采訪：張柔然 翻譯：王鈺 倪歡妤 校對：張一康

訪談人物：

（澳）詹姆斯·海特/男/博士/國際風景園林師聯(lián)合會（IFLA）前任主席/阿德萊德大學建筑與建筑環(huán)境學院教授/澳大利亞景觀與城市設計事務所Oxigen創(chuàng)始人/研究方向為健康城市、社區(qū)參與式風景園林設計

2018年7月，詹姆斯·海特（ James Hayter）教授榮任國際風景園林師聯(lián)合會（International Federation of Landscape Architects, IFLA）主席。他同時在澳大利亞阿德萊德大學建筑與建筑環(huán)境學院擔任教授，并作為南澳洲景觀與城市設計事務所Oxigen的創(chuàng)始人，積累了豐富的景觀項目實踐經(jīng)驗。海特教授的代表作包括澳大利亞堪培拉的中央公園區(qū)以及阿德萊德的新興“全球區(qū)”Lot Fourteen和Tonsley創(chuàng)新區(qū)等。海特教授致力于在實踐中營造健康和可持續(xù)的城市。他被公認為澳大利亞風景園林和城市設計領域的領軍人物，以其前瞻性的行業(yè)洞察力和實踐能力著稱。他倡導風景園林師應當肩負起協(xié)調(diào)安全、創(chuàng)造包容性、連接社區(qū)的責任，與自然相協(xié)作，提供充裕的綠地和清潔的水源，構建健康的戶外公共空間。

然而，面對日益變化的國際環(huán)境、科技進步及越來越嚴峻的氣候變化挑戰(zhàn)，當前的風景園林師正在面臨多重變化的責任與挑戰(zhàn)，需要應對氣候變化、食品安全、社區(qū)參與、健康與福祉、地域文化等多方面的新問題。2023年4月20日，借海特教授參加由中國風景園林學會青年工作委員會主辦的國際風景園林前沿論壇暨4.18國際古跡遺址日風景園林遺產(chǎn)保護青年專業(yè)人員論壇這一機會，《風景園林》雜志有幸對他進行了專訪，深入探討當前風景園林行業(yè)的新責任與新挑戰(zhàn)。

LAJ：《風景園林》雜志

Hayter：詹姆斯·海特教授

LAJ：您在擔任IFLA主席期間，主要倡導和推動了哪些領域的工作？另外，您認為近期IFLA的工作重點是什么？

Hayter：在我與IFLA合作的大約20年間，我們實現(xiàn)了許多重要成果。其中一項顯著的成就是我們與中國風景園林學會的合作，這使得IFLA真正實現(xiàn)了其全球性的地位。我在IFLA的工作重點是管理，盡管IFLA是一個志愿性組織，但強大而有效的管理方法卻是必不可少的。其中一項管理的目標是提升我們傳播和推廣優(yōu)秀的風景園林理論與實踐的能力，為所有風景園林師提供優(yōu)質(zhì)的就業(yè)機會。IFLA不僅僅是一個組織，它也是全世界的風景園林師代表們的核心歸屬。在我擔任主席期間，我認識到IFLA的真正價值在于能夠為風景園林專業(yè)發(fā)出強有力的聲音?，F(xiàn)在，從聯(lián)合國的角度來看，可持續(xù)發(fā)展的目標越來越多地受到人們的關注，這些目標應該成為IFLA以及所有風景園林師的主要工作重點。

LAJ：IFLA作為最為權威的全球風景園林師非政府組織，在推動行業(yè)發(fā)展中起到重要作用。請您談談 IFLA是如何在全球推廣風景園林教育并制定標準的？

Hayter：2022年，我們與國際勞工組織（International Labor Organization, ILO）共同修訂了一份關于“風景園林”（landscape architecture）定義的重要文件，旨在推動全球?qū)︼L景園林行業(yè)的認可。在這個過程中，我們對風景園林的定義進行了全面的審視，使其更具包容性?？梢岳斫鉃檫@是對傳統(tǒng)風景園林實踐的擴展，以期倡導更廣泛的職業(yè)領域。我認為風景園林專業(yè)可能只發(fā)揮了15%的潛力。我預見在未來，這個行業(yè)將會在眾多領域中發(fā)揮更大的作用。

此外，我認為這個定義對大學教育體系也具有重要意義，盡管這已經(jīng)超出了許多大學課程的教學內(nèi)容與范圍。我們期待，隨著時間的推移，風景園林的新定義能夠促使大學教育對專業(yè)有更深入的理解，并拓寬他們的教學內(nèi)容。例如，我在實踐中做的工作主要是“城市建設”（city-making），這實際上是許多專業(yè)都會涉及的工作領域，包括風景園林師，因為我們對城市中的各個元素（如自然、人文等）都有深入的理解。我們不應局限于以風景園林師的身份建設城市，而應學習如何與其他職業(yè)進行協(xié)作，采取一種全局性、協(xié)同的觀點來看待一個城市。

IFLA制定了一項與風景園林定義相關的大學課程認證程序。但我們建立此程序的目的并不僅僅是為了認證課程體系，而是希望設立一個可以幫助國家協(xié)會或地區(qū)協(xié)會（無論其規(guī)模大小）達成他們各自標準的流程。我在實踐中發(fā)現(xiàn)，制定專業(yè)標準變得越來越重要。IFLA的一個主要職責就是嘗試制定這些標準，以便在不同國家的協(xié)會之間進行共享。目前，這些標準已涉及職業(yè)健康、福利和安全，以及氣候行動等多個方面。盡管在不同國家工作的人可能面臨巨大的差異，但我們所做的這些工作并不是無意義的。在任何國家，實踐都是極其重要且有價值的。我們試圖提供相通的經(jīng)驗，以便我們可以進行比較并制定基本的共性標準。

LAJ：IFLA在倡導氣候行動，您認為IFLA在氣候行動中起到什么作用？風景園林師又該如何將IFLA的氣候行動承諾①轉化為實踐？

Hayter：盡管氣候變化常常成為我們探討的焦點，但這并不意味它掩蓋了可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標中許多其他的重要價值，如城市中的清潔水和空氣、社會包容性等。實際上，這些價值觀與氣候行動緊密相連，能有效地輔助我們應對氣候變化帶來的挑戰(zhàn)。因此，可持續(xù)設計已成為現(xiàn)代風景園林師關注的重點。作為IFLA的一部分，我們的職責是公布氣候和生物多樣性的緊急狀況，提升人們對當前全球氣候趨勢的認知。這場源自公眾的氣候行動擁有堅實的基礎，IFLA的核心目標是發(fā)起行動并堅決支持它，特別是在政府態(tài)度不堅定的情況下。我相信，隨著越來越多的人響應這項聲明，它將自然地形成一種承諾。

在應對氣候變化的大背景下，更深入探討風景園林師的責任可以豐富我們的職業(yè)內(nèi)涵。優(yōu)秀的風景園林師總是傾向于采用可持續(xù)的實踐方法，例如以奧姆斯特德為代表的參與城市規(guī)劃的風景園林師們，他們的設計常涉及城市內(nèi)的雨水管理和綠色空間。因此，我認為優(yōu)秀的風景園林設計師應該具備扎實的生態(tài)學知識并秉持可持續(xù)設計理念，以便推動城市綠化，應對氣候變化。然而，許多專業(yè)人士目前更偏向于將城市規(guī)劃視為功能性和美學性的工作，而未真正考慮到它在可持續(xù)性方面的價值。他們應該考慮將健康福祉以及氣候行動等作為我們專業(yè)的核心價值觀，我相信這將為我們的行業(yè)發(fā)展帶來積極影響。

LAJ：在實踐氣候行動方面，我們的城市及城市生活可以得到哪些好處？

Hayter：我想首先和大家共同回顧一下聯(lián)合國的17個可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標（圖1），其中至少有5個是直接與氣候行動相關的，這足見氣候行動的重要性。風景園林專業(yè)在實現(xiàn)氣候行動方面具有強大的技能儲備，因為我們的專業(yè)涉及水、能源、糧食等重要領域。我們必須理解，氣候行動與其他所有可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標是相互關聯(lián)的，它關系到心理健康，也關系到我們從氣候行動中派生出的風景園林價值。我想強調(diào)的是，一系列與氣候行動有關的措施可以帶來諸多益處，例如推動城市農(nóng)業(yè)發(fā)展、優(yōu)化雨水管理、保障水質(zhì)清潔和緩解貧困等，同時也將推動氣候行動的實現(xiàn)。這些元素實際上是緊密關聯(lián)的。因此，如果我們?nèi)狈夂蛐袆樱鉀Q其他問題將變得更為困難。氣候行動的實施至關重要。

1 The UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals

1 聯(lián)合國的17個可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals

LAJ：您一直致力于城市健康的研究，并在許多景觀和城市設計項目中展現(xiàn)了卓越的才華。那么在您看來，一個成功且健康的城市環(huán)境應具備哪些特點？其中最關鍵的元素是什么？

Hayter：這是一個涉及面很廣的問題。在我看來，城市的復雜性使得“城市”無法成為某一職業(yè)獨占的領域。當我們面對城市規(guī)劃任務時，理解城市的復雜性并聯(lián)合不同領域的專業(yè)人士共同出謀劃策是關鍵。目前，我注意到風景園林設計愈加注重人的心理層面，這也是我高度重視城市中居民的健康和福祉的原因。所以，城市規(guī)劃的目標，不應該僅是創(chuàng)建一個高效運轉、美觀的城市環(huán)境，更應該達到可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標，適應氣候行動的需要，實現(xiàn)社會公平和包容性，并且盡可能地讓每個人都能享受到最佳的環(huán)境。我們的設計目標是創(chuàng)造能讓人們感到快樂的環(huán)境，提供健康、安全的生活空間，而這種幸福感往往可以通過簡單的設計手法來實現(xiàn)。

總的來說，我認為建設健康的城市環(huán)境需要在城市規(guī)劃過程中進行多領域的合作。優(yōu)質(zhì)的城市環(huán)境是由各專業(yè)人士共同塑造的，包括建筑師、風景園林師、城市規(guī)劃師、心理學家、地理學家，以及文化歷史等各類相關專業(yè)的從業(yè)者。

LAJ：您的許多項目都結合了健康城市和可持續(xù)發(fā)展的理念，比如堪培拉中央公園（圖2）。面對今天的快速城市化，我們該如何平衡自然環(huán)境保護與城市發(fā)展之間的關系？

2 Canberra Central Park

2 堪培拉中央公園Canberra Central Park

Hayter：中國和澳大利亞在這個問題上的情況大相徑庭，澳大利亞擁有更多的開放空間，并不像亞洲的城市那樣人口密集，因此我們并未像中國那樣面臨高度城市化帶來的壓力。然而，盡管情況不同，某些原則依然通用。

回顧過去15～20年，中國的許多城市曾經(jīng)深受污染困擾，但在政府和專業(yè)人士的努力下，現(xiàn)在這些城市的環(huán)境狀況得到了明顯改善，城市宜居度也大幅提升。窗外這座美麗的城市——深圳，便是典型的案例。我認為大學教育對氣候行動和可持續(xù)發(fā)展理念的重視是產(chǎn)生這種變化的重要因素之一。因此，我們需要從大學教育著手，深入理解社會學和環(huán)境學的運作機制，并將其與城市規(guī)劃實踐相結合，進一步發(fā)揮它們的潛力。深圳的發(fā)展就是跨領域合作成功的范例。盡管這種跨領域合作相對較新，但它已經(jīng)被納入城市規(guī)劃中，并得到了有效實施。

現(xiàn)如今，人們對自然與人類之間的關系，以及自然環(huán)境對健康和幸福的影響有了更深的認識。在我們設計城市的過程中，一個重要的問題就是如何使城市居民感到快樂。尤其是在人口老齡化趨勢下，實現(xiàn)這一目標變得更加復雜。因此，我認為構建綠色城市的優(yōu)點在于它能將人們與自然緊密連接，提供戶外休閑空間以及無污染的環(huán)境，并鼓勵人們更多地接觸自然。我相信現(xiàn)在的政府已經(jīng)充分認識到在這方面投資的重要性。我們的研究顯示，每投入1元用于預防城市病，將能節(jié)省7元用于治療城市病。因此，投資于生態(tài)環(huán)境建設將為未來城市和其居民帶來巨大的回報。

LAJ：我們再來聊聊社區(qū)，它是由非常復雜的群體組成的，每個人有著不同的背景、種族和興趣，以至于實現(xiàn)景觀公平存在障礙。我們?nèi)绾尾拍茉谠O計中確保公平性，以創(chuàng)造一個適合大多數(shù)利益相關者的景觀？

Hayter：盡管我們每個人都是獨一無二的個體，有著各自的思想和愿望，但在20年的社區(qū)咨詢經(jīng)驗中，我發(fā)現(xiàn)存在能被大家普遍理解和接受的共享價值觀。例如，當規(guī)劃者提出在某條街道種植行道樹以提供蔭蔽，并為騎行者或行人創(chuàng)造安全環(huán)境時，大家通常不會有異議。因此，我堅信，好的設計應是廣受大家認可的設計。同時，風景園林師的角色應當是一名溝通者，闡明并傳達我們所提倡的價值觀。

在許多項目中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，當?shù)鼐用癫粌H僅需要對于設計內(nèi)容和原則的解釋，他們更希望與設計師進行實質(zhì)性的交流和討論。在這個過程中，我們有責任提倡和推廣優(yōu)良的價值觀，以幫助人們理解和接納這些價值，進而共同創(chuàng)造出一個滿足各方利益的優(yōu)美環(huán)境。

LAJ：當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)在利用本土經(jīng)驗促進風景園林設計方面發(fā)揮著重要作用，那么風景園林師如何才能真正實現(xiàn)立足當?shù)夭⑴c當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)合作？

Hayter：中國政府與許多西方國家相比，早就認識到了我們需要關注的基本問題，如氣候行動等，其解決策略中，政府主導是一種重要的實踐路徑。而在許多西方國家，對氣候行動等議題的推進往往不是由政府發(fā)起的，而是源自對現(xiàn)狀求變的公民和社區(qū)。他們推動政府采取立法、提供資金、設立項目或制定計劃來引導變革。政府也逐漸認識到這一議題的重要性，因為它們看到了其中所包含的深遠意義。這就是我們稱之為自下而上的改變策略，它能為我們帶來更美好的社會和生活。

而風景園林設計的一個基本前提就是要深入理解當?shù)氐沫h(huán)境和文化背景。這包括熟知當?shù)氐奈锢憝h(huán)境，例如植被、土壤和降水模式等，同時還需要了解生活在這里的人們和他們的社會文化環(huán)境，從而全面理解場地，以便更好地響應環(huán)境的需求。因此，我們每個項目的實施都會讓社區(qū)居民參與其中，而風景園林師的角色就在于推動和管理這一過程。

在澳大利亞的每個項目中，我們都特別致力于尋找并接觸被邊緣化的群體，如原住民和少數(shù)族裔的代表。澳大利亞是一個多元化的國家，我們的社會由來自世界各地的人們構成，他們帶來了豐富多樣的文化，比如在我所居住的城市墨爾本，有眾多的中國人、意大利人和希臘人。近年來，我們也迎來了許多來自阿富汗和中東的新移民。盡管我們生活在一個多元化的社會中，但我們的關系并未因此而變得緊張，因為我們共同追求一個基本的理念，即健康和安全等基本原則。通過與當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)的合作溝通，我們的目標是讓每個人都覺得自己是社會的一部分，共同為營造一個安全、無污染的城市環(huán)境，提供清潔的飲用水而努力。我們風景園林師的工作重心在于公共空間，而公共空間正是人人都能享有的民主場所。因此，在項目推進過程中與社區(qū)進行對話，納入他們的想法是必不可少的環(huán)節(jié)。最終，我們往往會看到社區(qū)居民解決了自己居住環(huán)境的問題，他們也因此更加熱愛并積極參與到公共空間和景觀的建設和管理中。

LAJ：風景園林師的就業(yè)是一個關鍵的問題，各國的情況不盡相同，比如說中國的風景園林師在10年前還是一個熱門的職業(yè)選擇，但近幾年這種趨勢卻消失了。您如何看待這個問題？

Hayter：當前，風景園林學是一門在全球范圍內(nèi)教育資源匱乏的專業(yè)，許多國家都缺乏培養(yǎng)專業(yè)風景園林師的教育機構。因此，作為一個關注氣候行動和社區(qū)健康等普遍問題的領域，我相信它的就業(yè)潛力尚未被充分發(fā)掘。作為學者，我們需要反思我們是否正在傳遞能夠適應未來世界的正確技能。我們常常過度依賴傳統(tǒng)學術課程，但我認為，適應新時代需求的技能教育將是當代大學教育的一項重要挑戰(zhàn)。例如，現(xiàn)今，人工智能正引領變革，我們可能需要將這一元素融入我們的專業(yè)培訓中。

就澳大利亞而言，我傾向于認為實踐領域目前超越了學術研究。因為實踐是全球性的，人們普遍參與到對最佳實踐標準的評判中。我們必須對這些評判做出響應，以便推動學術研究的發(fā)展并據(jù)此調(diào)整我們的實踐。這對學術教育來說是一項復雜的任務，需要風景園林教育理論與實踐協(xié)同發(fā)展，并在教學的過程中能夠預測未來5～10年實踐所需的技能。風景園林設計師的角色正在不斷擴展，其未來形態(tài)并未確定，預測將是一項挑戰(zhàn)。然而，與法律等可能因人工智能的發(fā)展而發(fā)生顛覆性改變的行業(yè)相比，風景園林師的角色并不會發(fā)生如此大的變化。因此，所有專業(yè)都需要反思他們是否提供了適應未來需求的正確技能教育。

LAJ：在教育問題之外，為了適應新的后疫情時代，您認為當前全球風景園林行業(yè)面臨的其他挑戰(zhàn)有哪些？

Hayter：在適應這一時代變遷的過程中，我們將面臨諸多問題和挑戰(zhàn)，包括戰(zhàn)爭、水資源短缺以及海平面上升等。對這些問題的關注，不僅關乎我們的生理健康，更涉及心理健康。風景園林師的工作能夠?qū)θ说男睦斫】诞a(chǎn)生實質(zhì)性的影響，這一點往往與人們的身體健康、飲食習慣及運動方式緊密相連。因此，現(xiàn)今的風景園林專業(yè)開始更深入地關注心理健康的復雜性。這一方面豐富了我們對城市環(huán)境的理解，另一方面也帶來了新的挑戰(zhàn)。風景園林師們正在積極應對這些挑戰(zhàn)，努力為解決人們的心理健康問題提供幫助。

LAJ：近年來，人工智能的快速發(fā)展，尤其是像ChatGPT等技術的推出，對所有行業(yè)都產(chǎn)生了深遠影響。在您看來，人工智能對風景園林產(chǎn)業(yè)產(chǎn)生了哪些影響？在未來是否可能會帶來更大的變革？

Hayter：人工智能是一項正在推廣使用的新技術，我尚未嘗試將它深入地應用到實踐中，因此，我還不能確切地預測它將如何影響風景園林行業(yè)。然而，我希望人工智能能夠通過深度分析和研究，幫助我們更深入地理解自然系統(tǒng)，以及優(yōu)化我們對城市空間的利用方式。特別是從環(huán)境角度出發(fā)，我們對城市中的各種元素（比如雨水徑流）有更深入的了解，我們就能更有效地監(jiān)測、理解并控制這些元素，進而制定出可以解決相關問題的算法。我認為這將是人工智能的一大潛在應用領域，盡管目前這種應用還沒有廣泛普及。因此，在未來2年內(nèi)，隨著這種工具的普及，我可能會對這個問題有更深入的見解。

LAJ：感謝您接受我們的采訪！希望您能常來中國，與中國的青年風景園林師保持密切的交流！

注釋：

① 2021年，IFLA氣候變化工作組與COP26合作起草了《IFLA氣候行動承諾》，由IFLA的77個國際成員組織負責履行。IFLA氣候行動承諾旨在強化建筑環(huán)境業(yè)在應對氣候和生態(tài)緊急情況方面的關鍵作用，號召全球風景園林師積極參與全球生態(tài)修復，構建綠色基礎設施實現(xiàn)零碳排，增強城市和社區(qū)韌性，倡導氣候正義與社會福利，將當?shù)匚幕R融入設計，激勵景觀設計師的氣候領導力，減輕設計本身對環(huán)境的影響。

圖片來源：

訪談人物照片來自深圳大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院；圖1引自聯(lián)合國官方網(wǎng)站（www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainable-development-goals-kick-off-withstart-of-new-year/）；圖2由張柔然攝。

（編輯 / 王一蘭）

采訪者簡介：

張柔然/男/博士/深圳大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院副教授、碩士生導師/劍橋大學麥克唐納考古研究所副研究員/國際古跡遺址理事會國際文化旅游科學委員會副主席/中國風景園林學會青年工作委員會副主任委員/研究方向為文化與自然遺產(chǎn)規(guī)劃與管理、風景園林規(guī)劃與設計、國家公園、文化旅游

譯者簡介：

王鈺/女/深圳大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院在讀碩士研究生/研究方向為景觀與生態(tài)環(huán)境規(guī)劃設計

倪歡妤/女/深圳大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院在讀碩士研究生/研究方向為景觀與生態(tài)環(huán)境規(guī)劃設計

校者簡介：

張一康/男/碩士/注冊城鄉(xiāng)規(guī)劃師/高級工程師/深圳市蕾奧規(guī)劃設計咨詢股份有限公司副總景觀師/中國風景園林學會青年工作委員會委員/研究方向為風景園林規(guī)劃設計

ZHANG R R.Responsibilities and Challenges of Contemporary Landscape Architects: Interview with Professor James Hayter, Past President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects[J].Landscape Architecture, 2023, 30(11): 12-20.

Responsibilities and Challenges of Contemporary Landscape Architects:Interview with Professor James Hayter, Past President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects

Interviewer：ZHANG Rouran Translators：WANG Yu, NI Huanyu Proofreader：ZHANG Yikang

Interviewee:

(AUS) James Hayter, Ph.D., is the past president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), currently a professor in the School of Architecture and the Built Environment,University of Adelaide, and the founder of Oxigen,a landscape and urban design practice in Australia.His research focuses on healthy cities,and community-based participatory landscape architecture.

Professor James Hayter was inaugurated in July 2018 as president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects.He also holds a professorship in the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Adelaide, Australia, and has gained extensive practical experience in landscape projects as the founder of Oxigen, a South Australian landscape and urban design studio.Prof.Hayter’s work includes the Central Park Precinct in Canberra,Australia, and the emerging “global districts” of Lot Fourteen and Tonsley Innovation Precinct in Adelaide.Prof.Hayter is committed to creating healthy and sustainable cities in practice.He is recognized as a leading figure in the field of landscape architecture and urban design in Australia and he is renowned for his forwardlooking industry insights and practical capabilities.He advocates for landscape architects to take responsibility for coordinating safety, creating inclusivity, connecting communities, collaborating with nature, providing abundant green space and clean water, and creating healthy outdoor public spaces.

However, as we confront an increasingly changing international environment, technological advancements, and ever more severe challenges posed by climate change, current landscape architects are facing multiple changing responsibilities and challenges, and need to deal with new issues such as climate change, food security, community participation, health and well-being, regional culture, etc.On April 20, 2023, taking the opportunity of prof.Hayter’s participation in the“International Landscape Architecture Frontiers Forum and 4.18 International Monuments and Sites Day Young Professionals Forum on Landscape Architecture Heritage Conservation”organized by the Youth Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture,Landscape ArchitectureJournal is honored to interview with professor James Hayter, discussing in depth about the new responsibilities and challenges of the landscape architecture industry.

LAJ:Landscape ArchitectureJournal

Hayter: professor James Hayter

LAJ: As the president of the IFLA, what were the main areas of work you advocated and promoted during your term? Additionally,what is the current focus of IFLA’s work in your opinion?

Hayter: During my approximately 20 years of collaboration with IFLA, we have achieved numerous significant accomplishments.One of them is to work with the Chinese Society of Landscape Architects and their participation in IFLA has made it a truly world body that we’re very pleased with.My primary focus within IFLA has been on “governance”.And I believe even though it is a voluntary organization, strong governance is really important.One of the objectives of governance is to enhance our capacity to disseminate and promote excellence in landscape architecture theory and practice, and to provide high-quality employment opportunities for all landscape architects.It’s not only one organization but also allows the representatives of landscape architects from around the world to have a true sign.During my presidency, I came to realize that the true value of IFLA lies in its ability to provide compelling advocacy.And just comes side of the United Nations, sustainable development goals now are becoming more talked about, and these goals became a major work for IFLA and all landscape architects.

LAJ: As the most authoritative global landscape architect NGO, IFLA plays an important role in promoting the industry.In response to the educational issues, how IFLA promotes landscape architecture education and sets standards globally?

Hayter: In 2022, we revised the definition of landscape architecture for the International Labor Organization — ILO.ILO is the United Nations agency.We worked together to revise the definition of the landscape architect, with the aim of advancing global recognition of the landscape architecture profession.So, what we did is reviewed the definition of landscape architecture and made a much more inclusive than the previous definition.It included a lot of things we’re talking about now,and I suppose you could say is a non-traditional way of practice in landscape architecture, and the point of that was really to advocate for an expanded profession.I’ve got a personal belief that landscape architecture is probably only about 15%of its potential could be at the moment.And I can see in the future that it will be a much-expanded role of the profession in many things.

Moreover, I believe that this definition is also of importance to the university education system,even though it is moved outside of what many academic programs were teaching.And we hope in time the definition of landscape architecture will help the university academic programs understand and start teaching much broader than they do now.For example, a lot of the work I do in my practice is what I would call “city-making”, which is actually an area of work that can be covered by many different professions, including landscape architects, because we have an in-depth understanding of the various elements of the city,such as nature and people.Our role should not be limited to building cities as landscape architects,but we should be taught about the inclusion of all these different professions we’ve been talking about and the holistic, collaborative view of “how you look at a city”.

IFLA has written a procedure for accrediting university programs, and that is linked to the definition of landscape architecture as well.It doesn’t seek to accredit programs themselves, but it seeks to put in place a process so that either a national association or perhaps a region (even if the association is too small) can meet their own standard.What I found in my practice, is that the development of professional standards is becoming increasingly.One of IFLA’s significant responsibilities is to try to set those standards and then share them across different associations in different countries.Now that might be occupational health, welfare, safety, as well as climate action, among others.While those working in different countries will face huge differences, it’s not saying that the practice is any less or any meaning less.In any country, I think the practice is still incredibly important and very worthwhile.We try to provide a balanced experience so that we can compare and develop basic common standards.

LAJ: IFLA is advocating for climate action, what role should IFLA play in addressing climate change in your opinion?How to translate IFLA’s climate action commitments into on-the-ground practice?

Hayter: Climate action is the popular one we talk about, but I think we all understand, it doesn’t affect very much a lot of the other values that we find in the Sustainable Development Goals, like achieving clean water and clean atmosphere in our city, social inclusivity, and more.In fact, all those other values we found in the Sustainable Development Goals are all related to climate action, and being able to help address problems caused by climate change in the work we do.Consequently, sustainable design has emerged as a focal point of concern for contemporary landscape architects.As part of IFLA, its role in that is to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency and create awareness of current global climate trends.This movement on climate action came from the ground up from the population, with IFLA’s core objective being to trigger it and commit to supporting it, particularly in instances where government resolve wavers.I believe along with all the others made similar types of declarations,which then transforms into a commitment.

In the context of combating climate change, a more in-depth exploration of the responsibilities of landscape architects can enrich the essence of our profession.Good landscape architects have always employed sustainable techniques, such as the landscape architects involved in urban planning represented by Olmsted, whose designs often involve stormwater management and greening within the city.I think good landscape architects should have a core ecological knowledge and sustainable design philosophy in order to propel urban greening and help climate change.However,also a lot of our professionals have treated urban planning as functional and aesthetic work without really considering the value of the underlined sustainability.They should really put values like health and well-being and climate action on the agenda and said these are the fundamental values that underpin our profession.I am confident that this incorporation will engender a positive impact on the advancement of our profession.

LAJ: What are the benefits to our cities and urban life in terms of practicing climate actions?

Hayter: I would like to begin by reminding everyone to revisit the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Fig.1), of which at least five are directly related to climate action,demonstrating the importance of climate action.Landscape architecture has all the skills to be able to address climate action, as we are involved in knowledge of crucial domains such as water,energy, and grain.The thing about climate action that we have to remember as well is that it also is related to all the other sustainable development goals, not only economies of poverty, and enough food for people to aid, these are all related to mental health and all related to really the landscape architecture values that lead from climate action.I would like to emphasize it is that it’s doing is it is also got all these other benefits like urban agriculture, stormwater management, clean water,and reducing poverty, and will also contribute to the achievement of climate action.Therefore, if we lack climate action, it makes all those others harder.Climate action is the key to our actions.

LAJ: What you did is commit to urban health and demonstrated exceptional talent in many landscapes and urban design projects.So, what are the most important elements of a successful and healthy urban environment?

Hayter: It’s a very wide-ranging question.I think that because our cities are so complex now that they don’t become the exclusive domain of anyone’s profession.When confronted with urban planning tasks, understanding the complexity of the city and engaging the expertise of professionals from different fields are the key.Presently, the change I see is that urban planning is becoming more and more about the psychological factors of people and it’s why I’m concerned with the health and wellness of our citizens in our city.The goals of urban planning are not just enough to have a functioning, good-looking urban environment, but it’s also going to meet sustainability targets and accommodate climate action.It should look at social equity and social inclusion targets, it’s accessible to everybody and encourages everybody to use the best environment.Our design goal is to create an environment that makes people happy and provides spaces for healthy, secure living —often attainable through seemingly simple design strategies.

To summarize really how it’s the question is,I think it is a collaboration between many different arts and science that goes into urban planning, and the best urban planned environments that I know are the ones where these be coming together of a lot of different professionals been architects,landscape architects, urban planner, psychologists,geographers, cultural history, and all the many sorts of related professions.

LAJ: Many of your projects incorporate the concepts of healthy cities and sustainable development, such as Canberra’s Central Park (Fig.2).So how to balance the protection of the natural environment with urban development in the face of today’s rapid urbanization?

Hayter: The issue is a very different cause in China than it is in Australia, where there’s a lot more open space, so we don’t have the pressure like such high densities that you’ve got in Asia.However, despite the differences, some of the principles still stand.

Some of the cities in China 15 and 20 years ago were very polluted and now the pollution in these cities has been alleviated.Through government action and through the work of design professionals, cities have actually been made much more livable now, with the beautiful city outside the window, Shenzhen, as a typical case in point.And part of the reason I think what’s happened is that there has been an emphasis on climate action and sustainable outcomes in looking at colleges within cities.Therefore, we need to start with the university education to get more knowledgeable about how colleges work with social colleges and environmental colleges, then I think we’re beginning to introduce them into city planning to have the connection.I think the example of the city (Shenzhen) is one where it’s worked.It’s a relatively new city, I know, but it’s been incorporated into the planning of it, and it’s worked really well.

Nowadays, people understand the relationship between nature and people and how important that is for health and well-being more side than previously.And how to bring joy to the people who live in cities is really becoming an essential part of how we design our cities.Especially with the trend of an aging population, it puts a huge burden on our society and our governments to achieve.I think that the benefits of actually having a green city and connecting people with nature, giving them outdoor recreational spaces, and non-polluted atmospheres and being able to go green.I think it’s understood by the government and the cost dollar is worth it.Our research shows that ￥1 spent in prevention is worth ￥7 later in trying to overcome the problems that are caused by bad urban planning.Consequently, directing investments toward ecological environment development pays off greatly later on in our populations and cities.

LAJ: Let’s talk more about community,which is actually made up of very complex groups moving different backgrounds,ethnicities, and also your interest, to the point where there are barriers to achieving landscape equity.So how to ensure the equity according to your local experiences to create a landscape that’s suitable for the majority of stakeholders?

Hayter: Because obviously, we’re not on all sides, each of us is a unique individual with our thoughts and desires, but in 20 years of community counseling experience, I have found that there are shared values that can be universally understood and accepted by all.For example, when we want to propose planting street trees on a particular street to provide shade, nobody says no and nobody argues about creating a safe environment for cyclists or pedestrians.Therefore, I firmly believe that a good design should be widely recognized by everyone.At the same time, the role of the landscape architect should be that of a communicator, clarifying and conveying the values we promote.

In many of our projects, we have found that residents need more than just an explanation of design content and principles, they want to engage in substantive communication and discussion with designers.In this process, it is our responsibility to advocate and promote good values to help people understand and embrace these values, and thus cocreate a beautiful environment that satisfies the interests of all parties.

LAJ: Local communities play an essential role in contributing their local experiences to landscape design.How can landscape architects get local support and work with local communities?

Hayter: The Chinese government, in contrast to many Western countries, has long recognized that we need to focus on fundamental issues such as climate action, and that government leadership is an important practical path in its solution strategies.And I have to say that I can’t speak for China, I can speak for my country, in a lot of Western countries that haven’t come from the government, they’ve actually come from citizens and communities who are seeking change from the status quo.They’ve really agitated and pushed the government to make that change through legislation or through funding, projects, and programs.And now the governments have picked it all up because they’ve seen the value of it.It’s what we call our bottom-up approach, and the change has been created by that, and it can lead to a better society and better lives.

And a basic prerequisite for landscape architecture is to look at the context.This includes familiarizing oneself with the local physical environment, such as vegetation, soils, and precipitation patterns, as well as understanding the people who live there and their socio-cultural environments, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the site to better respond to the needs of the environment.As a result, each of our projects is implemented with the involvement of community residents, and the role of the landscape architects is to facilitate and manage this process.

In each of our projects in Australia, we will make a special effort to find representatives for marginalized groups and speak to them, such as representatives of Aboriginal and ethnic minorities.My country is a very culturally rich country.It has many different people who have come to this country from all over the world, for example in Melbourne, the city where I live, there are numerous Chinese, Italians, and Greeks.We now increasing a lot from Afghanistan and from the Middle East in our country.It’s a very culturally rich society that we live in.But again, even though we live in a diverse society, we don’t have tensions among us because we’re all looking towards a common name that comes from those fundamentals we talked about before of wellness and safety.Through cooperative communication with the local community, let everybody feels included in society, and we live in a safe urban environment that’s not polluted without clean drinking water and it’s safe to go outside.The focus of our work as landscape architects is on public space, which is a democratic place for everyone.Therefore, having a dialog with the community and incorporating their ideas is an essential part of the project.In the end, we often see the community solve the problems of their living environment, and as a result, they become more passionate about and actively involved in the construction and management of public spaces and landscapes.

LAJ: The critical question is that the employment of landscape architects, which varies from countries to countries.For example,the landscape architect in China was a popular profession choice 10 years ago, while this is not the case anymore in recent years.What is your opinion of these issues?

Hayter: What I need to say is that landscape architecture is one of the professions where there is a shortage of schooling.I can’t speak for China,but there’s a school shortage of landscape architects globally currently in fact.So, in terms of being a profession that addresses common community turns like climate action and health, I think that it’s an expanding profession that has not reached its employment potential.The question we have to ask ourselves as academics is that can we teach students the right skills for a new world as the guide.I think in some cases, we have hung on too much to traditional academic programs when we should have revised them, but I believe that educating skills that are adapted to the needs of the new era will be a key challenge for contemporary university education.For example, nowadays,artificial intelligence is leading change and we may need to incorporate this element into our professional training.

Again, I can only speak in my country, but I tend to think the practices are much more progressive than the academic programs currently.Because practice is global, there is widespread engagement in judging standards of best practice.We must respond to these judgments to advance academic research and adapt our practice accordingly.It is really a complex job for academic programs that need to evolve and understand the importance of anticipating and teaching the skills needed for the next five to ten years.The role of the landscape architect is expanding we don’t what it will look like, so prediction will be a challenge.However, in contrast to professions such as law,which may be disrupted by the development of artificial intelligence, the role of the landscape architect is not likely to change so much.Therefore, all professions need to also question whether they’re teaching the students at university the right skills that are made for a different profession to suit future needs.

LAJ: Besides the educational aspect you mentioned, what are the challenges to landscape architecture adapting to the new post-pandemic era globally?

Hayter: In adapting to these changing times,there are plenty of issues and challenges here,including war, water scarcity, and rising sea levels.Concerns about these issues are not only about our physical health but also about our mental health.The work of landscape architects can have a substantial impact on a person’s mental health,which is always about physical health and the diets we have, and the way we exercise.So now, the landscape architecture profession is beginning to focus more deeply on the complexities of mental health.And I think that enriches our understanding of the urban environment and put challenges that landscape architects accept in ways that they can help people address the issues of mental health.

LAJ: The recent development of artificial intelligence, especially the release of the ChatGPT, has had a big impact on various industries.What is the impact of AI on landscape architecture in your opinion? Will it be stronger in the future?

Hayter: Artificial Intelligence is a new technology that’s being rolled out, and I have not yet tried to apply it to practice, so I cannot yet predict how it is going to affect landscape architecture.However, I’m hoping that through indepth analysis and research, the understanding of natural systems and how people use urban space will be better known.Particularly from an environmental perspective, by having a deeper understanding of the various elements in our cities,such as stormwater runoff, we will be able to monitor, understand, and control these elements more effectively, and in turn work out algorithms that can solve related problems.I think that will be a wonderful use of AI in the future, even though it’s not widely available now.As such, I might have a better answer for this issue over the next two years as such tools become more widely available.

LAJ: Thank you for joining this interview!We hope you will come to China more often and maintain close communication with young landscape architects in China!

Note:

① In 2021, the IFLA Climate Change Working Group, in collaboration with COP26, draftedThe IFLA Climate Action Commitment, which will be implemented by IFLA’ s 77 international member organizations.It aims to strengthen the critical role of the built environment industry in addressing climate and ecological emergencies, to call for the active participation of landscape architects around the world in the restoration of the global landscape, to build green infrastructure for zero carbon emissions, to enhance the resilience of cities and communities, to promote climate justice and social well-being, to integrate local cultural knowledge into design, to inspire landscape architects’ climate leadership, and to mitigate the environmental impact of design.

Sources of Figures:

Portrait of James Hayter provided by the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University;Fig.1 is from the United Nations official website (www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainabledevelopment-goals-kick-off-with-start-of-new-year); Fig.2 is photographed by ZHANG Rouran.

(Editor / WANG Yilan)

Interviewer:

ZHANG Rouran, Ph.D., is an associate professor and master supervisor in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, associate research fellow at the MacDonald Institute of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, vice president of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Tourism, and vice president of the Youth Working Committee of China Society of Landscape Architecture.His research focuses on cultural and natural heritage planning and management,landscape planning and design, national parks, and cultural tourism.

Translators:

WANG Yu is a master student in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University.Her research focuses on landscape architecture and ecological environment planning and design.

NI Huanyu is a master student in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University.Her research focuses on landscape architecture and ecological environment planning and design.

Proofreader:

ZHANG Yikang, MLA, registered urban planner, senior engineer, is deputy chief landscape architect of LAY-OUT Planning Consultants Co., Ltd., and a member of the Youth Working Committee of China Society of Landscape.His research focuses on the landscape planning and design.