News from AILA Victoria Chapter - February 2024
Dear Members,
2024 is flying by – it’s hard to believe that we’re approaching the end of February and it’s already been an action-packed start to the year with so much more still to come.
February hasn’t been all about Taylor Swift, although the Swifties in our respective workplaces may disagree – in the past few weeks there have been several topics in the mainstream media propelling Landscape Architects to the forefront of advocacy and knowledge sharing. The contaminated mulch issue in NSW is a prime example, with suppliers, clients and agencies looking to Landscape Architects to provide quality assurance to our clients and the communities we design for. AILA Victoria convened an open discussion and invited AILA Victorian Major Partner, ecoDynamics’ Director Nick Somes, to talk to members about the issues from his perspective and answer members’ questions. As Landscape Architects, it is critical that we advocate for sustainable and quality products in our projects. AILA will continue to advocate for our members as regulations evolve in this space.
Tree canopy cover has also been a hot topic, with Rachael Dexter reporting in The Age on Victorian Council of Social Service research showing that Melbourne’s poorest and most at-risk residents are far more likely to live in the hottest parts of the city. It was terrific to see Infrastructure Victoria recently announce in Victoria’s Infrastructure Strategy 2021-2051, that they have recommended achieving 30% tree canopy coverage in new growth areas by mandating canopy coverage during precinct development, funding relevant Victorian Government agencies and local government to plant, replace and maintain canopy trees, and work with utility providers to remove barriers to tree planting. The AILA Victorian Executive Committee has been in discussions with other industry bodies such as the Urban Development Institute of Australia and the Urban Land Institute to work on joint advocacy objectives to support this initiative to get more tree canopy in our communities.
We are well and truly in awards season, and whilst some are waiting to see whether Oppenheimer or Barbie will come out on top, I am far more excited about the 2024 AILA VIC Landscape Architecture Awards. Our amazing Vic Awards Jury have been announced, with Flynn Hart as Jury Chair. If you would like to enter a project into the awards, please visit the Vic Chapter Awards page and have your entry in by Wednesday 13 March (11:59pm AEDT). I can’t wait to see all the incredible landscape project entries! It's also great to see that AILA’s Future Leader Student and Graduate Award is back this year - submit nominations here.
We have a packed events calendar coming up. In particular, I’d like to highlight AILA Vic’s first Practice Forum webinar for 2024 - for landscape architects working within public practice. The webinar is on this Friday 1 March and will be chaired by President, Naomi Barun, and will include a presentation by the Deportment of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).
We are really excited about the Common Ground x International Women’s Day 2024, which is a cross-disciplinary event between AILA Vic Fresh, EmAGN (The Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network), and Young Planners (Planning Institute of Australia). The event will bring together exciting speakers from across the professions of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning in conversation to discuss the importance of empowering women in the built environment and developing leadership skills at an early career stage. Limited places remain to attend the final event of the International Women’s Day events being run by AILA and our other industry friends - 2024 PIA International Women's Day Networking and Closing Reception.
There are too many other exciting events to mention here, so please stay tuned for updates from AILA Vic or visit the AILA events page for more details on all the events coming up over the next few weeks.
Cheers,
Matt Bradbury, AILA Vic Executive