IFLA's WORLD COUNCIL MEETING 2021

IFLA Africa is happy to report that 6 out of 7 delegates registered for this year's World Council Meeting.  Two out of seven videos from around the world which explored the issues facing the profession of  Landscape Architects, were from Africa. Akram el Harraqui from AAPM, Morocco, touched on the lack of recognition of the profession in Morocco and the need to work together towards  global guidance. Tim Mahoney from MILA in Malawi exposed similar problems showing some telling examples of cases where the engineer takes the upper hand and we end up with a cheaper, lower maintenance, but most unattractive and dangerous (in terms of global warming) solutions. 

The IFLA Africa president's report put the accent on the regions flagship projects - the African Landscape Network (ALN) which will be officially launched at the 7th IFLA Africa Symposium to be held on the 16th - 17th October 2021; and the African Journal of Landscape Architecture (AJLA) which will be publishing Issue N° 2 in October, the theme being Healthy Landscapes.  Carey encouraged support of the journal by taking out a Directory Entry for your firm at the cost of only €40 for a year long listing. This will help to support the hosting of the electronic journal. You can also show your support by becoming a patron for €400. Please visit the journal site at www.ajlajournal.org

The World Council is the decision making body of IFLA, composed of a Delegate from each National Association that is a member of the Federation.  Sharing Globally  was the very appropriate theme of the World Council. The meeting was held entirely online for the second year in a row, and was successfully organised by ILAM, the Malaysian national association,  who also put on a world class five day World Congress that showed excellent organisation and good quality content. 

By Carey Duncan

IFLA AFRICA ELECTIONS FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
 

Results of the recent election process were made public at the World Council meeting where IFLA Africa regional president, Carey Duncan, introduced the incoming Executive Committee who will be taking office on the 17th October 2021  immediately following the 7th IFLA Africa Symposium. 

Carey thanked all those who stood for election and congratulated those who were duly elected. The election results and process as outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws, were duly scrutinised by the current Executive Committee and validated. 

Meet the new Regional ExCo:

Graham Young, Regional President
Kharbal Kaltho, Regional Secretary General
Ikram Saidane, Regional Treasurer
Goabamang Lethugile, EEA Regional Chair
Franklin Kirimi, CER Regional Chair
Brenda Kamande, PPP Regional Chair. 

IFLA AFRICA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
 

IFLA AFRICA is a body representing landscape architects across Africa. The African region of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) came into being at the ‘Landscape Architecture in Africa: Status of Education, Practice and Future Challenges’ symposium held in Nairobi, Kenya from 5 – 7 October 2011.  It was the newest of four other regions associated with IFLA: Americas, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe. 

CELEBRATING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS FROM AFRICA 

Source: Google Art and Culture

• Title: Zhuzh
• Creator: Carey Duncan
• Date Created: 2019
• Location Created: Morocco
• Type: Land Art
• Link: More info

by James MacGregor

The byline says it all. Do I even need to go further? Actually, when I indicated, in mid-July, that, in August, this space would focus on the “the impacts of climate crisis related heating of the planet” I was not prepared to confront the urgency of the issue. In fact, by the end of the month, several countries [e.g. Canada, Greece, etc.] and hundreds of regional and urban [e.g. Moscow and Helsinki had their hottest June on record] areas worldwide had surpassed their previous record highs.
 
Furthermore it was estimated that climate change made the hottest day of the North American heat wave 150 times more likely and 2°C hotter according to a “Rapid Attribution Study” by an international team of scientists from the World Weather Attribution initiative [WWA]. They also indicated that Canada’s record-breaking 49.6°C temperature in Lytton would have been ”virtually impossible” without the influence of climate change….and if you remember this is the town that broke the national record and then burned to the ground the next day because of a wildfire.
 
The informal neighborhoods of African cities are also amongst the most vulnerable to heat waves, particularly as they impact the children and elderly. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in 2017 found is that deaths for children up to the age of 4 and people over 50 increased by 1% for every degree increase above 25°C. In a city like Nairobi where 60% of the 3.1 million people live in these settlements, the impact can be significant.
 
Unfortunately until the explosion in the number of heat related deaths this year, the unprecedented “heating of the planet” has not received the attention it deserves. Instead, focuses been on the heat related issues such as wildfires, droughts and associated famine, reduction in food production, extreme precipitation and flooding, increased ocean temperature related hurricanes, etc. However, 2021 established a pattern that will continue to expand including longer and more deadly heat waves and significantly higher, and consistently record-breaking temperatures worldwide.
 
Saving lives through landscape architecture
 
The Lancet, in 2019, estimated that there were approximately 400,000 heat related deaths worldwide. That year was not particularly hot [as compared to 2020, the hottest year on record]. However as the planet’s temperature steadily increases this death total will also dramatically escalate as the planet moves beyond the critical 1.5°C, presumably in the next 5 - 7 years. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there may be a 50% increase in heat related deaths by, say, 2040. Heat related disease, including the pandemic, will increase in parallel with heat related deaths.
 
As a result, the life-saving function and responsibilities of the landscape architect must become a central consideration in all our designs and planning initiatives. Like most of you, while studying landscape architecture, the focus was on aesthetics, urban ambience, ecosystems and biodiversity protection, and contribution to site and urban/park planning initiatives, etc. However it now seems legitimate to suggest that one of our significant new roles is to dramatically “save lives, reduce disease and improve health”.
 
In fact, after hurricanes, ´extreme heat´ is the leading causes of weather-related deaths in North America. Adding to that impact are the death and cardiovascular and respiratory complications and kidney disease associated with heat stress.
 
Through specific “lifesaving initiatives” our skills can make an increasingly significant and direct contribution to the reduction of urban temperatures and consequently save perhaps thousands of lives annually and in particular those that are amongst most vulnerable [elderly, poor, sick] as well as a variety of ”outside workers” or even those working in factories and warehouses.
 
It can be argued that we literally need hundreds of landscape architects, in Africa and elsewhere, applying our training and skills to reduce the deadly impacts of urban heat islands or other inner-city locations where lethal temperatures can be at least 10°C hotter than on the outskirts of the community.
 
Planting trees to reduce the heat caused by concrete, buildings, asphalt and a lack of soil is a top priority. The Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] reports that shaded areas can be up to 10°C cooler than exposed areas as a result of reduced sun exposure and vegetation induced cooling from evapotranspiration. Similarly by expanding use of light reflective surfaces we can minimize the amount of dark surfaces which can be 20 – 25°C hotter.
By applying this technique to rooftops [Cool roofs] we can further reduce energy consumption by 40% with a similar reduction and CO2 emissions. When combined with an overall reduction in energy consumption resulting from tree planting [10% – 20%] the argument for implementing life-saving heat reduction initiatives further increases.
 
Let me suggest that any tree planting scenario beats the New York City ”Cool City” program that provided 72,000 free air conditioners, last year, for those without access cool temperatures.


About the Author: 
jmacgregor@ecoplannet.com
Skype: ecomacgregor
+212 (0)6 45 49 20 26
Temara, Maroc/Morocco

By Tobiloba Akibo

For Landscape Architects in Nigeria, the challenges always seem insurmountable, but we have proven to be up to the task of pushing the message of Landscape Architecture in Nigeria, from adding to the knowledge bank by authoring books, to advocacy work of sensitizing citizens on environmental problems to educating and training persons passionate about the environment on garden maintenance, the message is been passed across that Landscape Architects are here and we are here to stay, to do what needs to be done to protect the environment.

A very hearty congratulations to the newly elected IFLA Africa exco, we are sending our warm wishes and support from SLAN.

Landscape Architect Spotlight
 
We asked Landscape Architects some questions about the profession and what they envision Nigerian Landscape Architecture ecosystem will look like in a couple of years, this is what they had to say: Seun Gbogboade is a Landscape Architect, passionate about Precision Agriculture he has a background in Agriculture and completed his MLA at the University of Lagos.

Why did you study Landscape Architecture?

I studied Landscape Architecture because the field focuses on environmental sustainability both at site, street, community, state, and national scale. LA synergizes human needs and want with environmental needs and capacity in order make places habitable for people in harmony with nature.

How has landscape architecture changed your world perspective in terms of how you live your life?

Landscape Architecture has taught me that human being is part of global ecosystem just like every other living creature. And we must learn to live in harmony with nature, we must conserve and preserve our resource in a sustainable manner that gives hope for unborn generation.

Read the full article below:
https://ourlandscapenigeria.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/spotlight-seun-gbogboade/

 

Dr Nnezi Uduma-Olugu launches her new book:

Dr Nnezi Uduma-Olugu, a Landscape Architect and Architect per excellence, currently the Head of Department Architecture, Unilag. She is very passionate about landscape architecture and the enlightenment of the Nigerian public about this relatively emerging profession. It is on the heels of the first book, Idyllic Historic Landscapes: An Introduction to Landscape History that this book is following.

A Fresh Approach in Interrogating Landscape Design-Changing the Landscape by Design, posits that to conceive a meaningful landscape scheme, one must think through the planning and creative processes which lead to a pre-determined outcome and that to achieve this, the designer must use specific approaches and principles of landscape design and use them internationally. These principles constitute the secrets to molding a pre-determined landscape outcome for any size of project.

To further buttress the entrenchment of landscape design in the consciousness of both the academic and secular public, the book discusses the principles of landscape design, interrogating the best ways to approach design in order to bring the maximum results. Seventeen principles are highlighted with succinct illustrations to arrive at pre-planned schemes, using the principles as tools. The book highlights these basic principles to include unity, balance, scale and proportion, accent, rhythm, sequence, repetition, variety and simplicity which have to be achieved through the use of the elements of lines, form, texture and color. All these are, however, interconnected and must be mastered in order to develop a meaningful design that would create a healthy, environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing landscape.

The book is available at the Department of Architecture, University of Lagos. it is also available on Amazon and kindle at $32.50.