The transition between the previous era and this one is not as clearly characterized by drastic political changes as in the previous sections. However, there are two significant events at a global level in 2015, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which have a significant impact on the work of landscape architects (1)(2). These two agreements also make it clear that the global level is becoming increasingly important for the state of our environment and that the problems can no longer be solved at national level. In addition, there is the somewhat older, equally international Convention on Biological Diversity, made even more urgent by the 2019 report of the World Biodiversity Council IPBES (3)(4).
The first nationwide Climate Adaptation Act was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette on December 22, 2023. This means the law can come into force in mid-2024.
Of course, these aspects were already receiving attention in landscape architecture before 2015. But in recent years, the urgency has become unmistakable and the corresponding fields of work are coming to the fore.
Climate change
More and more municipalities are having climate protection and adaptation plans drawn up, as the example of Ludwigsburg shows. This city is also systematically pursuing implementation and has already implemented many measures since 2016. Climate adaptation measures are at the forefront of these plans, but landscape architecture can also help to mitigate climate change by increasing CO²-storing elements and structures. The rewetting of moors is an important point here, as is the creation of vegetation structures that can store more CO² than others, such as the salt marshes in Langwarder Groden and the trees in the Hugo Biomass Park.
Green and, increasingly, blue-green infrastructure plays a major role in climate adaptation. Initially focused on for nature conservation, as connecting corridors between different biotopes, its importance for cooling overheated areas has recently come to the fore, as well as for spending time outdoors. In newly developed urban areas on transformation sites, green corridors are still relatively easy to take into account (Westpark Augsburg, Grünzug Nord-Ost Mannheim, Bahnstadt Heidelberg), their integration into existing areas is much more difficult and takes a long time (PARKS Alster-Bille-Elbe-Grünzug) and must be realized brick by brick, such as the Alte Recyclinghof. The blue infrastructure is being strengthened above all in the Kleiner Kielkanal project. The extensive restoration of a former city moat, which connects to existing structures, together with the planting, also serves to cool down and purify the water. The reduction in inner-city traffic in favor of public transport and bicycles will also reduce CO² emissions.
Of course, the energy transition plays a major role in mitigating climate change. Even if the public is less aware of the importance of landscape architecture and planning for this, the Schleswig - Holstein grid expansion article clearly shows that the qualified work of landscape architecture firms is very important for the smoothest possible process. If the conversion is to succeed at the desired "German pace", then potential areas of conflict must be minimized in advance (by assessing spatial obstacles on the one hand and involving all affected parties at an early stage on the other) and the documents from the nature and landscape conservation sector that are important for approval must be compiled quickly and soundly. Unfortunately, there is also a shortage of specialists in this area, which could be (but has not yet been) addressed by expanding training facilities.
Sponge city
Another consequence of climate change are increasing periods of drought and heavy rainfall. Sometimes there is not enough water, sometimes there is far too much. To counteract this, the concept of the "sponge city" was developed (word mark registered in 2015 by bgmr Landschaftsarchitekten). Instead of discharging water as quickly as possible, which was the declared aim of water management for more than a century, it should now be retained on site wherever possible so that it is available in times of shortage. To this end, unsealing is important, as is green roofs wherever possible, which reduce the speed of water runoff so that the soil only has to absorb the water gradually. Increasingly, however, infiltration trenches, soakaways, retention areas and "rain gardens" are also being used in public spaces wherever possible. Green corridors also play an important role here, as this is where the water can be discharged, as demonstrated by the Bahnstadt Heidelberg and the Mannheim-Ost green corridor, for example.
Hesitantly accepted by other disciplines and the public at first, the term "sponge city" and the associated content has now even made it onto the talk shows in the wake of the Ahr flood. However, this event made it clear that the sponge landscape must be added to the sponge city. The increasing deforestation of mountain slopes due to drought and its consequences reduces the retention effect of forests and allows water to run off far too quickly. The adaptation of forests through forest conversion towards mixed forests is urgently needed and must be continuously pursued, but it takes time. In addition, support programs are required; small forest owners in particular cannot manage this alone. Forest management is a task for generations.
And garden monument preservation is also struggling with climate change. Many old trees are reaching the end of their lives and need to be replaced. But with what? While it used to be the case that you stayed as close to the old tree as possible, preferably with cuttings, the question now often arises as to whether this makes sense in the medium term or what can be done instead. This is also the subject of research.
Due to a lack of water, more watering is also required, which contributes to increased maintenance costs. And last but not least, climate change is also bringing new pests here, unfortunately usually not together with their natural enemies. Boxwoods, which often shape the design of historic gardens, have suffered badly from this recently.
Biodiversity
The decline in biodiversity is alarming and has not yet been halted. The World Biodiversity Council IPBES listed worrying figures in its 2019 report. "More species than ever before are threatened with extinction worldwide as a result of human activity. The proportion of endangered species in the animal and plant groups assessed to date averages around 25 percent ... . This indicates that around one million species are already facing extinction, many of them within the next few decades. This can only be prevented if measures are taken to curb the drivers of biodiversity loss. Without such action, global species extinction will continue to accelerate and is already occurring at least ten to a hundred times faster than the average of the last ten million years." (IBPES A 5 (4))
Such measures were taken in the Langwarder Groden project in particular. By opening up the previously diked land, the natural dynamics of ebb and flow can take hold again. Monitoring shows that amazing successes have been achieved for biodiversity, and the process is still ongoing. It also shows that the concentration of several compensation and replacement measures in a larger project can achieve much more than if it is scattered, for biodiversity, the landscape, the mitigation of climate change and also for recreation. However, many areas have also been created in the green corridors already mentioned where biodiversity can develop again, as well as in the Hugo biomass park.
However, these are just drops in the ocean. The decisive factor will be what happens on the agricultural and forestry areas that make up the majority of the earth's surface. Until recently, it seemed as if we were on the right track here too, even if the pace could have been a little faster. Various EU and national programs are intended to revive biodiversity in the countryside. However, the protests of farmers, who are suffering from the various crises but blame this on environmental programs, seem to be threatening a rollback. This would harm themselves, at least in the medium term. Good, humus-rich soils can survive droughts better, and everything that flowers needs pollinators. It is to be hoped that after the elections, EU agricultural and environmental policy will return to the course it was on until recently.
EU policy
The importance of the European Union for the work of landscape architects has increased over the years. While the common agricultural policy has been in effect for a long time (it too is increasingly focusing on the environmental aspect, although this can still be improved), climate and environmental policy has clearly picked up speed. Numerous programs with their funding conditions, which are then implemented at national level, also influence landscape architecture projects, without this always penetrating the consciousness of the respective actors, most recently the "Nature Restoration Law" was an important beacon of hope. Already passed by the EU Parliament, it is currently still awaiting the approval of the EU Council of Environment Ministers, which again appears uncertain. Once passed, the law could bring significant improvements for biodiversity and the climate. It is intended to implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy and is an important component of the Green Deal.
The "Green Deal"
The "European Green Deal" is a concept presented by the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen in December 2019 with the aim of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union to zero by 2050 and thus becoming climate-neutral. Numerous programs and support measures are intended to promote the processes fairly and effectively.
The "New European Bauhaus" (NEB), initiated in 2020, is of particular importance for the planning and construction sectors. The NEB is intended to form the cultural dimension of the green deal. Under the motto "beautiful - inclusive - sustainable", it is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative to connect the green deal with our living spaces.
The bdla is involved through IFLA Europe, which has become an official partner of the NEB. The aim is to exert influence and make it known that landscape architecture can make an important contribution to achieving the Bauhaus goals. Unfortunately, our profession is still not known, let alone recognized, in all member states. Since the NEB ultimately influences EU policy, funding programs and the like, it is important to get involved here.
Anthropocene
Since 2000, geologists have been discussing the question of whether a new geological era, the Anthropocene, has replaced the Holocene in view of the far-reaching changes to the Earth caused by human activity, which are already reflected in the Earth's layers. In particular, the alteration of most of the Earth's surface, environmental pollution, climate change and the extinction of species have had such a profound impact that a new epoch has been established. The discussion then expanded beyond the natural sciences into the cultural sciences and humanities.
"Even if the Anthropocene is ultimately not proclaimed to be a geological epoch, the concept still poses an ethical challenge: It is about dealing responsibly with the earth and recognizing that it does not exist for one-sided consumption by humans, but rather that humans are only one part of its complex dynamic environment." (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
These are, of course, issues that massively affect the professional field of landscape architecture. The responsible geological commission recently decided in March 2024 that no new epoch can be justified for geology. But that does not absolve us of our responsibility to make the earth a better place again, where all living beings have their place and a right to live.
Movements advocating the rights of non-human nature were influenced by Bruno Latour, also known as the "philosopher of the Anthropocene". He stood for a new view of the environment and society and was one of the founders of the so-called actor-network theory. According to this theory, nature and society ascribe characteristics to each other in constantly new connections, influencing but also mutually determining each other. This led Latour to the idea of a "parliament of things", in which non-human actors should also have a say.
The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) is trying to put these ideas into practice. For some time now, there have been discussions about giving nature, and rivers in particular, legal rights that can be enforced via a lawyer or guardian. In 2017, four rivers worldwide were granted such rights, including the Whanganui River, one of New Zealand's longest rivers. The radio play "The Conference of Rivers" (2023) deals with this in an entertaining way.
If this way of thinking were to become mainstream, much would be gained.
Transformation, recycling and upcycling
More respect for the environment and nature also leads to projects that deal more with what is available. The first approaches to this already existed in the 1980s, for example in the work of Louis Le Roy. Today, the "Alter Recyclinghof" project by atelier le balto stands par excellence for this attitude. From the very beginning, the team has been looking for places that can be made accessible and usable with minor interventions. Existing plants and materials are left as much as possible and carefully embedded in new structures. Over the years, the projects have become larger, but the approach has remained the same.
But also in the green corridors on transformation sites such as Augsburg West and Mannheim North-East, existing buildings are integrated and given new uses, as are parts of the vegetation where appropriate.
Transformation is also the theme of the Hugo biomass park. A former coal and steel industry site is being transformed into a new production site. Even if the original approach of using short rotation plantations to generate a different type of energy on the coal site did not really work out, the various garden crops are not only producing vegetables, but also community and increasing knowledge about the site conditions.
Recently, there has also been discussion about whether and how it is possible to design a place in such a way that it can be experienced and used as a green open space through maintenance interventions alone.
We encounter a completely different kind of upcycling in the Großsedlitz project, in garden monument conservation. This valuable monument was neglected for a long time and had to be restored in an equally lengthy process, unfortunately not an unusual fate. To prevent this from happening again, maintenance and development plans are of particular importance in this area. After all, the preservation of these facilities is important for our cultural identity. And sometimes we can even learn from old cultural techniques for the future.
Citizen participation
Although not only recently "invented", the involvement of the general public in planning and design tasks has become considerably more important. It has become generally accepted that a little more effort and time at the beginning of a process ultimately saves time, as a lot of work does not have to be redone at a time when a lot of work has already been invested. And secondly, it increases the quality and long-term acceptance of a project if the suggestions and wishes as well as the knowledge of local conditions of the citizens, the "wisdom of the people" (Brecht), are reflected in it.
Hardly any project in recent years has taken place without the involvement of citizens. However, the extent of this involvement can vary. It was certainly most intensive at PARKS Alter Recyclinghof. Here, the committed neighborhood was and is involved in every phase, from defining objectives to planning, construction and maintenance. Dealing with this in partnership is certainly a challenge for the landscape architects, but it is worth accepting, both in the office and in the administration.
The approach taken by the city of Augsburg is also exemplary. In the transformation process of the former Sheridan and Reese barracks, citizen participation was used as early as 1996 and continued in all planning phases from urban planning to landscape architecture. The involvement of citizens in the subsequent management and maintenance by suitable committees, as is already the case with the park on the Gleisdreieck, is also desired here.
In Bahnstadt Heidelberg, too, the neighborhood of the future district was already involved in the urban planning phase. Meetings and guided tours on site and visualizations with large perspectives of the future view on site put the stakeholders in a position to help shape the project at an early stage. A green space in which people find themselves is also respected.
Who is involved varies with the project. In the case of the Kleiner Kielkanal, it was not only the future users, but also the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, for example, had to be convinced that this project serves their interests because it attracts people to the city center and does not scare them away because they can no longer drive up by car. (This assumption is unfortunately widespread, although several studies now show that a higher quality of stay also leads to more customers). Other groups were also targeted, such as school classes, which have a high potential to spread in their surroundings.
For larger-scale plans with a higher degree of abstraction, other methods are needed to reach the various target groups. In the Ludwigsburg climate adaptation plan, citizens are primarily involved in the implementation phase and help shape the individual measures.
The example of Langwarder Groden shows how it is better not to do this. There, the planning approval procedures for the individual projects, which were then to be compensated for in Langwarder Groden, were already well advanced before the affected local public found out about them and the landscape architecture firm was also involved in the implementation. As a result, extensive planning changes had to be made again and again, lawsuits had to be conducted and waves of indignation had to be dealt with until the project could be approved and built. Of course, this is also a challenge for the office involved. Many local meetings, where there were fierce disputes within the local community and with the nature conservation associations and authorities, and even tears were shed, showed how divided the local population was. New attempts had to be made again and again, occasionally all the way up to the state government, which finally tried to appease by funding a nature trail. Many years passed. When a compromise was finally reached, the bishop of Lower Saxony held a reconciliation service on site. The fact that he felt this was necessary shows how deep the rifts were. Fortunately, the success of the project has since smoothed many things over.
To prevent this from happening, the Bendtfeld Herrmann Franke office has developed an approach for grid expansion in Schleswig-Holstein that informs and involves all affected groups from the outset. The earlier the process is started, the less things have become entrenched and the less planning can be modified. At the same time, an understanding of the necessity of the measures can be promoted. The model has been successful and has accelerated the grid expansion that is so necessary for the energy transition, relatively conflict-free. And even if the German government is now trying to speed up this process by limiting the scope for participation and legal action, it would be a good idea to continue to involve the public in the tried-and-tested way in order to build acceptance alongside the grids.
Social significance
The keen interest in green spaces of all kinds shows just how important they are to society. As a public outdoor space that is accessible to all, they are one of the few places in society that is visited at least occasionally by up to 93 percent of the population, more often than almost any other facility; regardless of age, gender, class, lifestyle group, origin and whatever other distinguishing features there are or in which bubble they otherwise spend time. This is where everyone meets and is at least visually aware of each other, which is an essential contribution to social interaction.
In order for this to happen, however, sufficient and fairly distributed green spaces are required. Since the disparity research of the 1970s at the latest, we have known that socially disadvantaged neighborhoods also have less green infrastructure than wealthier areas. Certainly, attempts have been made for some time to counteract this, and the instrument of urban development funding contributes to this. However, the focus here is usually on structural and institutional funding objectives and social cohesion, and less on green infrastructure.
Unfortunately, the federal-state program "Future Urban Green", a consequence of the White Paper process, which provided 50 million euros in federal funding (commitment framework) each year in the program years 2017 to 2019, was discontinued in 2020. This funded 224 measures in around 200 municipalities. Green infrastructure is now to be included in the urban development programs again. Apparently, it was difficult for urban planning to bear the fact that landscape architecture had "something of its own". It was actually a good idea, because the linear structures of the green-blue infrastructure do not always harmonize with the compact area backdrops of urban development. An evaluation of how successful the consideration of greenery is in the new funding framework is still pending.
The "Park am Hochwasserbassin" in the Alster-Bille-Elbe green corridor, where PARKS is located, is part of the "Model project for the further development of urban development funding in the center - sports, exercise and social infrastructure in the east of Hamburg". The former working-class district of Hammerbrook was never blessed with a great deal of greenery, and what little there was has not been well preserved. In this respect, it is a contribution to environmental justice if funding is now being provided here and the long-planned green corridor can become a reality. However, it is somewhat perplexing that this is happening at the very moment when western Hammerbrook is to be upgraded as a residential area following on from eastern Hafencity. A rogue who thinks evil of it?
Other projects also remedy deficits in the neighborhood, e.g. the Westpark Augsburg, and thus promote environmental justice.
Physical and mental health
Many projects in recent years serve to revitalize and qualify public spaces and create new spaces for movement. The role of green spaces for physical health, the beneficial "outdoor exercise", has long been propagated. However, it is only in recent years that more systematic research has been carried out into what the actual effect is. The focus has shifted to mental health. The book "Stress And The City" by Mazda Adli, published in 2017, has attracted widespread attention. In a 2020 published article, he and a colleague describe at the end that green spaces have a positive effect against stress in many ways.
One major cause of stress is loneliness. This issue has also come to the fore in recent years. The corona years have certainly contributed to the fact that loneliness has increasingly become a visible problem. Alena Buyx, Chair of the Ethics Council, points this out. Loneliness is also harmful to physical health, worse than many known risk factors. The fact that older people are often lonely is nothing new. However, the restrictions on contact at an age when being together with peers plays a very important role have left deficits that are only slowly coming to light. Loneliness suddenly becomes a topic in academic papers.
Of course, green spaces alone cannot counteract this. But the opportunity to visit a place that is accessible free of charge, where you can at least make visual contact with other people, perhaps share a glance, a smile or even a word, is a valuable help.
At the IFLA World Congress 2023, Giselle Sebaq from the International Society for Urban Health, a large NGO on the subject of health, called on landscape architects to plan against loneliness. Her "brief" to landscape architecture was to create landscapes that increase social capital and combat isolation and loneliness. The design of a place can help here, for example by making it clear from the outside that it is possible to spend time here with other people. The arrangement of seating can also facilitate communication. Games and sports facilities can also be helpful.
It is even better if you can join a group (if you like). Community gardens such as those at the Hugo Biomass Park or the hands-on activities at the old recycling center are an opportunity to do so. However, this requires a bit of courage. It's more low-threshold to simply set up in a public space and see that other people are there too.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has had a positive effect on the appreciation of green spaces. A survey by BGL, conducted by Forsa 2021, showed that the appreciation of green spaces and the frequency of visits have increased significantly. At the same time, it was also expressed that the state of maintenance is in need of improvement and that there are too few green spaces. (5)
Conclusion
All this shows how important the work of landscape architecture is for society. Unfortunately, awareness of the threat posed by climate change and species extinction is currently taking a back seat to other crises. But time is pressing. The year 2023 was the warmest year since weather data has been recorded, and March 2024, which has just ended, was the warmest March ever recorded. The extinction of species is the worst in 66 million years (when the dinosaurs, among others, became extinct). And the mental health of the population is also suffering from a lack of green spaces and poor environmental conditions, as is becoming increasingly clear.
Despite this, laws to improve the climate and biodiversity are being stopped and measures are being withdrawn. What can be done? Plant apple trees? Hope that Hölderlin is right: "Where danger grows, so does salvation"? After all, the number of organically farmed areas in Germany is increasing and a number of farmers are opening up to contract nature conservation and the rewetting of moors. Investors are recognizing the importance of biodiversity and are investing in corresponding funds. And perhaps the "ecological class" (Latour) will form in time to make climate protection a priority again.
We will also have a lot to do over the next 111 years.
(1) Übereinkommen von Paris – Wikipedia; Finale COP21 (archive.org)
(2) 17 Ziele - Vereinte Nationen - Regionales Informationszentrum für Westeuropa (unric.org);
(3) cbd-en.pdf
(3) BMUV: Das Internationale Übereinkommen über die biologische Vielfalt
(3)Artenvielfalt: Eine Million Arten sind vom Aussterben bedroht | ZEIT ONLINE
(4) IPBES GA_SPM_DE_2020.pdf (de-ipbes.de)
(5) Zufriedenheit mit den städtischen Grünflächen. Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Befragung unter Bewohnern von Großstädten. 2. März 2021 im Auftrag des BGL, forsa Politik- und Sozialforschung GmbH, Schreiberhauer Straße 30, 10317 Berlin
