当代风景园林师的责任与挑战——国际风景园林师联合会前任主席詹姆斯·海特教授专访

采访：张柔然 翻译：王钰 倪欢妤 校对：张一康

访谈人物：

（澳）詹姆斯·海特/男/博士/国际风景园林师联合会（IFLA）前任主席/阿德莱德大学建筑与建筑环境学院教授/澳大利亚景观与城市设计事务所Oxigen创始人/研究方向为健康城市、社区参与式风景园林设计

2018年7月，詹姆斯·海特（ James Hayter）教授荣任国际风景园林师联合会（International Federation of Landscape Architects, IFLA）主席。他同时在澳大利亚阿德莱德大学建筑与建筑环境学院担任教授，并作为南澳洲景观与城市设计事务所Oxigen的创始人，积累了丰富的景观项目实践经验。海特教授的代表作包括澳大利亚堪培拉的中央公园区以及阿德莱德的新兴“全球区”Lot Fourteen和Tonsley创新区等。海特教授致力于在实践中营造健康和可持续的城市。他被公认为澳大利亚风景园林和城市设计领域的领军人物，以其前瞻性的行业洞察力和实践能力著称。他倡导风景园林师应当肩负起协调安全、创造包容性、连接社区的责任，与自然相协作，提供充裕的绿地和清洁的水源，构建健康的户外公共空间。

然而，面对日益变化的国际环境、科技进步及越来越严峻的气候变化挑战，当前的风景园林师正在面临多重变化的责任与挑战，需要应对气候变化、食品安全、社区参与、健康与福祉、地域文化等多方面的新问题。2023年4月20日，借海特教授参加由中国风景园林学会青年工作委员会主办的国际风景园林前沿论坛暨4.18国际古迹遗址日风景园林遗产保护青年专业人员论坛这一机会，《风景园林》杂志有幸对他进行了专访，深入探讨当前风景园林行业的新责任与新挑战。

LAJ：《风景园林》杂志

Hayter：詹姆斯·海特教授

LAJ：您在担任IFLA主席期间，主要倡导和推动了哪些领域的工作？另外，您认为近期IFLA的工作重点是什么？

Hayter：在我与IFLA合作的大约20年间，我们实现了许多重要成果。其中一项显著的成就是我们与中国风景园林学会的合作，这使得IFLA真正实现了其全球性的地位。我在IFLA的工作重点是管理，尽管IFLA是一个志愿性组织，但强大而有效的管理方法却是必不可少的。其中一项管理的目标是提升我们传播和推广优秀的风景园林理论与实践的能力，为所有风景园林师提供优质的就业机会。IFLA不仅仅是一个组织，它也是全世界的风景园林师代表们的核心归属。在我担任主席期间，我认识到IFLA的真正价值在于能够为风景园林专业发出强有力的声音。现在，从联合国的角度来看，可持续发展的目标越来越多地受到人们的关注，这些目标应该成为IFLA以及所有风景园林师的主要工作重点。

LAJ：IFLA作为最为权威的全球风景园林师非政府组织，在推动行业发展中起到重要作用。请您谈谈 IFLA是如何在全球推广风景园林教育并制定标准的？

Hayter：2022年，我们与国际劳工组织（International Labor Organization, ILO）共同修订了一份关于“风景园林”（landscape architecture）定义的重要文件，旨在推动全球对风景园林行业的认可。在这个过程中，我们对风景园林的定义进行了全面的审视，使其更具包容性。可以理解为这是对传统风景园林实践的扩展，以期倡导更广泛的职业领域。我认为风景园林专业可能只发挥了15%的潜力。我预见在未来，这个行业将会在众多领域中发挥更大的作用。

此外，我认为这个定义对大学教育体系也具有重要意义，尽管这已经超出了许多大学课程的教学内容与范围。我们期待，随着时间的推移，风景园林的新定义能够促使大学教育对专业有更深入的理解，并拓宽他们的教学内容。例如，我在实践中做的工作主要是“城市建设”（city-making），这实际上是许多专业都会涉及的工作领域，包括风景园林师，因为我们对城市中的各个元素（如自然、人文等）都有深入的理解。我们不应局限于以风景园林师的身份建设城市，而应学习如何与其他职业进行协作，采取一种全局性、协同的观点来看待一个城市。

IFLA制定了一项与风景园林定义相关的大学课程认证程序。但我们建立此程序的目的并不仅仅是为了认证课程体系，而是希望设立一个可以帮助国家协会或地区协会（无论其规模大小）达成他们各自标准的流程。我在实践中发现，制定专业标准变得越来越重要。IFLA的一个主要职责就是尝试制定这些标准，以便在不同国家的协会之间进行共享。目前，这些标准已涉及职业健康、福利和安全，以及气候行动等多个方面。尽管在不同国家工作的人可能面临巨大的差异，但我们所做的这些工作并不是无意义的。在任何国家，实践都是极其重要且有价值的。我们试图提供相通的经验，以便我们可以进行比较并制定基本的共性标准。

LAJ：IFLA在倡导气候行动，您认为IFLA在气候行动中起到什么作用？风景园林师又该如何将IFLA的气候行动承诺①转化为实践？

Hayter：尽管气候变化常常成为我们探讨的焦点，但这并不意味它掩盖了可持续发展目标中许多其他的重要价值，如城市中的清洁水和空气、社会包容性等。实际上，这些价值观与气候行动紧密相连，能有效地辅助我们应对气候变化带来的挑战。因此，可持续设计已成为现代风景园林师关注的重点。作为IFLA的一部分，我们的职责是公布气候和生物多样性的紧急状况，提升人们对当前全球气候趋势的认知。这场源自公众的气候行动拥有坚实的基础，IFLA的核心目标是发起行动并坚决支持它，特别是在政府态度不坚定的情况下。我相信，随着越来越多的人响应这项声明，它将自然地形成一种承诺。

在应对气候变化的大背景下，更深入探讨风景园林师的责任可以丰富我们的职业内涵。优秀的风景园林师总是倾向于采用可持续的实践方法，例如以奥姆斯特德为代表的参与城市规划的风景园林师们，他们的设计常涉及城市内的雨水管理和绿色空间。因此，我认为优秀的风景园林设计师应该具备扎实的生态学知识并秉持可持续设计理念，以便推动城市绿化，应对气候变化。然而，许多专业人士目前更偏向于将城市规划视为功能性和美学性的工作，而未真正考虑到它在可持续性方面的价值。他们应该考虑将健康福祉以及气候行动等作为我们专业的核心价值观，我相信这将为我们的行业发展带来积极影响。

LAJ：在实践气候行动方面，我们的城市及城市生活可以得到哪些好处？

Hayter：我想首先和大家共同回顾一下联合国的17个可持续发展目标（图1），其中至少有5个是直接与气候行动相关的，这足见气候行动的重要性。风景园林专业在实现气候行动方面具有强大的技能储备，因为我们的专业涉及水、能源、粮食等重要领域。我们必须理解，气候行动与其他所有可持续发展目标是相互关联的，它关系到心理健康，也关系到我们从气候行动中派生出的风景园林价值。我想强调的是，一系列与气候行动有关的措施可以带来诸多益处，例如推动城市农业发展、优化雨水管理、保障水质清洁和缓解贫困等，同时也将推动气候行动的实现。这些元素实际上是紧密关联的。因此，如果我们缺乏气候行动，解决其他问题将变得更为困难。气候行动的实施至关重要。

1 The UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals

1 联合国的17个可持续发展目标The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals

LAJ：您一直致力于城市健康的研究，并在许多景观和城市设计项目中展现了卓越的才华。那么在您看来，一个成功且健康的城市环境应具备哪些特点？其中最关键的元素是什么？

Hayter：这是一个涉及面很广的问题。在我看来，城市的复杂性使得“城市”无法成为某一职业独占的领域。当我们面对城市规划任务时，理解城市的复杂性并联合不同领域的专业人士共同出谋划策是关键。目前，我注意到风景园林设计愈加注重人的心理层面，这也是我高度重视城市中居民的健康和福祉的原因。所以，城市规划的目标，不应该仅是创建一个高效运转、美观的城市环境，更应该达到可持续发展目标，适应气候行动的需要，实现社会公平和包容性，并且尽可能地让每个人都能享受到最佳的环境。我们的设计目标是创造能让人们感到快乐的环境，提供健康、安全的生活空间，而这种幸福感往往可以通过简单的设计手法来实现。

总的来说，我认为建设健康的城市环境需要在城市规划过程中进行多领域的合作。优质的城市环境是由各专业人士共同塑造的，包括建筑师、风景园林师、城市规划师、心理学家、地理学家，以及文化历史等各类相关专业的从业者。

LAJ：您的许多项目都结合了健康城市和可持续发展的理念，比如堪培拉中央公园（图2）。面对今天的快速城市化，我们该如何平衡自然环境保护与城市发展之间的关系？

2 Canberra Central Park

2 堪培拉中央公园Canberra Central Park

Hayter：中国和澳大利亚在这个问题上的情况大相径庭，澳大利亚拥有更多的开放空间，并不像亚洲的城市那样人口密集，因此我们并未像中国那样面临高度城市化带来的压力。然而，尽管情况不同，某些原则依然通用。

回顾过去15～20年，中国的许多城市曾经深受污染困扰，但在政府和专业人士的努力下，现在这些城市的环境状况得到了明显改善，城市宜居度也大幅提升。窗外这座美丽的城市——深圳，便是典型的案例。我认为大学教育对气候行动和可持续发展理念的重视是产生这种变化的重要因素之一。因此，我们需要从大学教育着手，深入理解社会学和环境学的运作机制，并将其与城市规划实践相结合，进一步发挥它们的潜力。深圳的发展就是跨领域合作成功的范例。尽管这种跨领域合作相对较新，但它已经被纳入城市规划中，并得到了有效实施。

现如今，人们对自然与人类之间的关系，以及自然环境对健康和幸福的影响有了更深的认识。在我们设计城市的过程中，一个重要的问题就是如何使城市居民感到快乐。尤其是在人口老龄化趋势下，实现这一目标变得更加复杂。因此，我认为构建绿色城市的优点在于它能将人们与自然紧密连接，提供户外休闲空间以及无污染的环境，并鼓励人们更多地接触自然。我相信现在的政府已经充分认识到在这方面投资的重要性。我们的研究显示，每投入1元用于预防城市病，将能节省7元用于治疗城市病。因此，投资于生态环境建设将为未来城市和其居民带来巨大的回报。

LAJ：我们再来聊聊社区，它是由非常复杂的群体组成的，每个人有着不同的背景、种族和兴趣，以至于实现景观公平存在障碍。我们如何才能在设计中确保公平性，以创造一个适合大多数利益相关者的景观？

Hayter：尽管我们每个人都是独一无二的个体，有着各自的思想和愿望，但在20年的社区咨询经验中，我发现存在能被大家普遍理解和接受的共享价值观。例如，当规划者提出在某条街道种植行道树以提供荫蔽，并为骑行者或行人创造安全环境时，大家通常不会有异议。因此，我坚信，好的设计应是广受大家认可的设计。同时，风景园林师的角色应当是一名沟通者，阐明并传达我们所提倡的价值观。

在许多项目中，我们发现，当地居民不仅仅需要对于设计内容和原则的解释，他们更希望与设计师进行实质性的交流和讨论。在这个过程中，我们有责任提倡和推广优良的价值观，以帮助人们理解和接纳这些价值，进而共同创造出一个满足各方利益的优美环境。

LAJ：当地社区在利用本土经验促进风景园林设计方面发挥着重要作用，那么风景园林师如何才能真正实现立足当地并与当地社区合作？

Hayter：中国政府与许多西方国家相比，早就认识到了我们需要关注的基本问题，如气候行动等，其解决策略中，政府主导是一种重要的实践路径。而在许多西方国家，对气候行动等议题的推进往往不是由政府发起的，而是源自对现状求变的公民和社区。他们推动政府采取立法、提供资金、设立项目或制定计划来引导变革。政府也逐渐认识到这一议题的重要性，因为它们看到了其中所包含的深远意义。这就是我们称之为自下而上的改变策略，它能为我们带来更美好的社会和生活。

而风景园林设计的一个基本前提就是要深入理解当地的环境和文化背景。这包括熟知当地的物理环境，例如植被、土壤和降水模式等，同时还需要了解生活在这里的人们和他们的社会文化环境，从而全面理解场地，以便更好地响应环境的需求。因此，我们每个项目的实施都会让社区居民参与其中，而风景园林师的角色就在于推动和管理这一过程。

在澳大利亚的每个项目中，我们都特别致力于寻找并接触被边缘化的群体，如原住民和少数族裔的代表。澳大利亚是一个多元化的国家，我们的社会由来自世界各地的人们构成，他们带来了丰富多样的文化，比如在我所居住的城市墨尔本，有众多的中国人、意大利人和希腊人。近年来，我们也迎来了许多来自阿富汗和中东的新移民。尽管我们生活在一个多元化的社会中，但我们的关系并未因此而变得紧张，因为我们共同追求一个基本的理念，即健康和安全等基本原则。通过与当地社区的合作沟通，我们的目标是让每个人都觉得自己是社会的一部分，共同为营造一个安全、无污染的城市环境，提供清洁的饮用水而努力。我们风景园林师的工作重心在于公共空间，而公共空间正是人人都能享有的民主场所。因此，在项目推进过程中与社区进行对话，纳入他们的想法是必不可少的环节。最终，我们往往会看到社区居民解决了自己居住环境的问题，他们也因此更加热爱并积极参与到公共空间和景观的建设和管理中。

LAJ：风景园林师的就业是一个关键的问题，各国的情况不尽相同，比如说中国的风景园林师在10年前还是一个热门的职业选择，但近几年这种趋势却消失了。您如何看待这个问题？

Hayter：当前，风景园林学是一门在全球范围内教育资源匮乏的专业，许多国家都缺乏培养专业风景园林师的教育机构。因此，作为一个关注气候行动和社区健康等普遍问题的领域，我相信它的就业潜力尚未被充分发掘。作为学者，我们需要反思我们是否正在传递能够适应未来世界的正确技能。我们常常过度依赖传统学术课程，但我认为，适应新时代需求的技能教育将是当代大学教育的一项重要挑战。例如，现今，人工智能正引领变革，我们可能需要将这一元素融入我们的专业培训中。

就澳大利亚而言，我倾向于认为实践领域目前超越了学术研究。因为实践是全球性的，人们普遍参与到对最佳实践标准的评判中。我们必须对这些评判做出响应，以便推动学术研究的发展并据此调整我们的实践。这对学术教育来说是一项复杂的任务，需要风景园林教育理论与实践协同发展，并在教学的过程中能够预测未来5～10年实践所需的技能。风景园林设计师的角色正在不断扩展，其未来形态并未确定，预测将是一项挑战。然而，与法律等可能因人工智能的发展而发生颠覆性改变的行业相比，风景园林师的角色并不会发生如此大的变化。因此，所有专业都需要反思他们是否提供了适应未来需求的正确技能教育。

LAJ：在教育问题之外，为了适应新的后疫情时代，您认为当前全球风景园林行业面临的其他挑战有哪些？

Hayter：在适应这一时代变迁的过程中，我们将面临诸多问题和挑战，包括战争、水资源短缺以及海平面上升等。对这些问题的关注，不仅关乎我们的生理健康，更涉及心理健康。风景园林师的工作能够对人的心理健康产生实质性的影响，这一点往往与人们的身体健康、饮食习惯及运动方式紧密相连。因此，现今的风景园林专业开始更深入地关注心理健康的复杂性。这一方面丰富了我们对城市环境的理解，另一方面也带来了新的挑战。风景园林师们正在积极应对这些挑战，努力为解决人们的心理健康问题提供帮助。

LAJ：近年来，人工智能的快速发展，尤其是像ChatGPT等技术的推出，对所有行业都产生了深远影响。在您看来，人工智能对风景园林产业产生了哪些影响？在未来是否可能会带来更大的变革？

Hayter：人工智能是一项正在推广使用的新技术，我尚未尝试将它深入地应用到实践中，因此，我还不能确切地预测它将如何影响风景园林行业。然而，我希望人工智能能够通过深度分析和研究，帮助我们更深入地理解自然系统，以及优化我们对城市空间的利用方式。特别是从环境角度出发，我们对城市中的各种元素（比如雨水径流）有更深入的了解，我们就能更有效地监测、理解并控制这些元素，进而制定出可以解决相关问题的算法。我认为这将是人工智能的一大潜在应用领域，尽管目前这种应用还没有广泛普及。因此，在未来2年内，随着这种工具的普及，我可能会对这个问题有更深入的见解。

LAJ：感谢您接受我们的采访！希望您能常来中国，与中国的青年风景园林师保持密切的交流！

注释：

① 2021年，IFLA气候变化工作组与COP26合作起草了《IFLA气候行动承诺》，由IFLA的77个国际成员组织负责履行。IFLA气候行动承诺旨在强化建筑环境业在应对气候和生态紧急情况方面的关键作用，号召全球风景园林师积极参与全球生态修复，构建绿色基础设施实现零碳排，增强城市和社区韧性，倡导气候正义与社会福利，将当地文化知识融入设计，激励景观设计师的气候领导力，减轻设计本身对环境的影响。

图片来源：

访谈人物照片来自深圳大学建筑与城市规划学院；图1引自联合国官方网站（www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainable-development-goals-kick-off-withstart-of-new-year/）；图2由张柔然摄。

（编辑 / 王一兰）

采访者简介：

张柔然/男/博士/深圳大学建筑与城市规划学院副教授、硕士生导师/剑桥大学麦克唐纳考古研究所副研究员/国际古迹遗址理事会国际文化旅游科学委员会副主席/中国风景园林学会青年工作委员会副主任委员/研究方向为文化与自然遗产规划与管理、风景园林规划与设计、国家公园、文化旅游

译者简介：

王钰/女/深圳大学建筑与城市规划学院在读硕士研究生/研究方向为景观与生态环境规划设计

倪欢妤/女/深圳大学建筑与城市规划学院在读硕士研究生/研究方向为景观与生态环境规划设计

校者简介：

张一康/男/硕士/注册城乡规划师/高级工程师/深圳市蕾奥规划设计咨询股份有限公司副总景观师/中国风景园林学会青年工作委员会委员/研究方向为风景园林规划设计

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.