The future for landscape architecture is immense. And if landscape architects don’t take the opportunity at this point, while our governments are waffling on climate change, if they don’t learn this climate change inside-out, namely storm-water management, limiting footprints, using plants that don’t need much maintenance or water, if they don’t seize that opportunity, then the landscape architects are asleep under the ground. -Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, TCLF Oral History (2008)

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander’s declaration—a challenge to her fellow landscape architects—is the impetus for a June 2020 symposium about the role of the profession of landscape architecture in addressing climate change. Oberlander is the namesake of the new Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize, which was conceived by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) to honor designers who, like Oberlander, are “exceptionally talented, creative, courageous, and visionary.” Addressing climate change has been a core focus of Oberlander’s practice for more than 30 years, and the symposium will serve as the inaugural Oberlander Prize Forum, the first of many fora to be developed in association with the newly established Oberlander Prize.

Martha Schwartz, an outspoken, iconoclastic, and inventive landscape architect, will deliver the opening keynote. Panels of speakers will address the theoretical – understanding the scope and scale of the climate crisis, especially in New York City – and the practical – including how to navigate bureaucracies to get projects built with environmentally/ecologically sound practices – along with pathways to civic engagement. Ultimately, this is a shared responsibility that will require courage and creativity from the design community, elected officials, governmental agencies, corporations, non-profits, and the public, if we are to confront this problem at a macro and micro scale. This symposium aims to support and inspire those undertaking the challenge.

This event is currently rescheduled for September 18 from 9 – 5 at Highline Stages, 440 West 15th Street in NYC. A reception on the evening prior to the symposium will offer speakers and attendees a chance to mingle and initiate conversations about the day ahead. As with all events planned during the Covid-19 pandemic, please check with TCLF in case a rescheduling is necessary. Early bird conference ticket $245 ($75 students), and reception ticket is $75. Register at www.tclf.org.