ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE Ð WHERE DOES LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIT IN?
The following is intended as an informal background introduction to some of the ideas currently being examined within AILAÕs Climate Change Adaptation Skills for Professionals Program. The first phase of the program is focusing on the development of a set of Landscape Principles. These will be used to guide the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies and professional development programs for landscape architects, as well as increasing the knowledge/advocacy base within the profession when assisting clients and government with this critical issue.
The role of landscape architecture in the current discourse on adaptation to climate change is a unique one. There is legitimate concern within our profession and the wider community that conventional land development and management practices have historically tended to inhibit rather than enhance the ability of landscapes to serve the needs of humanity and the wider environment on a sustainable, long-term basis. This has led to a situation where landscape - most notably within the context of urban form - is often treated as an afterthought, or an end-of-project issue. Yet it should actually be a central concern, as the question of how we value our landscapes directly impacts on critical areas affecting our long-term survival as a species. In simple terms we as a profession need to clearly articulate the Òtriple bottom lineÓ of landscape Ð i.e. the value of landscape in terms of its contribution to the economic, environmental, and social/cultural conditions which form the fundamental framework necessary for long-term human well-being.
To do this effectively, a shift in thinking is required of our profession. Rather than accepting the prevailing view of landscape as an entity to be acted upon (with sensitivity or not), we now need urgently to reappraise our approach to become more closely attuned to the necessity for understanding and working within the context of a rapidly changing and increasingly complex environment. In this context the modus operandii is no longer one of premeditated approaches towards ÔcementedÕ solutions, but rather a capacity for flexibility and adaptiveness. As landscape architects, our role as stewards of the landscape obliges us to direct our attention (perhaps for some with an uncomfortably sharp focus) on the link between how we choose to respond to the wider environment and the ultimate survival outcome for our species. It is rapidly becoming a simple equation of how intelligently we might adapt versus how swiftly we might perish.
Looking at landscape from a triple-bottom-line perspective raises the potential for new ways of analysing, designing and managing sites across a wide range of scales, and provides new possibilities for policy setting and practice which will enable us as a profession to better negotiate the uncertainties characteristic of the current debate on the impacts of climate change.
1. THE ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE:
Landscape plays a vital role in supporting healthy, functioning environments, especially in relation to the significant value of the ecosystem services it provides (i.e. the ÔfreeÕ services provided by the ecological processes of healthy landscape systems that clean our air and water, pollinate plants, filter and recycle nutrients, modify our climate and enhance potential for human well-being through contemplation of, and interaction with, the natural environment).
To date, the contribution of this previously uncounted landscape value has been largely ignored in urban land-use and management decisions, and has yet to surface in terms of economic analysis of the impacts of climate change. As a profession, it is vital that we address this situation. We must begin to advocate not only the intrinsic value of landscape, but also promote a deeper understanding of the actual value of ecosystem services for which nature is only just beginning to hold us to account.
2. THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
The current approach to landscape management, in relation to climate change adaptation strategies, is focused primarily on the same issues as buildings Ð i.e. reduction of energy and water usage. However, this approach fails to recognise that landscapes (both built and natural) are fundamentally different from buildings in that they typically consume less energy, both in construction and operation, and they also have the unique, inherent capacity to enhance and regenerate natural resources.
A ÔsustainableÕ site (i.e. one which is designed and managed for long-term sustainability outcomes) can provide a range of valuable ecosystem services which actually improve environmental quality rather than simply minimize the damage to natural systems. On a practical level, we need to develop ways to assess and measure the value of ecosystem services preserved or increased through sustainable site practices. In this sense, active landscape management for sustainable outcomes can become a pro-active strategy for addressing the challenges posed by climate change, as well as a potent tool in mitigating the adverse effects of such change.
3. THE SOCIAL/CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Whatever terminology we use to define the realm of human social and cultural interaction with the environment, (e.g. ÔcommunityÕ, Ôlocal identityÕ, Ôsense of placeÕ, ÔbeautyÕ, ÔaestheticsÕ etc.) there is a growing understanding of the linkage between human well-being and our sense of connection with the natural world. Emerging research relating to the restorative and regenerative power of landscape in human health is an area rich with possibility for designers, especially in view of the potential implications of climate change for human health outcomes.
The same processes at the heart of global ecological degradation (namely the consumptive nature of development and the global economy) also threaten our ability to flourish mentally and spiritually to our full potential, particularly within the urban context Ð which for the first time in history is now home to more than half the worldÕs population. Our built form has become the most common landscape we rely on to support the entire spectrum of human physical and social needs. Clearly there is an urgent need to ensure that such landscapes are planned, designed and managed within a much more holistic framework in order to maximize the potential for human flourishing in all its richness and complexity.
DEVELOPING A RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Ultimately, our profession should provide leadership in establishing standards and processes for interventions in the landscape that include clearly defined, measurable benchmarks for sustainability. Our role as stewards of the landscape demands no less. There is an urgent need to establish quantitative methodology to link sustainable land practices with ecosystem services such as climate regulation, biodiversity, clean air and water. Equally critical is the need to refine and quantify current understanding of those often less tangible linkages between our sense of connection with the wider environment and human health/spiritual well-being. New research currently being undertaken by our project partners (CSIRO) provides valuable insight into current thinking in these areas, linking us to current research on urban metabolism and the impact of climate change on human health in urban environments.
Recent research on the international dimensions of urban design practice also supports the proposal that Ôreflective practiceÕ is a useful guiding principle for designers working in an increasingly dynamic and complex environment (ÒCross Cultural Urban DesignÓ Ð Bull, Catherin et al Ð eds., Routledge, London/New York 2007 Ð pg 211).
The ideas outlined above underpin the current development of a set of Landscape Principles to guide climate change adaptation strategies within our profession. This work will include an examination of how such principles might link with policies or strategies for measuring/quantifying how our landscapes can support both natural ecological functions as well as human needs in a more holistic, sustainable manner.
It is intended that the AILA Landscape Principles will ultimately serve as a primary reference point for our own profession but also contribute to policy-direction and processes within the broader framework of government agencies and organizations concerned with land-management and planning issues. They will hopefully provide us with a set of new tools to help us function as Ôreflective practitionersÕ in a much more sophisticated manner than we have in the past, in order to respond with integrity to the challenges of an uncertain future.
