On September 17th 2019 IFLA´s president at the time, James Hayter, declared a climate and biodiversity emergency and called for landscape architects world wide to join together in facing these challenges.The anthropocene has made apparent the negative effects of the interaction between humanity and the planet. While nations have borders, the consequences of our collective actions and the ensuing threats facing humanity do not. 

However, this era also sees new forms of interaction emerge; ones that transcends national, social and cultural boundaries as well as academic and institutional borders. At the same time old paradigms and barriers are being dissolved, and technological innovation and new forms of communication allows us to share information increasingly efficiently. The opportunities for collaboration have never been better, and never so needed. We cannot leave anyone behind. 

Continuing on the 2019 declaration, the theme of the 2023 IFLA World Congress, “Emergent interaction” aims to explore emerging forms of collective problem solving, networks of ideas and borderless strategies in order to find new solutions to the urgent issues of climate change, social inequality and biodiversity. 

The IFLA World Congress 2023 seek submissions within four tracks:

• Scientific or practice abstracts

• Design projects

• IFLA 75 anniversary ”IFLA 75: Histories and networks” abstracts

• Open – If you would like to submit other material that does not fit in to the other categories

All submissions (except IFLA 75) shall be connected to one of the three subthemes of the congress: Leave no one behind, Act local, think global, Beyond borders . Practicioners and students from relevant fields are welcome to submit.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is 14th April 2023 at 12.00 hours (CET)

More here.

The next speaker in the ‘Thinkers and Doers’ series is Emily Wade (Sweden) presenting “ Integrated Landscape Character Assessment: a toolkit for long term spatial planning”.

This lecture is scheduled to happen on Wednesday 19  August 2020 at 8am NZ time (or 18 August  – 1pm Los Angeles, 4pm New York, 9pm London).

Register for the lecture on Zoom 👉

https://vuw.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJElc-qrrDIiHtQCVRlshMBm767rJADAziei

Abstract

This lecture will look at sustainable transport systems and the considerable impact on the landscape as a result of the building and management of roads and railways. Therefore, a holistic approach to the resources, values and change processes of the landscape has become an increasingly important issue. Understanding the landscape as an arena is an important basis and starting point for both long term strategic planning and in continuing spatial planning. Drawing from the Swedish experience over the last seven years, this lecture will discuss an interdisciplinarity methodology by providing a toolkit to obtain a holistic understanding of the dynamics of the landscape. This methodology is now used in big and costly pending infrastructure projects such as high-speed railways in Sweden. Emily will describe a method for Integrated Landscape Character Assessment that can be used in long term planning.

Bio

Emily Wade is a Landscape Architect practicing in Sweden. She is partner of the office of Landskapslaget in Stockholm, working with landscape architecture, landscape and urban planning. Since 2010, she is the co-author of several guidelines connected to planning of landscapes and public open space.  She has an international outlook through engagement in the International Federation of Landscape architects, IFLA. Emily also teaches at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU. 

About

‘Thinkers and Doers’ aims at bringing together practitioners, scholars, students and the wider community of landscape architecture and affiliated built environment disciplines to share ideas and to hear the latest innovations in the field. This online series brings together nationally and internationally renowned experts through an initiative between the NZILA Wellington Branch and the Landscape Architecture Programme at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

NZILA members: Event Attendance – NZILA CPD 0.5 pts/hr

NZILA Category 3b Public Lecture: 0.5 pts/hr up to two hours per lecture