Information
The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) together with the Alberta Association of Landscape Architects (AALA) invite qualified experts to submit abstracts for presentations and sessions to be presented at the upcoming 2027 CSLA-AALA Congress.
In-person presentations are scheduled to be held at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, on May 28th and 29th, 2027. We expect 400 to 450 delegates to be present.
Congress Theme: BECOMING
In Calgary, in Treaty 7 territory—where prairie meets foothills, rivers converge and become something new, where an energy economy is transforming, and where a cultural awakening is occurring—Calgary offers a living laboratory for this work. Here, at the 2027 CSLA–AALA Congress, practitioners, researchers, students, and allied disciplines will explore what landscape architecture is becoming and how we work across the continuum of change to actively shape our futures.
Theme Statement
Ecosystems regenerate. Rivers shift course. Cities expand and contract. Even the ground beneath us shifts. Nothing in the landscape is fixed—nor is the practice that shapes it.
Landscape architecture has always worked with living systems in motion. But the scale, pace, and urgency of change today ask more of us: to repair ecological and social fractures, to reconnect people and communities to each other and to the land, and to guide landscapes—and our profession—toward more resilient, equitable, and whole futures. This is not a destination, but a continuous process of becoming.
This becoming unfolds across a continuum of time, connecting past, present, and future. Landscapes reflect our values and beliefs about how we live within our environments, shaping the essential character of our civilization.¹ At a moment when climate change, reconciliation, the biodiversity crisis, and geopolitics are forcing a reappraisal of these values, the subject of landscape has moved from the background to the foreground.² Landscape architecture is uniquely positioned to engage this continuum—to shape the forces of today and the places that evolve, adapt, and endure.
¹ Williams, R. (2014). Landscape Architecture in Canada. McGill-Queen's University Press.
² Weller, R. (Ed.). (2022). The Landscape Project. Applied Research and Design.
Educational Streams
When submitting your abstract, you will be asked to select "Which of the following priorities does this session address?". Those options include:
- Reconciliation / Indigenous Issues (Engagement, Awareness or Action)
- Human Health and Well-Being
- Cultural Landscapes and Legacy
- Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Climate Adaptation, including Nature-Based Solutions and Urban Canopy
- Professional Practice
- Technology/Artificial Intelligence
New Stream: the Business of Landscape Architecture
The 2027 CSLA-AALA Congress Planning Committee also invites qualified abstract submissions for a new educational stream focused on the business of landscape architecture. Designed to support practitioners at every stage of practice and firms of all sizes, this stream will explore the essential business knowledge that underpins successful practice. Topics may include contract literacy, project management, human resources, financial management, risk management, marketing and business development, leadership, succession planning, procurement, and emerging business models. Sessions should provide practical, actionable insights that help landscape architects strengthen their practice, build resilient businesses, and navigate the evolving professional landscape.
Evaluation
Abstracts will be evaluated on how closely they align with this year’s theme, how the presentation ties in with CSLA’s mission areas, and how relevant the presentation will be to attendees.
Submission Process
Once you have read these guidelines, click the button below to access the application platform. Create an account or log in, click 'Apply' at the top of the page and select the program or award.
Contact awards@csla-aapc.ca if you have any questions.
The organizing committee will respond to selected proposals within ten weeks of the submission deadline.
Presenting at Congress
Presentations will be 30 minutes long with additional 15 minutes for Q&A. The remaining time between sessions is for people to move between rooms.
Presenters shall prepare to have sufficient copies of any handout(s) to meet the numbers expected at the presentation, at his/her own cost.
All presenters at Congress will be required to register for the Congress in the same manner as all Congress delegates, and to pay applicable registration fees (a discount code will be supplied). Cut off dates for presenter registration will be provided upon notification of acceptance. Failure to register by these dates will result in the presenter being removed from the program and replaced with another speaker.
Audio-visual Information
Note that laptop, projector, and screens will be available during each session. Presenters must bring their presentations, in power point or .pdf format, on a memory stick to be loaded on the local computer before the presentation. Other visual presentation aids will be the responsibility of the presenter at his or her own cost.
Submission Deadline
December 15, 2026 at 4pm ET