BRIEFING By Jan Christian Vestre
Jan Christian Vestre is CEO of Vestre
Self-worth 1 & 2. Vestre furnitutre in public spaces. © Vestre Furniture
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Jan Christian Vestre, CEO of Vestre, offers a rallying call for landscape practitioners to become the superheroes of our age.
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e are facing climate change, a growing global population, urbanisation, migration and a technological revolution, and we must co‑operate if we’re to deal with the opportunities and challenges that they bring. It’s vitally important to remind ourselves that it is our values, our set of ethical and moral norms, that define
how we will tackle this situation, and how well we will succeed. So, what does this mean in real terms for the landscape profession? 1 We must explain loudly and clearly to political and commercial decision-makers why it makes sound financial sense to create attractive and accessible outdoor urban spaces. With more people living in cities and a more diverse population, it is obvious
that places for social interaction will be more important. In many countries, including the UK, budgets for the construction and maintenance of outdoor urban spaces have been cut to an absolute minimum. So we have a lot of work to do. We must speak in a way that other people understand and we must demonstrate – with practical examples – how we can help clients find solutions to their problems.
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