Self-worth

Vestre furnitutre in public spaces

© Vestre Furniture

Jan Christian Vestre, CEO of Vestre, offers a rallying call for landscape practitioners to become the superheroes of our age.

We 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.

2. We must stand up against the bizarre idea that the existence of accessible meeting places in towns and cities leads to anti-social behaviour. If a community experiences its young people falling by the wayside, dropping out of school, unable to get a job, it certainly can’t help if they sit cooped up alone at home every day becoming more and more frustrated. It must be better to create a sense of belonging to the local community than to magnify their sense of exclusion. That’s what will create a sense of belonging, and will enable us to change the world a little every day.

3. We must consistently refuse to accept hostile design. We must not let ourselves be used by political decisionmakers who want to offload their problems onto us. If the community has homeless people sleeping in the parks at night, this is something that must be dealt with by social services. It’s not the task of the landscape profession to design outdoor areas with spikes and other obstacles, the only purpose of which is to keep the weakest members of society away from our streets.

4. We must explain to the authorities that safer cities are not brought about by more armed police, more surveillance cameras, and the closure of more parks and communal areas. It may create a feeling of safety, but this isn’t real safety, which is achieved when there are people in the streets, when people feel a sense of belonging, and when being in an urban environment together with others is an attractive proposition.

5. Finally, we must choose sustainable solutions, that produce the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions and have the fewest possible negative consequences for the environment. We must explain to our clients that choosing quality at every stage in the process almost without exception proves to be the most cost-effective alternative in the long run, for them, for the taxpayer and the environment. What is cheapest to buy is often the most costly to put right after a period of normal wear and tear.

We all possess the tools, knowledge and experience we need to create more socially amenable, greener, safer and more inclusive towns. We know how we can tackle the big issues and are in a position to resolve some of the major challenges confronting our age – and exploit the opportunities that will undoubtedly follow.

That is why landscape and place professionals must have the selfconfidence to stand up for what they know is right, and take the place they deserve in the public debate and in society. Don’t let others decide how things will turn out. Be the ones to define the problem and provide the solution.