International Federation of Landscape Architects
IFLA WORLD CONGRESS
2023
STOCKHOLM X NAIROBI 28–30 September
About
About the bilateral IFLA world congress
The 59th IFLA World Congress will be held as a bilateral event in both Nairobi, Kenya and Stockholm, Sweden. The initiative for this collaboration was taken in Montreal in 2017 during the annual International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) World Congress. Due to economic and political barriers, participants from different parts of the world have faced difficulties in participating in past IFLA World Congresses. At the same time, countries where the profession is already strong have dominated as host countries, which has resulted in a strongly limited global perspective and presence.
A bilateral congress simultaneously held on two continents aims to increase the opportunity of participation for all members of IFLA while at the same time creating new opportunities for collaboration and discussion across international borders and regions. By organizing activities in two locations with live streamed broadcasts for selected lectures and discussions we increase the possibilities to learn from each other’s unique knowledge and experiences.
The 2023 World Congress in both Sweden and Kenya will be open to both a physical and an online audience. It is a congress for landscape architects, urban planners, designers, engineers, researchers, stake holders and all others who want to take part in creating a sustainable built environment.
Regardless if you are in Nairobi, Stockholm or online you will be part of the same congress.
Theme: Emergent interaction
Emergent interaction aims to explore emerging forms of collective problem solving, networks of ideas and borderless strategies in order to find new solutions to the urgent issues of climate change, social inequality and biodiversity loss.
How can we facilitate interaction across national and institutional boundaries, between citizens and governments; between academic institutions and private practices, between political frameworks and planetary boundaries; between culture and nature, between the digital and the physical, between cities and ecologies?
Through a unique collaboration, Kenya and Sweden want you to collectively engage with these questions during the IFLA 2023 World Congress.
Book of abstracts / Sub-themes
About IFLA
International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) currently represents 78 national associations from Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Our mission as landscape architects is to create globally sustainable and balanced living environments for the benefit of humanity worldwide.
IFLA officially represents the world body of landscape architects through its member associations and regions and in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, such as the UN, UNESCO, UIA, etc. IFLA is a not-for-profit, non-political, non-governmental organization.
The mission is to promote the landscape architecture profession within a collaborative partnership of the allied built-environment professions, demanding the highest standards of education, training, research and professional practice, and providing leadership and stewardship in all matters.
What is IFLA World Congress 2023 all about?
Why is AAK, the Architectural Association of Kenya, arranging the IFLA World Congress 2023?
Ruth: The IFLA World Congress is the premier annual landscape Architects event globally that brings together scholars and practitioners in landscape architecture and liaised professionals. The AAK is an organisation of seven disciplines in the built environment and hence hosting such an event presents opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and interactions. Further, the previous IFLA World Congresses have been poorly attended by delegates from the African continent. By hosting the event in Kenya, African delegates will incur less on travel and have lesser travel requirements as compared to travel to countries outside Africa.
Why is Architects Sweden arranging the IFLA World Congress 2023?
Johanna: Arranging the IFLA WC is a prestiguos event, bringing the global perspective of the field of landscape architecture to the agenda. The purpose of the congress is to strengthen and broaden the view of landscape architecture, while at the same time being able to exchange experiences in new ways and through new techniques. By co-hosting with AAK, Kenya, we want to open the political and economic boundaries that still stand in the way of an equal and democratic global development.
As landscape architects in two continents, Kenyan and Swedish professionals meet different challenges.
Which urgent issues do you both have to deal with?
Ruth: In world that is facing multiple challenges that include climate change, rapid urbanisation, biodiversity loss among others, landscape architects play a crucial role in providing solutions to these challenges. One of the challenges that result from rapid urbanisation is inadequate access to quality public spaces. Landscape architects need to play an advocacy as well as a planning role to ensure that these spaces are provided. Finally public awareness on the role of the profession is lacking with many of the opinion that the profession is synonymous to beautification. By hosting the congress in Kenya, AAK will use the opportunity to increase public awareness for the profession as well as rope in policy makers with the sector on the need for landscape architects in the public sector.
The theme of the congress is “emergent interaction”. As a participant, how does the event give me tools for better collaboration?
Johanna: The whole congress will be focusing on ways to work together, sharing experiences, good examples and innovative ideas around the subject of interdisciplinary work and collaborations across borders. The theme has also been deepened with three sub-themes, that aim to catalyse concrete disucssions and examples on and around the idea of collaboration. The participants also play an important part in contributing to the discussions and making the congress successful through sharing experiences and ideas.
What action do you wish that the participants take after the congress?
Ruth: The participants should become change agents for the the climate crisis by ensuring that their future projects do not contribute to further environmental degradation and assess past projects for possible improvements. Additionally, the participants should become advocates for inter displinary approaches to creation of sustainable built environment solutions for our planet.
Name one or two things that you especially look forward to during the event!
Johanna: I think great things happen when great people gather in the same place, so I am mostly looking forward to having guests from near and from afar coming together to listen, inspire and share their knowledge. And as for the program, it is really hard to choose one thing, but the mix of interesting key notes streamed between Kenya and Sweden will be very exciting! And of course the party will be something really special and fun!
Contact/Help
For general matters about the congress:
info@ifla2023.com
For matters specific to the Swedish registration, program etc:
sweden@ifla2023.com
For matters specific to the Kenyan registration, program etc:
kenya@ifla2023.com
