April is World Landscape Architecture month. Aotearoa’s Dr Diane Menzies played a key role in developing the initiative. Her team linked it with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) activity when she was president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects from 2006 – 2010. Below she writes about World Landscape Architecture Month as well as how and why it was established.

The first objective of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) is to promote the profession. IFLA is the world body for the landscape architecture profession, of which Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects is a member. The challenge for the incoming  executive committee of IFLA, which I led from 2006-2010, was to broaden promotional strategies which could be applied locally. Ideas were needed which could be led globally and which every practitioner, university programme, and member association of IFLA could adapt for their local places and spaces, to show what landscape architects were doing: to demonstrate the breadth of the professional.

One example was the introduction of World Landscape Architecture Month. The executive initially explored the idea of a world landscape architecture day. The Malaysian government had introduced a national landscape architecture day which promoted tree planting. The then head of the government’s Landscape Architecture Department explained the promotion for 3rd March, as originating in three/three/three to become trees, trees, trees. In other parts of the world tree planting is promoted nationally through an Arbor Day, or other initiatives, so this did not seem to be the solution. We found that the American Society of Landscape Architects, IFLA’s largest member, had introduced a national week for Landscape Architecture in April in their calendar. Should we align with that week? Extensive canvassing of IFLA members suggested that a fixed week in April may be difficult for some associations to respond. A month, inclusive of the ASLA week, provided more flexibility, and so after further dialogue, April as World Landscape Architecture Month was agreed.

A range of activities and events were held in April 2007, the first World Landscape Architecture month, including exhibitions, visits to new design projects, meet the studio events, caring for loved places and special topic lectures. IFLA newsletters carried stories of these events to provide promotional ideas for newer members. In 2008 the eye catching winning entry of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects student poster competition was announced in  IFLA News.  A creative activity landscape architecture students in Tallin staged for World Landscape Architecture Month was a month-long, monitored intervention in their main square. They  installed 30 wooden white-painted chairs in the square, and watched what happened. By the end of April, 3 chairs remained. The rest had migrated to other parts of the square, and then throughout Tallin, to indoor and outdoor spaces. The vanishing installation was important for those students and could lead to further investigations, perceptions and use of public space.

World Landscape  Architecture month activities held in New Zealand have been passed on to IFLA to add to their promotional ideas ‘bank.’  The value of the global event is in local activity which increases participation in, understanding of, and interest in landscape architecture. World Landscape Architecture month is now celebrated in USA and by many other landscape architecture associations and practices. This year an online ICOMOS-IFLA forum will be held on Indigenous cultural landscape, in which Ngā Aho, Māori design professionals will be a partner. What will your course, studio or council be doing during April for World Landscape Architecture month?