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The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has announced the appointment of Ben Stockwin as its new CEO.
Mr Stockwin was previously CEO at the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) for nine years. He replaces Tim Arnold.
AILA President Shaun Walsh said Mr Stockwin would bring a tremendous range of skills to the 12- strong team, having successfully led a diverse national organisation while gaining an appreciation of the intersect between the natural, managed and constructed environments.
“Our cities and regions are facing unprecedented social, cultural and environmental challenges – Mr Stockwin’s extensive experience will help provide leadership to the Institute that will continue to raise our membership profile, our engagement with allied organisations and our advocacy to all levels of government,” Mr Walsh said.
“Mr Stockwin was appointed following an open recruitment process, and was selected based on the strengths of his experience as a CEO, his proven ability to lead an organisation with members across Australia as well as his common cultural values, dynamic energy and emotional intelligence expressed in successive interviews.
“We are delighted that Mr Stockwin will be joining us in the next chapter of AILA’s progression and we look forward to welcoming him to the world of landscape architecture.”
Mr Stockwin said it was AILAs strong social purpose, good governance and vibrant membership that made the move attractive.
“The role will allow me to continue to work with an organisation that improves the lives of Australians in multiple ways and I look forward to building on the inspirational work of AILA thus far,” he said.
“Issues around sustainability, nature deficit disorder, increasing population and climate change have been at the forefront of my work over the past decade, and I look forward to integrating these into the role at AILA.”
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Mr Stockwin will officially commence on Monday 6 April, relocating from Tasmania to work from AILA’s national office in Canberra.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

AILA appoints Ben Stockwin as CEO

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With the Victorian Election just over a week away, the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has taken the opportunity to call for increased investment in green infrastructure, in an effort to improve life expectancy and liveability for Melburnians. 

The AILA’s Victorian Chapter has released a state election campaign statement with its president, Adrian Gray calling on all parties to prioritise green infrastructure as part of their policy platforms. 
Gray cites a study from Thomas Longden at University of Technology Sydney which showed Melbourne had the highest rate of heat-related deaths out of all Australian capital cities. Gray argues that the issue is not currently being addressed at the urban design and planning stages and this needs to change.

In the statement the AILA states that over half of the surfaces in Melbourne are heat absorbing materials including darker coloured roofs, car parks, roadways and footpaths despite research showing that cooler places enable people to live longer through improved air quality, reduced c02 emissions and the resistance to heat related deaths.

Other key areas of the election campaign statement are increasing active transport systems to promote a healthy city such as more walking and bike paths to promote active travel and healthy cities as well as the improvement of access to nature.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/skeleton_creek_bridges-lisbethgrosmann.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Skeleton Creek Bridges. Image: Lisbeth Grosmann"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/skeleton_creek_bridges-lisbethgrosmann.jpg?itok=6SgPr7Dp" title="Skeleton Creek Bridges. Image: Lisbeth Grosmann" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Skeleton Creek Bridges. Image: Lisbeth Grosmann</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
There is the need to prioritise landscapes and green infrastructure in the planning scheme to build a healthy, liveable city as Melbourne’s population grows steadily.

With Victorians dying from heatwaves due the high temperatures we experience, the topic of cooling the city is a must for the political agenda to save lives and improve liveability. Steps can be taken at planning, policy and urban design phases to lowering temperatures in Melbourne which include increasing the tree canopy cover across all of Melbourne, revising tree clearance guidelines and implementing planning scheme protection for all trees across Melbourne. 
The impact of heat ultimately needs to be managed where planning schemes must address community health. Victoria needs to become resilient to climate change and remain liveable by improving our urban landscape, where green infrastructure is needed for the long term.

Even those suburbs that are renowned as ‘leafy’ face the threat of losing that status with increased housing density, reduced backyard size with subdivisions and the rising number of cars driving down streets.Politicians from all sides of politics need to make a clearer commitment to developing best practice for green infrastructure projects and increasing the investment in water sensitive urban designed streets and tree planting. 
Melbourne needs to become less car-oriented with walking trails, bike paths and pedestrian access requiring improvement. Cities need to support human health and wellbeing and one way this can be achieved is by increasing investment via green infrastructure, urban design and improving mandatory requirements for green infrastructure in the planning scheme.

- Adrian Gray, Victorian Chapter president
</blockquote>

The full State Election Campaign Statement from AILA Victoria can be downloaded <a href="http://www.aila.org.au/imis_prod/documents/AILA/VIC/AILA%20VICTORIA%20-%20State%20Election%20Campaign%20Statement%20-%20SEP%202018%20_FINAL_%20(003).pdf">here</a>.
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Laurence Dragomir

Victorian Election 2018: AILA Victoria calls for increased investment in green infrastructure 

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Continuing with the theme of the 2018 Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards, Urban.com.au caught up with Steve Schutt, Director of Landscape Architecture at Hansen Partnership, who works on a variety of landscape projects both in Australia and overseas. 

Hansen Partnership received the Urban Design Award of Excellence for Victoria Square in Kerang and the Parks and Open Space Landscape Architecture Award for Williams Reserve in Richmond.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/02_-_victoria_square_kerang_-_andrew_lloyd.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Victoria Square in Kerang took home the Urban Design Award of Excellence. Image: Andrew lloyd"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/02_-_victoria_square_kerang_-_andrew_lloyd.jpg?itok=wXI252ll" title="Victoria Square in Kerang took home the Urban Design Award of Excellence. Image: Andrew lloyd" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Victoria Square in Kerang took home the Urban Design Award of Excellence. Image: Andrew lloyd</figcaption></figure>Urban.com.au: Tell us about Hansen Partnership and its design philosophy.

Steve Schutt: Hansen Partnership is a multidisciplinary planning and design practice based in Melbourne and working on projects throughout Victoria, Tasmania and internationally through our office in Vietnam. Our landscape architecture team aims to deliver creative, functional and attractive places for people. We take a site-responsive approach, with a strong focus on achieving environmentally sustainable outcomes, combining creativity and precision to ensure a smooth delivery into built reality.

We work collaboratively with clients to design places and spaces that incorporate the use, occupation and enjoyment of external environments. We design solutions that create, improve or rejuvenate external spaces, with a focus on considering the needs of the individuals, groups or communities who will occupy and enjoy those spaces.

U: Hansen Partnership works on metropolitan projects such as Williams Reserve and Windsor Village as well as projects in regional Victoria. How do these differences affect the landscape design? 
SS: Every project requires a tailored approach to design, as every site is unique. Our work is strongly influenced by context, and that cuts across physical context, environmental context and social context. We approach every new project with an open mind and we consciously avoid pre-prescribed outcomes for projects.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/03-williamsreserve-andrewlloyd_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Richmond's Williams Reserve won the Parks and Open Space Landscape Architecture Award. Image: Andrew Lloyd "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/03-williamsreserve-andrewlloyd_0.jpg?itok=kj8bKQj_" title="Richmond's Williams Reserve won the Parks and Open Space Landscape Architecture Award. Image: Andrew Lloyd " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Richmond's Williams Reserve won the Parks and Open Space Landscape Architecture Award. Image: Andrew Lloyd</figcaption></figure>U: Is there a feature or theme that you keep consistent or try to include across all of your projects? 

SS: As per the previous question, we try to avoid any sort of predetermined design themes or features which might be interpreted as being “the Hansen style”. Rather, given that many of projects involve existing urban environments, we employ a site-responsive approach and tend to utilise the physical characteristics of a place and the ideas and aspirations of the communities who use that space as our primary sources of design inspiration.

U: Can you give us an insight into any projects you are currently working on?

SS: We have a number of really exciting project within the office at present, including a street in Abbotsford which is in the process of being transformed into a local park, a new town Square in Croydon, a streetscape improvement project in Port Campbell and a number of major infrastructure projects across Melbourne, for which we are applying our expertise in landscape architecture, urban design and visual impact assessment.

U: Are there any landscape trends you have noticed rising in popularity at the moment, in Victoria or more broadly?

SS: As a lot of our projects involve existing urban environments, and in particular activity centres and transport hubs, we are seeing a move towards the design of ‘streets for people’, whereby pedestrians are being considered as the highest priority users of a street, with private motor vehicles being given a much lower priority. As the population density of our major cities continues to increase, we expect to see this realignment of priorities to continue to be a major influence in the way we design urban environments, and we are firmly of the view that such an approach will improve the quality, amenity, functionality and attractiveness of our towns and cities.
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AILA Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards 2018: Q&A with Hansen Partnership's Steve Schutt

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Following last Friday night's announcement of the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/aila-victorian-chapter-awards-2018-winners-announced">2018 Victorian Landscape Architecture Award winners</a>, Urban.com.au chats to Adrian Gray, State President for the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA). Adrian is an urban planner with experience in both the public and private sectors.

Urban.com.au: How is the landscape architecture industry changing for the better?

Adrian Gray: There are now more landscape architects than ever working in both public and private sectors with over 3,500 members of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

Landscape architects are influential in delivering quality public and private spaces and policy development within Local, State and Federal governments that ensure the liveability and well-being of people.

Landscape Architects are committed to designing and creating a better Australia by creating resilient social infrastructure that shapes the world around us. They conceive, reimagine and transform the outside world from streetscapes to parks and playgrounds, transport solutions, new suburbs and cities and are leading the importance of integrated green infrastructure that will sustain 21st century liveability, health and well-being.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/contact_sheet_aila_winners.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A selection of the winning projects from the 2018 Vic Landscape Architecture Awards."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/contact_sheet_aila_winners.jpg?itok=8oGGRuTt" title="A selection of the winning projects from the 2018 Vic Landscape Architecture Awards." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A selection of the winning projects from the 2018 Vic Landscape Architecture Awards.</figcaption></figure>U: What do you consider to be the biggest issue affecting landscape architects and the industry at the moment?

AG: The following quote from a World Health Organisation document tilted ‘Urban Green Spaces: a brief for action’, sums up what is required in the coming decades of this century;

<blockquote>
“Green spaces and other nature-based solutions offer innovative approaches to increase the quality of urban settings, enhance local resilience and promote sustainable lifestyles, improving both the health and the well-being of urban residents. Parks, playgrounds or vegetation in public and private places are a central component of these approaches….”
</blockquote>

AILA has been very active in recent years in creating position papers used for advocacy that supports the above such as Green Infrastructure, Living Cities Alliance and the Liveable Cities Series that address Cooler Cities, Active Transport and Healthy Communities.

Landscape Architects are the key to ensuing that public and private spaces are designed to create a resilient city for the 21st century through nature based solutions.

U: The Victorian Chapter of AILA has the largest member base - what do you enjoy most about your role working with so many landscape architects?

AG: I feel very honoured to advocate and represent all Victorian AILA members in promoting the role that landscape architecture has with the myriad issues facing Melbourne and regional Victoria. I am very active in partnerships that ensure that landscape architecture is part of the discussion in shaping public realm outcomes in Victoria. I enjoy:

<ul>
<li>Engaging with AILA’s sponsors;</li>
	<li>Working with academic think tanks such as the Clean Air and Urban Landscape from UoM/RMIT;</li>
	<li>Collaborating with AIA/PIA on built form advocacy in the lead up to the State election;</li>
	<li>Representing landscape architecture within important projects such as Greening The West and the development of the Melbourne Metropolitan Urban Forest Strategy by the Melbourne’s Chief Resilient Officer.</li>
	<li>Presenting where ever I can on how landscape architects make our cities great places to live. </li>
</ul>
U: How can landscape architecture form a greater part of the built environment?

AG: AILA has recently adopted a national Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan that will enable members to begin to form a deeper understand that Traditional Custodians have with the Australian landscape. Through a greater understanding of the intrinsic values and spirituality that connects Traditional Custodians to the landscape,  we hope that landscape architects can improve their understanding and care for the Australian landscape in both urban and in rural settings.

U: You work in urban design yourself, what do you think makes an enduring design when it comes to landscape architecture?

AG: Design needs to create connections between people, nature and place. I have seen from practicing in the public sector in Brimbank for the last ten years where there has been a significant commitment to designing quality, accessible places in streets and parks that when people feel great about where they live, they become more active physically and are connected to the urban landscape. People being connected to where they live means a happier and healthier community.
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AILA Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards 2018:  Q&A with Adrian Gray

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The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has announced the launch of a gender equity study to investigate the participation of women in landscape architecture and develop strategies to address gender inequity in the profession.
There is currently a lack of critical research into workplace equity within the Australian landscape architecture profession, AILA’s chief executive officer, Tim Arnold said, 
“This is an exciting time for AILA as we take a leadership role as an inclusive, progressive and modern profession.”
The research and action project will be undertaken in collaboration with the research-based advocacy organisation Parlour: women, equity, architecture, and the XYX Lab at Monash University.
Dr Gill Matthewson, who is responsible for the analytics behind much of Parlour’s research into the situation for women in architecture, noted analysis of what women did in the architecture profession shifted the argument "from vague anecdote to undeniable fact." 
“It’s great that AILA is commissioning this work because you need to know what the situation actually is before you can start strategising what to do about it. "I’m very interested to see what the picture is for women in landscape architecture.” 
The project will build on the results of AILA’s 2017 salary survey, which identified concern about gender inequality within landscape architecture.
Of the survey respondents, women represented 70% of the lower paid positions within the profession, while men represent 100% of the high-income earners.
More broadly in Australian society, we know that the full-time worker gender pay gap is about 15% (or $253 per week). 
The Built Environment Channel, who is new partner of AILA and Parlour, has confirmed their financial backing of the research initiative.
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