Inclusive Environments Conference

In summer 2021, the Landscape Institute held its first Inclusive Environments Conference. The three-day online event inspired this edition of the journal. Evan White outlines some of the key themes.

Evan White

Evan White is a writer and editor with a particular interest in landscape and the natural environment.

Speakers considered the subject of inclusivity within the landscape sector from very different angles and from a great variety of projects, practices and organisations. Presentations were packed with actionable advice for practitioners to implement in their own work.

Many presenters highlighted the real importance of understanding and properly considering the cultures, religions and backgrounds of site users in all design and planning. Phineas Harper (Director of Open City) warned of the exclusionary tendencies and patterns present in our architecture, and suggested some ways in which we should start to challenge and move away from certain “traditions”. Part of this involves understanding the difficult histories of many of our landscapes, as was explored by Professor Corinne Fowler (University of Leicester). Fowler suggested we should acknowledge and interpret this history – in particular of sites with colonial history – and use our understanding to build usable, accessible and relevant sites for every member of local communities.

We need to know how people want to, or are restricted from, using public spaces and recognise that there could be a huge variety of expectations of what these spaces need to provide for, and allow this to shape planning. Dr Bridget Snaith CMLI (University of East London) pressed home the need to “recognise and respect diversity enough to adapt practice.”

It’s important to understand that different cultural groups present in our urban spaces have different relationships with nature, so that we can ensure that public spaces are viable, interesting and representative for all site users. Consulting diverse and representative groups from communities is key, and as Harper put it, we cannot “just open the doors” for people – we need to “understand the barriers” that were there in the first place, which can prevent them from using and enjoying these spaces.

On the subject of site usage, the issue of age was also raised in a number of sessions. For instance, Dr Kate Langham (Co-Founder of the Association of Collaborative Design) argued that practitioners should increase their engagement with young people, who have “heightened local knowledge” and a range of insightful ideas to offer. Langham suggested that spaces need to be designed with current and future users, to ensure that spaces appeal to this key user group as well, or as Pamela Conrad (Principal, CMG Landscape Architecture) said, so that we are “providing space for different generations.”

Another key demographic discussed by our speakers were people with disabilities. It’s crucial that we consider the accessibility of public spaces for those with a variety of physical and mental abilities and experiences, and cater for their needs and requirements. Therefore, designers should routinely be consulting users with diverse disabilities – as Bobby Chakravarthy (Partner at Arcus Consulting) said, we need to be thinking about a range of users, such as those with visual and hearing impairments, and not just wheelchair users alone, although they are an important group to consider in design. It is critically important that the design of accessible street space takes these factors into account. On a related point, David McKenna and Annabel Keegan gave us an interesting update on the oft-discussed topic of shared spaces. They explored some fascinating current examples from around the country, and provided some useful guidance and case study resources for viewers to make use of in their own projects. Recent successes in this area were discussed, but the presenters also covered aspects of this approach to public space that still need improvement – a constructive presentation that should hopefully inspire changes going forward.

The role of technology in these inclusive endeavours cannot be underestimated. Saskia Sassen (Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University) and Bobby Chakravarthy each gave informative talks on the pros and cons of employing digital tools in all stages of landscape projects, and how using data can lead to the creation of high-quality, representative spaces, but can also lead to tech-heavy solutions that may be inappropriate. Chakravarthy explained how behavioural science and simulation technologies can be used to inform and influence design, and how we can use agent-based modelling to learn from the past awnd present use of sites to predict and plan for their future use.

Decision making should be done with people, and not to them

These techniques help us to reduce unconscious bias in design choices – we can employ data to ensure that all user demographics are considered and provided for in site proposals. Practitioners need to be certain they are “creating public spaces for everyone irrespective of their background.” Digital approaches, as Sassen said, can be used to understand our sites and cities on a human level, and subsequently to understand the people for whom we are designing. However, Sassen highlighted the potential threats of technologised environments for democracy (for example, data-gathering and surveillance), and stressed that people must not become less important than the cities they live in. Sassen felt that it is neighbourhoods and localities that make a city “speak”.

Glenn Brawn (Global Partnerships Director of Commonplace Digital Ltd) argued that we should also be engaging with potential users digitally, especially with those who wish to have strategic input, positing that it is essential we “make it simple and convenient for people to get involved” with our schemes. However, as Harper noted, it’s important that we use a combination of digital and in-person engagement to avoid discriminating against those without easy access to technology and digital tools.

In fact, involving our communities in projects rather than simply consulting them was a message echoed by many speakers. Gabrielle Appiah (Project Coordinator at Soundings) said that “decision making should be done with people, and not to them”, and argued that “enabling communities to share ideas and build consensus” would help us to create “better places through active participation.” Similarly, Dr Farnaz Ganji (Senior Consultant at LDA Design) put forth that genuine engagement is key to the success of a project, and that “public consultation shouldn’t be a tickbox – it should be embedded in practice from the start.” This was summarised succinctly in a discussion between by Graham Duxbury (Groundwork UK’s Chief Executive) and Hamira Sultan (Consultant in Public Health at Birmingham City Council), who agreed that the industry needs to “move from consultation to engagement to empowerment.”

The Conference not only raised important issues for practitioners to address, but offered practical, achievable solutions. The diverse group of speakers, from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and professions, enabled participants to share their rich experiences and knowledge in this complex and vitally important area of landscape practice.