Code Red for Earth (IFLA 2024), Istanbul, Türkiye

Congress Tracks and Presentation Highlights

The congress received an overwhelming 573 abstract submissions in the form of oral and poster presentations across its seven subthemes for scientific and practice‐based research and 57 design project submissions. This marked a significant increase over projected numbers, indicative of a high level of engagement with the congress theme. The exceptional quality and quantity of the submissions led to the creation of a new presentation category supplementing the standard 15‐minute format: six‐minute short oral presentations. This ensured that a broader range of research could be shared and discussed. This decision was made after a thorough review of the submissions by the Call for Abstracts Committee, followed by approval from the Congress Executive Committee and IFLA ExCo.

A total of 458 oral presentations and 115 poster presentations were submitted. After a rigorous blind peer‐review process, 253 abstracts were accepted for 15‐minute oral presentations, of which 196 (77%) were ultimately presented. Ninety‐five abstracts were accepted for six‐minute short oral presentations, with 65 (68%) participating. Seventy‐eight abstracts initially submitted as oral presentations but not selected for oral delivery were accepted as poster presentations. In addition, 20 design projects were accepted for oral presentations (16 presented), while 37 were accepted as poster presentations (26 presented).

The final program comprised 277 oral and 131 poster presentations. These presentations reflected the diversity of expertise within the landscape architecture field and included a range of methodologies, scales of analysis, and perspectives. The contributions of six keynote speakers (James Corner, Maria Ignatieva, Kotchakorn Voraakhom, Christophe Girot, Ceylan Belek Ombregt, and Peter Veenstra) and eight invited speakers (Jala Makhzoumi, Gareth Doherty, Alexandra Steed, Maria Gabriella Trovato, Hayriye Eşbah Tunçay, Oktan Nalbantoğlu, Alper Çabuk, and Murat Memlük) facilitated roundtable sessions with global organizations’ leadership representatives. These sessions focused on critical issues, each addressing significant acts related to the subthemes and generating engrossing discussions.

Special Sessions

The Special Sessions at the IFLA 60th World Congress underscored the congress’s overarching theme, Code Red for Earth. The sessions provided a productive platform for in‐depth, action‐oriented discussions on the global environmental crisis. Nine thematic roundtable sessions were organized, each lasting 90 minutes and conducted in parallel rooms. The sessions brought together leadership from UN agencies, international organizations (i.e., ASLA, CELA, LAAB, and CLARB), local authorities, and leading experts to exchange ideas, share solutions, and inspire transformative action.

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Bridging the Divide. Collaborative Design for a Planet in Crisis explored ways to transcend disciplinary silos, bringing together leaders from landscape architecture, urban planning, and architecture to develop solutions for the ecological emergency.

• Professional Practice: Redefining Practice showcased innovative approaches to sustainable design, highlighting how landscape architects can embed environmental stewardship, resilience, and ecological restoration.

• Public Health and Well‐Being: Healthy Places, Happy People addressed the critical role of landscape‐based urbanism in fostering healthier cities while strengthening connections between green spaces and public health.

• Sustainability in Industry: Industry in Transition examined the role of eco‐friendly technologies and sustainable production practices within the landscape architecture sector, fostering collaboration between growers, manufacturers, and policymakers.

• Climate Resilience: Climate Action Now highlighted nature‐based solutions, ecological design, and multi‐sector collaborations as tools for addressing climate change.

• Education and Curriculum: From Crisis to Curriculum delved into the future of landscape architecture education, emphasizing the need for transformative curricula, pedagogical innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Crisis and Conflict: Landscapes of Hope explored the role of landscape architects in humanitarian contexts, focusing on the recovery, resilience, and shared rights to landscapes in areas affected by migration, conflict, and environmental crises.

• Cultural Landscapes: Weaving Cultural Threads into a Sustainable Tapestry examined the intersection of cultural heritage, natural landscapes, and planetary rights, showcasing how cultural values can inspire sustainable design solutions.

• Local Government Leadership: Green Space Management Strategies and Water Management in Türkiye’s Climate Regions brought together municipal leaders to share innovative approaches to green space management and water resilience, emphasizing inter‐regional cooperation and sustainable urban strategies.

EXPO

The EXPO at the IFLA 2024 World Congress served as a dynamic platform for showcasing various innovations, sustainable practices, and collaborative opportunities across the landscape architecture sector. It brought together different companies and organizations, including plant producers, software developers, irrigation experts, children’s play equipment manufacturers, natural stone producers, landscape contractors, industry associations and unions, and municipal subsidiaries.

The event was made possible through the support of sponsors from various sectors, each contributing their expertise to advancing sustainable landscape practices. Exhibitors presented numerous innovations, allowing attendees to explore the latest trends in landscape design, technology, and environmental stewardship.

Student Competition

To emphasize the theme of the IFLA 2024 Congress, the Student Design Competition was developed around the theme of Post‐Violence Landscapes. This concept primarily highlighted the scaleless and boundless nature of environmental crises, encompassing climate change, severe disasters, mass migration, livelihood destruction, land‐use change, habitat encroachment, species extinction, and wildlife crime. The competition, which was organized into three categories—Analysis and Planning, Landscape Design, and Applied Research—invited students to engage in the global discussion surrounding post‐violence landscapes by proposing innovative and imaginative solutions for landscape planning and design. It encouraged a proactive stance toward restoring disrupted terrains, highlighting the capacity of transformative landscape interventions to foster spatial, social, and ecological healing.

Total participation reached an impressive 205 entries, distributed as follows: 111 in Analysis and Planning, 78 in Landscape Design, and 16 in Applied Research. The evaluation process was both intensive and productive, presenting considerable challenges in discerning among the projects submitted. With the involvement of 28 jury members from various regions worldwide, the assessment process was marked by the evaluation of multiple high‐quality projects featuring original and innovative conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and proposals. Following the jury evaluation, it was decided to award four prizes, for first, second, and third place (plus an honorable mention) in the Analysis and Planning and Landscape Design categories and first place in the Applied Research category. In addition to these awards, a special prize was designated by the UCTEA Chamber of Turkish Landscape Architects specifically for the 2024 IFLA.

Student Charrette and Global Studio Program

The Student Charrette and Global Studio Program (GSP) was integral to the IFLA World 2024 Council and Congress events themed Creating Resilience for All under the overarching concept of Code Red for Earth. These programs were organized by the CTLA with the support of the IFLA to engage landscape architecture students globally. They aimed to address complex urban and environmental challenges through collaborative workshops that fostered intercultural dialogue and produced innovative, context‐sensitive solutions.

Led by Associate Professor Bruno Marques as IFLA World President, Associate Professor Alessandro Martinelli as Charrette Chair, and Professor Şükran Şahin as Charrette Co‐Chair, the IFLA 2024 İstanbul Charrette included 30 in‐person students from 11 countries—Argentina, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and Türkiye—and 18 online students from nine countries—Argentina, Chile, Kenya, Mexico, Palestine, Philippines, Tunisia, Türkiye, and Uruguay—making a total of 48 participants from a diverse range of academic and cultural backgrounds. The program was further supported by an organizing committee of CTLA comprising nine members, seven CTLA tutors, seven IFLA GSP tutors, nine charrette assistants, and eight jury members who evaluated and awarded the projects.

During the charrette and GSP, students collaborated on innovative design solutions, reflecting a rich blend of academic and cultural perspectives. The international composition of the program fostered interdisciplinary learning and creative problem‐solving, aligning with the event’s goal of addressing complex environmental challenges. It encouraged the creation of visionary projects exhibited during the congress. Participants gained invaluable experience in collaborative design, and their projects demonstrated the role of landscape architects in shaping sustainable urban futures.

The Nava Polman‐Gerson Foundation financially supported the event awards. The event also received institutional backing from universities such as İstanbul Technical University, Medipol University, Yeditepe University, Özyeğin University, and İstanbul University‐Cerrahpaşa, along with professional landscape design firms. The charrette was conducted in the historic studio and classroom spaces of İstanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture at the iconic Taşkışla Building.

Overall Impressions

The IFLA 60th World Congress in İstanbul, Türkiye, offered fertile ground for discussion, dialogue, and recognition in landscape architecture while engaging landscape architecture with other allied disciplines such as architecture and planning. The congress included the presentation of the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, the IFLA President’s Award, Student Competition Awards, Student Charrette Awards, and National Landscape Architecture Awards. Most critically, the events (led by the IFLA Council meeting and the congress) fostered transdisciplinary dialogue, produced actionable strategies, and built partnerships between global and local stakeholders. By addressing diverse themes ranging from climate resilience and sustainability to disaster response and cultural preservation, education and research to leadership and professional practice, all events reflected the congress’s commitment to tackling environmental crises through holistic, scalable, and inclusive solutions. In addition to the final outputs from the various events of the congress, keynote and invited speakers profoundly emphasized the multiscale and multicontextual nature of landscapes, reaffirming the pivotal role of landscape architecture in generating a common ground for developing actionable strategies to foster a sustainable future.