CSLA Resource Library

The Professions Advancing Adaptation Competencies (PAAC) project examined how climate action competencies can be strengthened and embedded within practice across the Accounting, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and Planning professions.

Led by the Climate Risk Institute (CRI), in partnership with the Resilience by Design Lab(opens in new tab) and South Arm Training and Development(opens in new tab), and supported by Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program(opens in new tab), PAAC supported each profession in developing a preliminary, directional understanding of their current state, identifying gaps, and recommending practical steps to embed climate competencies into professional practice. 

The page includes four profession-specific documents for accounting, engineering, landscape architecture, and planning, along with two cross-profession resources:

• The PAAC Recommendations Report which brings together competency mapping results and key insights from all four professions, identifying shared opportunities and profession-specific steps to strengthen climate action competencies in practice.
• The PAAC Methods Document Guidance for Advancing Climate Action Competencies Across Professions, which explains how competencies and jobs were mapped, offering an adaptable process and templates for other professions and organizations to use in their own mapping work.

"Turn the pages and behold! the 2026 CSLA Awards of Excellence. Review these projects, reflect on your own. Enter and continue the discussion of advancing our profession while creating positive impacts on our world."

– Carol Craig, Jury Chair

Note: This was a bilingual event held in both English and French. Complete captions in either language are available in the video settings.

Two complementary perspectives—one from project delivery, the other from design leadership—come together to examine the Port Lands Flood Protection Project, one of the most ambitious landscape infrastructure and climate adaptation initiatives in Canada.

Two expert perspectives—one rooted in ecological relationships, the other in professional practice—come together to examine how native plants can support biodiversity, pollinators, and resilient landscapes. From co-evolved plant–pollinator relationships to the realities of sourcing, design, and public acceptance, the session will examine how plant choices shape ecosystem function and long-term landscape performance, and connect theory, design intent, and implementation challenges.

This webinar is offered through landADAPT: A continuing education program to promote building capacity through professional development opportunities for Canadian landscape architects, supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program.

Two complementary perspectives—one from project delivery, the other from design leadership—come together to examine the Port Lands Flood Protection Project, one of the most ambitious landscape infrastructure and climate adaptation initiatives in Canada.

Together, the presenters will reflect on how landscape architects can lead complex infrastructure projects that integrate flood protection, ecological restoration, and urban revitalization—demonstrating the critical role of landscape architecture in addressing climate change, environmental remediation, and quality of life in cities.

This webinar is offered through landADAPT: A continuing education program to promote building capacity through professional development opportunities for Canadian landscape architects, supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program.

The CSLA's Infrastructure Brief makes the case for landscape architects as essential leaders in Canada's infrastructure transformation. The brief examines how the profession addresses three interconnected federal priorities: housing, mobility, and climate defence. Featuring Canadian case studies that demonstrate nature-based solutions, systems thinking, and human-centered design, the brief demonstrates how early involvement of landscape architects in policy and design delivers more livable, sustainable, and resilient communities.

To address the impacts of climate change and enhance urban biodiversity, the City of Vancouver is beginning to build a network of blue-green systems across the city. The presentation is a case study of the project, with team members presenting on planning, design, construction, and on-going maintenance.

This webinar is offered through landADAPT: A continuing education program to promote building capacity through professional development opportunities for Canadian landscape architects, supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program.

Mini Forests, also known as Tiny Forests or Miyawaki Forests, are small-scale, densely planted, native forests consisting of trees, shrubs, and herbs. The key components of the method involve: 1) robust soil amendments, and 2) sixty centimetre on-centre tree and shrub planting of locally native, climax species.

This webinar will introduce key insights from the Landscape Carbon Benchmarking Study - commissioned by the City of Toronto and prepared by DTAH - which establishes benchmarks for the carbon intensity of private urban development landscapes. By analyzing ten representative development sites in Toronto, the study quantified upfront emissions and sequestration, identified the most carbon-intensive assemblies, and demonstrated how alternative design decisions can meaningfully shift outcomes. The findings establish a reference point for both practitioners and policymakers, creating a shared framework for carbon-conscious design.

This presentation explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping landscape architecture — accelerating design processes, expanding creative potential, and introducing new risks to mentorship, sustainability, and professional identity. Jeff Cutler, FCSLA, examines both the threats and opportunities AI presents, emphasizing how landscape architects can thrive by cultivating uniquely human skills like intuition, imagination, and critical insight. The session invites participants to explore AI thoughtfully, ensuring the profession evolves without losing its soul.

This presentation covers:

What are microaggressions vs macroaggressions
What is workplace conflict
How these feed conflict in the workplace
Intention vs Impact
Why/how/when to address microaggressions as the target, offender, or bystander

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of Residential School Survivors, families and communities are honoured and kept safe for future generations. The NCTR educates Canadians on the profound injustices inflicted on First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation by the forced removal of children to attend residential schools and the widespread abuse suffered in those schools.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation® (TCLF), established in 1998, connects people to places. TCLF educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards. TCLF achieves this mission through the ongoing development of its four core programs.