I recently joined American Society of Landscape Architects President Eugenia Martin, FASLA, and hundreds of other global leaders in landscape architecture in Gwangju, South Korea, at the International Federation of Landscape Architects World Council Meeting. IFLA represents landscape architects worldwide, with 77 member associations globally, including ASLA in the United States.

The time together was a reaffirmation that the global community of landscape architects share goals to promote and diversify the profession, set high professional standards, and exchange knowledge and best practices across cultures and communities.

One of my big takeaways from the gathering is that advocacy and education efforts for landscape architecture at national, regional, and local levels are critical. As a profession, landscape architecture remains misunderstood by policy-makers and municipalities across the globe. In response, to better understand the work of landscape architects globally, IFLA partnered with the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) to launch a global survey of the profession. I believe engaging with decision-makers at every level of government and having more landscape architects elected or appointed to public office must be a central strategy to influence how our communities are designed, how projects are prioritized, and how funding is allocated.

In my remarks to the IFLA World Council, I discussed the important role advocacy plays in our industry, and I shared ASLA’s perspective and influence on two huge pieces of federal legislation: the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

As a profession, landscape architecture remains misunderstood by policy-makers and municipalities across the globe.

When Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we at ASLA quickly honed in on the allocation of funds for projects that landscape architects are uniquely qualified to lead. Landscape architects can help tip the balance in the built environment from ‘carbon-neutral’ to carbon-positive, which is what we will need for a truly resilient future.

There is no doubt that the climate change provision of the IRA will transform our economy into a cleaner one, as evidenced by the $30 billion in production tax credits to accelerate U.S. manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and critical minerals processing. It also allocates another $30 billion in tax credits for clean sources of electricity and energy storage and provides targeted grant and loan programs for states and electric utilities to accelerate the transition to clean electricity.

And particularly important for landscape architects and professionals in related fields, the IRA recognizes and funds landscape architecture approaches to address climate change — from active transportation projects like recreational trails in large, urban metros to nature-based water infrastructure, community tree planting, and ecosystem restoration. Additionally, the legislation makes significant strides in advancing environmental and climate justice by ensuring underserved communities receive resources to adapt to a changing climate.

Some of the programs and projects traditionally led by landscape architects, such as active transportation infrastructure, include $3 billion for a Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program that will help to improve walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access through projects that are “context-sensitive.” In other words, landscape architects will be enabled to build or improve complete streets, multi-use trails, regional greenways, active transportation networks or provide affordable access to essential destinations, public spaces, transportation links and hubs. This grant program will remove high-speed and other transportation projects and facilities that are barriers to connectivity within communities, as well as remove transportation projects and facilities that are a source of air pollution, noise pollution, stormwater, or other burdens in underserved communities. Solutions could include natural infrastructure, permeable or porous pavement, or protective features to reduce or manage stormwater run-off and even heat island mitigation projects.

Landscape architects can help tip the balance in the built environment from ‘carbon-neutral’ to carbon-positive, which is what we will need for a truly resilient future.

As we know, the IPCC report released earlier this year stated that efforts to integrate nature in cities should be the backbone of future urban development and planning to improve resilience to climate impacts.

So now, with confidence, we can tell our political leaders and lawmakers that it’s wise and important to bring in a landscape architect at the beginning of a development project because they can analyze the conditions to determine the best way to orient buildings, source water, and protect natural resources we will need for future resilience.

Landscape architects consider how all the pieces of a community “puzzle” fit together because they see how entire communities can be designed as a holistic system to reduce energy use and vehicle emissions. Frankly, housing emissions cannot easily be decoupled from transportation emissions, which account for a third of total global emissions.

We have also found that investment in tree canopies not only mitigates against rising heat levels but can also support community-wide efforts to reduce energy use. And why is this important? We can see that communities heavily made up of concrete and asphalt — and planned with no space for trees — are actually creating heat islands. It’s also important to note that communities that have experienced redlining and disinvestment are the communities with the fewest trees and the most dangerous heat islands. We have to mitigate heat, not exacerbate it.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden last fall also makes significant investments in our nation’s transportation, water, renewable energy, and broadband infrastructure, including action on 13 of the transportation, water, and natural resource policy measures supported by ASLA.

The infrastructure legislation is also profound in its scope because it allows the United States to take the first steps to address the legacy of environmental and social inequities in cities created by highways that have divided communities for decades. Specifically, the “Reconnecting Communities” program provides $1 billion to remove highways and reconnect communities through multi-modal transportation options, boulevard-like green spaces, and new connections to economic opportunity. I’m proud of the fact that even before the enactment of this legislation, ASLA recognized the urgent need by honoring landscape architecture firms, through our annual Professional Awards program, for their work to reconnect neighborhoods in their cities.

Communities that have experienced redlining and disinvestment are the communities with the fewest trees and the most dangerous heat islands. We have to mitigate heat, not exacerbate it.

In addition, water and smart water management have become an even greater imperative because of climate change. So, we were pleased to see that the infrastructure legislation included $25 million for five new Stormwater Centers of Excellence throughout the country. The EPA will administer an application process for colleges and universities, research organizations, and nonprofit groups to become centers of excellence. These centers will explore new types of nature-based green infrastructure, methods to improve existing designs, and strategies for financing and rate-setting, public outreach, and professional training.

I closed my remarks at IFLA by inviting global delegates to join us in San Francisco at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture this November, where we will release our Climate Action Plan and feature more than 120 hours of courses that showcase how landscape architects are actually a secret weapon to solving many of our biggest challenges.

Networking and learning from other leaders from across the world, and sharing some of our lessons learned and opportunities here in the U.S., is an invigorating and challenging opportunity. As a profession, landscape architects are energized and ready to make a difference in our communities. We look forward to deepening our collaborations with our allied professions and government leaders at every level to design stronger communities here at home and around the world.