest for climate justice, promote urban health, mitigate climate change, and enhance biodiversity in measurable ways

2024 Landscape Middle East Conference

The Saudi Society of Landscape Architecture, in collaboration with IFLA Middle East and Landscape Middle East Magazine, hosted the 2024 Landscape Middle East Conference and Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This annual event celebrates and promotes landscape architecture in the Middle East and serves as a platform to connect landscape architecture professionals, academics, and the landscape industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. It was a pleasure to see both local and international landscape architects gathered in one place, as Riyadh becomes a hub for some of the largest landscape architecture projects in the region and the world.

A special thanks to IFLA Middle East for their incredible work in advancing the profession in the Middle East.

Desertification and Land Preservation: A Call to Action from IFLA at COP16

IFLA delegates actively participated in COP16 in Riyadh, focusing on a pressing issue: the lack of an institutionalized landscape architecture profession in countries most affected by desertification and land degradation.

Session Highlight: Leveraging Water as an Opportunity for Green and Resilient Urban Development

This session, convened by UN-Habitat, explored how urban water planning and management can transform challenges such as floods, droughts, and land degradation into opportunities for creating resilient and inclusive cities. Nadine Bitar Chahine, IFLA Middle East, delivered an exceptional presentation, highlighting how landscape architects in the region are addressing water scarcity and land degradation.

In another session titled ‘Financing Challenges and Opportunities in the Sahel Region, Africa’, Nadine spoke about IFLA’s global reach and its capacity to support regional initiatives aimed at combating land degradation and fostering sustainable development.

IFLA is attuned to the regional realities as an international organization. One challenge is filtering down policies to the settlement level, the city, and metropolitan landscapes, and translating them into strategic actions to combat desertification. Another challenge is capacity building.

Inspiring Example: Redeveloping a Derelict Soccer Stadium

At the official side event of the UNEP and UNECE UNCCD COP16, Graham Young, IFLA Africa President and IFLA Delegate representing IFLA EXCO, presented and participated in a panel at the session, ‘Rethinking Urban Landscapes: Equity, Restoration, and Resilience in Arid Regions’. He presented a compelling model for redeveloping a derelict soccer stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, into a city park. He showed how the site could be developed to achieve net zero runoff, whereby grey water from a nearby shopping center and harvested rainwater can be stored in an underground tank for use, while city authorities could gain revenue from renting the common areas, retail outlets, and advertising boards.

IFLA’s Commitment

The participation at COP16 underscored IFLA’s and IFLA’s regional team’s dedication to addressing global challenges such as desertification and land degradation through innovative, nature-based solutions and advocacy for a stronger institutional presence of landscape architecture in the most affected regions.

Global Summit in Sustainable Greening and Landscape Architecture

IFLA EXCO was invited by the Shenzhen Landscape Architecture Society (SLAS) to attend the annual congress held in Shenzhen, China.

The main purpose of the congress was to share the innovative achievements of landscape architecture in China and from around the world (through EXCO members), and to discuss the future development building a ‘community of life on earth’.

One of the key insights from the event was the outstanding progress made by our Chinese colleagues in advancing landscape architecture within China, particularly their pivotal role in developing ‘Garden Cities’ through ecological design and planning standards. The conference underscored the vital importance of landscape architects in transforming urban environments by leveraging nature-based solutions.

UIA 2024 International Forum, Kuala Lumpur

The International Union of Architects (UIA) Forum aims to generate a dialogue to update the understanding of cultural identity in the age of globalized culture in architecture. At the conference, concern with global climate change was expressed through passive solar systems and reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. The latter complements IFLA’s focus on carbon sequestration.

With a heart full of gratitude for 2024, IFLA looks forward to an exciting and impactful 2025. Together, let’s create a future that is sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful.