DECARBONIZE DESIGN
Queries/Drafts due date: May 13, 2024
Final Copy due date: June 17, 2024
Guest Editor: Matt Williams, Matt.Williams@o2design.com and Karen May, karen.may.be@gmail.com
It has been five years since the “Lo! Carbon” issue of LANDSCAPE | PAYSAGES was published, where we met many of the climate-change champions leading the way for the profession. At that time, we had 10 years to 2030, 10 years to rally and make significant progress toward lowering carbon emissions before things get really out of hand. So, how are we doing? Well, since the Paris Agreement, we have managed to reduce the anticipated global warming in 2100 from 3.7–4.8 °C to 2.4–2.6 °C as of COP 22 and in the best case, if all pledges are accomplished, 1.7–2.1 °C (United Nations, 2023). Progress is being made, but it isn’t enough, and it certainly feels like we can, and should, do more.
As landscape architects, we work with natural systems, we listen to the land, we restore degraded ecosystems and we create places for outdoor enjoyment. We generally feel good about what we bring to the world, the impact we make on the betterment of our cities and landscapes, and that our roles in city planning and landscape policy should be as leaders. I still believe in the contributions of our profession, and I believe we are seeing our role in shaping the world getting stronger.
The title for this issue is “Decarbonize Design.” Is that something that can really be done? Can we actually build climate-positive landscapes? How will we know we are, in fact, doing the right thing and not just thinking we are? Are we accomplishing everything we can with our work? As we see our forests burn, our cities flood, our rivers run dry and our cities melt, what more can we do?
There have been a lot of exciting developments in our profession over the past five years that are pushing the needle forward. We are helping cities adapt to changing climates and we are pushing approaches to mitigation through the rising recognition and valuation of nature-based solutions. This issue is a call to show how we are doing as a profession, how far we have come, and what more we can be doing. In our Fall issue, we want to profile contributions that consider such things as:
- How are our institutions arming professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to make a difference?
- What research is pushing our profession forward?
- How are our municipalities using progressive policy to influence built form?
- How are we incorporating Indigenous principles of living in harmony with the land into landscape planning and stewardship?
- How are we leading as designers with the power to make decisions and influence clients?
- Are we doing enough or is there a bigger shift that needs to be made?
Tell us about your research, your projects, your plans, and your policy. Tell us about the challenges you face and the opportunities you see. Tell us how we can continue to push and do more.
Please send ideas, abstracts, or draft articles to:
Matt Williams, Guest Editor, Matt.Williams@o2design.com
Laurie Blake, Managing Editor, lp@csla-aapc.ca
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
- Deadline for article ideas, abstracts or rough Drafts is May 13, 2024 (or earlier).
- Final Draft submission deadline is June 17, 2024 (or earlier).
- Article length:
- Feature articles to be 1400-1600 words
- Prologue (short) articles to be 300-500 words
- Illustrations: Please supply about 10-12 illustrations for a feature article and 1-2 for short articles. All images must be high resolution (300 dpi) and include captions and photo credits. Further Photo guidelines will be supplied separately, upon request.
Biography
Please provide a brief bio (around 50 words), a photograph, your preferred email address and a mailing address (for complimentary copies). Our authors are the voice of LP, and our readers appreciate knowing where you are coming from. In your brief bio, please DO include a mention of your work or home base – but please keep the data brief. Instead, we invite you to use the space to tell us something about yourself, and your link to the story you are telling in the magazine, or to the issue’s theme.
A sample bio is provided below:
Ryan Wakshinski is a CSLA-Award-winning landscape architect from Winnipeg, where he has worked for Manitoba government since 2009. He is part of a multi-disciplinary team responsible for a $10-million dollar annual capital project program, including all facets of design, development and construction. He has a five year-old daughter named Hazel, plays golf for relaxation and practices Vipassana Meditation to come to terms with how he plays golf.