LAA#118: Spot. the Landscape Architect

There is a lot of discussion amongst landscape architects about the relative invisibility of the profession in the community. While our numbers have been growing, the institute is of course the sum of our highly motivated volunteers

While the Beaton Consulting study conforms that we volunteer a lot, and are happy to do so, a perception exists amongst landscape architects that we are an introverted profession, as opposed to our extroverted cousins. Architects have at least two idiomatic terms to describe their larger ego-ed members: capital ‘A’ Architects, and ‘Starchitects’. Very hard to compete with that, so it is perhaps understanding that some of us revert to ‘bland’ scape architects. Of course this need not be so.

How then do landscape architects engage with the community, and within communities?

My partner Karina and I lead moderately social lives, admittedly within a very small city by Australian standards (herein Canberra). We are out in the community at a range of times of day, for a variety of events (but we don’t go clubbing). We habit local produce markets on Saturday mornings, other market based shopping, as well as supermarkets, very occasionally a larger mall. We do go to a lot of contemporary art openings at commercial galleries, and regularly visit the National Gallery of Australia and a few other cultural facilities in Canberra. We also like bookshops. Maybe even a nearby local winery from time to time. Not always high-brow stuff – I caught the last quarter of the St Kilda/Geelong pre-season game at Manuka Oval– (good win to the Saints). We have a little game we play, when out and about, called ‘Spot the landscape architect’. Aside from industry functions, we don’t often spot them. We do however, spot a lot of clients, architects,and landscape contractors, so why the lack of interaction with other landscape architects?

Granted our numbers are small, but even only using numbers of AILA members, in whatever category, there is an overall ratio of landscape architects to population in Australia of 1:16,500 give or take. This ratio is broadly similar in the US and Canada. The Canberra region has a ratio of 1:5,500 or better. (The Manuka Oval crowd I mentioned above was 6700 – about right - I didn’t see any other landscape architects). I will leave it to a mathematician to workout the odds of meeting another one in our street, but I would reckon as a group we don’t get out much.

It is also quite clear that we need more landscape architects, visible or not. There has been a distinct shortage of applicants vs the number of job vacancies posted on the AILA website, ever since the job listing commenced five or six years ago. Other countries, such as USA and Canada, are experiencing the same shortages. The ASLA has launched a campaign called ‘Each One Reach One’, where members are encouraged to visit a local secondary school, to personally connect with potential future members. The ASLA is hoping to counter the shortage, and also to help address the structural imbalance of a large cohort of current members closing on retirement age. Recent feedback from ASLA members has been very positive to this challenge.

Back onto visibility, how do Landscape Architects and the AILA engage more widely with the community?

The challenge for the AILA is how to best use the time and generosity of our members to raise our profile. Things may be beginning to turn the corner:

Membership
Membership in all categories has been on a steady increase since 2000, and the Institute is beginning to reach a critical mass in terms of numbers and organisational capacity and strength to begin to make a difference. In January of this year the Institute advertised and filled two part time positions based in Melbourne and Brisbane, for essentially state-based promotional and administrative positions, but supported through the national office.

The structure of the positions allows for the employees to work primarily at a state level, but also to assist a specific national office task, or another state or territory activity. Over time, this employment model is anticipated to extend to other states. One area where more needs to be done is in services to public sector members, to increase our member base amongst a large employment area.

Events
NSW, Victoria and Queensland Groups have had very active programs of professional development events for several years now. The real changes have been that several of the other state groups have also recently risen to the challenge and implemented equivalent programs and there are now regional groups within Queensland,each with their own activity programs.

Awards
All states and the ACT have regular award programs. From this year NSW will hold award events annually, as Victoria has done for several years. National Awards will continue on a two-year cycle for the future. The AILA Award program is a very effective promotional tool for members, and can be an attractive opportunity for both public and private sector clients.

Publications
Communication between members and to the wider community has been strengthened over the past two years through the Institute’s partnering with Architecture Media Pty Ltd (who publish this magazine), as well as the successful launch of LA Online – the Institute’s quarterly on-line journal, and the continuation of LANDmark.

Education
The National Office recognises the efforts of the existing tertiary institutions offering landscape architectural qualifications, and works actively with those institutions, as well as discussions with potential additional institutions, over the range and scope of the current and potential future course offered at an undergraduate and graduate level.

P.S. I am pleased to report that we did ‘spot’ another landscape architect at the open air broadcast of Prime Minister Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generation, on the lawns at Federation Mall, on February 13th last. How many did you see?

Using Format