{"id":3833,"date":"2025-11-17T11:25:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T09:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freiraumwende.de\/?p=3833"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T09:25:11","slug":"stop-preaching-start-demonstrating-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/republic-space.org\/en\/stop-preaching-start-demonstrating-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201eStop preaching \u2013 start demonstrating\u201c"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Professor Marques, as President of IFLA, you represent landscape architects around the world. What role does the profession play globally today \u2013 especially facing the problems of climate change, urbanisation and biodiversity loss? <\/b><\/div>\n
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That\u2019s a question I get quite often \u2013 even from within our own membership. IFLA is a global federation of professional bodies. We were founded in 1948 and today represent around 80 countries, with over 100,000 landscape architects worldwide. The profession has changed significantly over time \u2013 and continues to evolve. Its status also varies greatly by country. In some places, it\u2019s a highly regulated profession. In others, it\u2019s still in its early stage of development. There are countries where there is little to no awareness of what landscape architecture actually is. That\u2019s why we do a lot of advocacy and education work. A widespread misconception \u2013 across many cultures \u2013 is that we\u2019re just gardeners or landscapers. But in truth, landscape architecture deals with some of the biggest challenges humanity is facing: biodiversity, providing climate resilience, food security and children-friendly cities, dealing with urban flooding and aging societies. We work at the intersection of ecology, design, planning, and policy. It\u2019s a broad scope for just one discipline but it makes perfect sense. Everything happens on top of a landscape. Nothing floats in outer space. Life unfolds on living systems: our environment. <\/p>\n

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So part of our mission is to strengthen our consciousness. And that includes work with the United Nations. We showcase what landscape architecture can do \u2013 by presenting successful strategies and real-world examples. The hope is that if we influence thinking at the UN level, this thinking will eventually filter down to national policies and local practice. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Photo: Jo. | flickr | CC BY 2.0 <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The ancient Kauri tree T\u0101ne Mahuta \u2013 \u201cGod of the Forest\u201d to the M\u0101ori \u2013 is New Zealand\u2019s oldest living tree and a powerful symbol of ecological interconnectedness. Its vast canopy hosts a rich biodiversity, including rare plants, small wetlands, and native frogs. <\/div>\n \n
Photo: itravelNZ\u00ae | flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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You mentioned your work with the UN. What does that engagement look like
in practice? <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the last three years, I\u2019ve been working closely with various UN bodies. The challenge is: landscape architecture is incredibly broad, which means we must engage with multiple UN departments \u2013 sometimes seven or eight at once. We began our work with UN-Habitat, which focuses on urban development. They\u2019re very action-oriented, which allowed us to make some early progress. We\u2019re also working with the UN-Environment Programme, where engagement is more complex but equally important. The UN gives us a platform to advocate for the profession \u2013 especially in places where support, training and formal recognition are lacking. It\u2019s a space where we can help build capacity, both through education and professional development. Because unless you\u2019re present at the table, you don\u2019t exist. If we\u2019re not there, no one knows what we offer. <\/p>\n

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How does the concept of nature-based solutions relate to your work?<\/b><\/p>\n

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In Europe, people often talk about \u201cgreen and blue infrastructure\u201d \u2013 green areas over here, blue areas over there. Nature-based solutions are much more holistic. They put nature first \u2013 not as an add-on, but as a foundation. One of the most impressive examples I\u2019ve seen is in China. I visited the country twelve years ago, and then again two years ago. The difference was staggering. China faced enormous challenges \u2013 pollution, overpopulation, congested cities. And they responded by making nature a top priority. Take Guangzhou, for example. It\u2019s a megacity of 25 million people. In just ten years, they created six massive green and blue corridors \u2013 each the size of Hannover \u2013 restoring wetlands, forests and rivers, redesigning infrastructure to allow air flow, elevating buildings. They didn\u2019t just talk about nature. They performed straight away. That\u2019s the key: stop preaching, and start demonstrating. We need more large-scale, integrated examples like this \u2013 where nature truly leads the process. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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You\u2019ve lived and worked in New Zealand for many years. What can the world learn from Indigenous knowledge about landscape? <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So much. For me, working with M\u0101ori communities has been deeply transformative. The M\u0101ori view of nature is one of deep relation. They don\u2019t try to control nature \u2013 they live with it, as part of it. Western thinking tends to dominate and exploit nature \u2013 and then we\u2019re surprised when it turns against us. The M\u0101ori see the landscape as part of their identity. They say things like \u201cI belong to this mountain\u201d or \u201cI am part of this river.\u201d It\u2019s not symbolic \u2013 it\u2019s deeply real. The landscape defines who they are. They don\u2019t separate physical, spiritual, mental and communal aspects \u2013 it\u2019s all one system. If one part is out of balance, everything is. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Even flooding is seen differently. In the West, it\u2019s a problem. But for the M\u0101ori, it\u2019s a blessing \u2013 a way to restore the land. The same view existed in ancient Egypt. Floods of the Nile were used to refresh the soil. What moved me most: after a successful legal case against the government, a M\u0101ori tribe received financial compensation. What did they do with the money? They restored wetlands and native forests. They could have bought houses or cars \u2013instead, they chose to heal the land. Because they under- stand: if the land is healthy, we are healthy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201eWe need to stop exporting generic solutions around the world. Instead, we must read the landscape \u2013 learn what is unique to each place.\u201c <\/div>\n
Bruno Marques,
\r\nPresident of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)
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Guangzhou, China, where large-scale green and blue corridors have redefined urban
resilience. In just a decade, the megacity restored wetlands, forests, and rivers \u2013
demonstrating how nature-based solutions can lead the way in climate adaptation. <\/div>\n \n
Photo: Mathias Apitz | flickr | CC BY-ND 2.0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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How can that knowledge be applied in highly urbanised Western contexts?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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First, we need to rethink our approach. In architecture, the focus is often on the object \u2013 the building \u2013 and not the context. That\u2018s why the skylines of Singapore and Montreal can look almost identical, despite completely different climates. Landscape architecture is the opposite. It\u2019s always context-specific. We work with the local soil, climate, culture, plants, and people. We need to stop exporting generic solutions around the world. Instead, we must read the landscape \u2013 learn what is unique to each place. Why import marble from Turkey to New Zealand when we have beautiful local stone? Indigenous knowledge reminds us to ask: What belongs here? What works here? And that applies not just globally \u2013 but locally. You can\u2019t compare Hamburg to Munich. Or Auckland to Christchurch. Every site is different. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And there\u2019s another aspect: the construction industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. Even when using local materials, building something new has a footprint. So instead, let\u2019s focus on upcycling and reusing what we already have. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Let\u2019s end on a hopeful note: what gives you optimism about the future \u2013 for the planet and your profession?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What gives me hope is this: to save our planet and ourselves, we will need landscapes \u2013 and landscape architects. There\u2019s no way around that. Our profession matters, and I believe we will play a crucial role in shaping a liveable future. I also believe that in the years to come, cities will emerge that put landscapes first \u2013 cities that accommodate people of all ages, all backgrounds, and all needs, through spaces that are both ethically and ecologically sound. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yes, the current situation is serious. But this is not the time for cleavage. We have one planet. There is no second Earth for different political parties or ideologies. If we fail to act, it won\u2019t be us who suffer most \u2013 it will be our children and grandchildren. And they\u2019re already scared. They\u2019re looking at an uncertain future. So let\u2019s get serious. Let\u2019s stop repeating what we already know and start sharing the solutions that are already working. Let\u2019s give landscape ist rightful place \u2013 not as a second thought, but as the foundation for everything we build. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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At the northern tip of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean
meet in a dramatic convergence of currents. For the M\u0101ori, this is where male and female waters come together\u2014an ancestral union that symbolizes balance, regeneration, and the spiritual gateway between life and the afterlife. <\/div>\n \n
Photo: Hannah Schmidt<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Photo: Gerry Keating<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Biography<\/h3>\n

Dr. Bruno Marques is a landscape architect and educator. After completing his studies in Lisbon (Portugal), Berlin (Germany) and Otago (New Zealand), Dr. Marques has practised in Germany, Estonia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, having an extensive portfolio of projects. At Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, he has spent the past eleven years shaping a research agenda on landscape rehabilitation, cultural heritage, and Indigenous wellbeing. He is currently the Associate Dean for the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation and the President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

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