watch this space as we address some of the issues of the relationship between the AILA and the UDAL.
if after reading the information below - you have another question - please send it through to the National Office.
Background to UDAL
The Urban Design Alliance (Queensland) was originally established by a group of key organisations with a focus on Urban Design in Queensland as a partnership to represent a joint voice to promote and advocate for urban design.
These organisations were the RAIA, PIA, the AILA and an Urban Design university research institute. The UDAL functioned as a network or a forum rather than a legal entity. Of the three professional institutes, the AIA, AILA and PIA, only the last remains a member of the UDAL.
UDAL becomes Incorproated - opens up the membership base
Several years ago UDAL became incorporated and established itself with a broader membership base than the original professional institutes.
The UDAL membership was opened up to anyone with an interest and /or commitment to Urban Design - to become an organisation of built environment professionals, institutions and related groups, as well as individuals interested in urban issues.
Under this more open membership model, and being an incorporated association in its own right, the UDAL now represents the views of its membership, which can be a broad spectrum of views and not necessarily those of the founding professional institutions.
The UDAL is therefore no longer able to represent the joint opinions of these professional institutes. The UDAL has moved from being a professionally based alliance to an issue based organisation of individuals and groups.
The Legal Questions
It must be emphasised that under the new incorporated model, corporate governance requires that all members of such a legal entity (UDAL) must be bound by the company constitution of the entity and not be conflicted by having other allegiances to another entity (in this case, the AILA).
So given the current legal structure of the UDAL, the AILA, being separate legal ASIC registered company, cannot be a member.
This does not stop individual AILA members from joining the UDAL. Just that they join as individual members, not as representatives of the AILA.
Q & A
What is the exact relationship these days between AILA and UDAL?
As outlined above - the two institutes cannot be members of each other. Individual members of one may be a member of the other.
However, if a member of the UDAL wished to join the AILA, they would need to be a professionally recognised Landscape Architect. Whereas a registered AILA member would currently be able to join the open membership of UDAL.
Does the AILA have a formal understanding with the UDAL?
No. Since the UDAL ceased being a 'forum' for professional institutes, the AILA no longer has a formal relationship with the UDAL.
The AILA and the UDAL are both separate legal entities with some identifiable overlap in advocacy and policy directions.
The main difference is that the AILA is a professional institute (with Registered Members) while the UDAL is an issue based organisation with an open membership.
Whilst the intention is for all to work together for the shared objective of good urban design, the AILA may well take alternative views to urban design issues to those held by UDAL and reserves the right to endorse UDAL’s activities and advocacy.
Is there an AILA represent on the UDAL?
No. But this does not stop individual AILA members being members of the UDAL and representing the views of their profession to the UDAL.
Urban Design? What is the AILA doing about the Registration of Urban Designers?
The AILA registration of Urban Designers is designed for those AILA Registered Landscape Architects who are experienced practitioners in the field of urban design.
This doesn’t stop urban designers from other disciplines from continuing to describe and promote themselves urban designers, or from setting up other certification schemes.
The AILA will be marketing the status of the AILA Registered Urban Designer as an enhanced status for particular AILA Registered Landscape Architects.
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