To showcase what it means to be part of the AILA community, we’ve interviewed a selection of AILA members on what they love most about the landscape architecture profession, their personal inspiration and why they’ll be renewing their AILA membership in 2016. We’ll be posting these interviews throughout the month.

For the next instalment in our AILA member profiles, we have interviewed the Director of Victorian Design Review Panel of Victorian Government, Emma Appleton.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest impact landscape architecture has made (at a local, national, or international level) in the last 12 months?

In a broad sense, landscape architects continue to contribute to making cities and towns more livable and enjoyable for people. As our urban places become more populated, both the public spaces in our cities and the natural systems and rural landscapes that support us, are becoming more and more important. We understand how to respond to the different systems, networks and contexts to design and deliver inspiring places for people, and are well placed to respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

For examples of landscape architect’s/ architecture’s impact, I will stick close to home…

In Melbourne, the urban forestry strategy by the City of Melbourne is a standout. Based on an amazing research base, it has been championed politically. Now well into its delivery phase, it will have a profound effect on Melbourne, making it a more resilient and beautiful city long-term, as well as inform approaches across Australia and beyond.

In Victoria, there are now nine landscape architects who contribute their expertise to the Victorian Design Review Panel, championing the importance of integrated design outcomes and advocating for the delivery of high quality public spaces in significant projects across the state.

There are also many examples of where landscape architects have been lead consultants on major and transformative (delivered and future) projects – Auckland waterfront, Masterplans for Shipwreck Coast and Grampian Peaks Trail (with a landscape architect as client too), Dandenong public realm, National Arboretum etc.

What is most exciting you about your industry at the moment?

As our cities transition to a medium density future, there will need to be sustained and deliberate investment in the green and blue infrastructure. Our industry is at the heart of the future of cities as great places to live.

Landscape architects and allied professions will continue to be at the forefront of transforming the way we think about, design and manage our public realm. Our profession will be central to protecting and enhancing the natural systems that sustain us to meet the demands of more intensive use, increased consumption and pollution and to support our quality of life and biodiversity.

The streets, boulevards, parks, and public places, and our river corridors and natural landscapes are the lungs and connectors of our cities, essential to our well-being and health, and central to the character and identity of places and who we are as citizens. As a profession, we have a major role to play in all these realms.

What’s your favourite source of inspiration as a Landscape Architect?

Great public spaces that get kids close to nature, catch their breath in city life and let them run. The new nature play park on the previous site of Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital shows what can be achieved – its popularity demonstrates the need for more of these spaces in our urban environments, and the importance of nature in the city.

Whenever our family needs inspiration, relief or a change in perspective, we head out of the city to our great National Parks – vast, diverse and beautiful places, which remind us of the important things!

Nothing beats visiting projects and places and experiencing them first hand. I recently went to Sydney for a weekend and spent some time at Ballast Point Park and Paddington Reservoir – even after seeing many images, being there was full of surprise and delight. And while it is an older project, Emscher Landschaftspark is always an inspiration.

I also look at Landezine to see what the world is up to, and Topos is always a great source of inspiration.

In your opinion, what’s the best thing about being an AILA member?

I have really enjoyed being part of AILA, chairing the state advocacy committee and contributing monthly to executive meetings. It has been great to meet a group of amazing people, from different parts of practice and with diverse passions and perspectives.It has definitely broadened my view of the profession and I have learnt a lot.

The transformation of the Institute at the national level is enabling. The organisation is strong and growing, and at State level, it has been great to have such committed members and effective committees. Professional institutes like AILA are able to give voice to important and strategic issues, which affect the profession or can be influenced by the profession. I have begun to realise the huge opportunity by being part of the conversation at AILA.

Where you’d like to see AILA go into the future?

AILA’s influence is gathering momentum and I hope that this will encourage more membership buy-in and contribution. I feel this is a great time for our profession to not only contribute to projects, but also have a voice in creatively responding to the big issues of our time, like climate change, intensification of urban areas, pressure on rural land and natural landscapes to name a few. While membership is growing, it would be great for all members to find a way to contribute to the institute, as one of our strengths is the breadth of the profession, and the diverse roles across public and private sectors. Collectively, we can achieve more.

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To renew your AILA membership now, click here.