Honouring Our Roots, Forging Our Future: 2025 Year in Review
Dear Friends and Colleagues of the Global Landscape Architecture Community,
As 2025 draws to a close, we look back on a year defined by a profound duality: deep collective sorrow and resolute professional action. We have lost one of our giants, yet in that loss, we found the strength to stand taller on the global stage, particularly during our critical work in Brazil this past month.
Reflecting on 2025: Guiding Landscapes
Our time together in Nantes, France, for the 61st IFLA World Congress remains the highlight of my year. Under the theme "Guiding Landscapes," we explored how our profession must lead the transition of our cities and territories. The discussions on living soils, water management, and urban biodiversity were not merely academic; they were urgent calls to action. Seeing so many of you share your expertise on adapting our built environments confirmed that we are indeed the "guides" the world needs right now.
Internally, we have matched this external advocacy with operational growth. This year saw the launch of 19 new Working Programmes, covering critical areas from Climate Action to Urban Health. We also welcomed major new partners, including Arup, Turenscape and Turkish Stone, into our corporate network. In addition, we launched our webinar series, with an average of 200 participants per session. Finally, we strengthened our work with the World Bank, the United Nations (UN) and its agencies (such as UNESCO, UN-Habitat, UNEP, WHO, FAO) as well as fostered collaboration with our sister organisations (ISOCARP, UIA, AIPH, WGIN, URBIO, ISUH, ICOMOS, CELA, ECLAS, LAF and EMF). These milestones confirm that IFLA is scaling up to meet the demands of a changing world.
I also want to take a moment to celebrate Günther Vogt, our 2025 Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award laureate. His lifetime of work reminds us that landscape architecture is a profound dialogue between nature, culture, and time. Equally, I am honoured to recognise Hal Moggridge, the recipient of the 2025 IFLA President’s Award. Hal’s career serves as a bridge to our history and a testament to the enduring power of working with, rather than against, the landscape. Their recognition this year is a well-deserved testament to the intellectual and practical depth of our field.
In Memoriam: The Loss of Kongjian Yu
The shadow cast over our profession in September is still felt by us all. The tragic passing of Kongjian Yu in a plane crash in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil was a shock that reverberated around the world.
Kongjian was more than a landscape architect; he was a revolutionary who taught us the "art of survival." From his "Sponge City" concepts to his relentless advocacy for fluid water management, he reshaped how nations understand their own terrain. It is poignant that he left us while exploring the very landscapes of Brazil—a country where he saw immense potential for ecological healing.
He once said, "We need a sponge planet." His absence leaves a void, but his legacy provided our marching orders for the rest of the year. We mourn him not just as a colleague, but as a visionary who saw the solution before most of us even understood the problem.
COP30 Belém: Carrying the Torch
It was with Kongjian’s spirit in our hearts that the IFLA delegation travelled to Belém, Brazil, for COP30 in November. Returning to the country where we lost him gave our mission a renewed sense of urgency.
Our participation this year was our most active and integrated to date. In the Blue Zone, we moved beyond the sidelines, engaging directly with policymakers to ensure that Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are not treated as optional aesthetics but as critical climate infrastructure.
Landscape as Infrastructure: We successfully lobbied for language in the final agreements that recognises landscape restoration as a primary tool for climate adaptation.
Indigenous Alliances: We stood in solidarity with Indigenous leaders in the Amazon, affirming that landscape architecture must serve as a bridge between modern science and ancestral ecological knowledge.
The "Sponge" Legacy: In every panel and bilateral meeting, we championed the principles Kongjian spent his life proving: that porous, resilient landscapes are the only viable defence against the climate extremes we now face.
Looking Ahead: 2026 and Hong Kong
If 2025 was a year of reflection and defence, 2026 will be a year of bold recognition and implementation.
As we approach the new year, I remind you that nominations for the 2026 Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award close on 15 January 2026. Please help us identify the next legend of our profession.
We will then look toward 15 April 2026 for the grand opening of the IFLA Pavilion at the International Garden Expo in Wenzhou, China. This pavilion will serve as a physical manifesto of our values, demonstrating to a massive public audience how landscape architecture can harmonise urban growth with ecological health.
Later in the year, our upcoming 62nd World Congress in Hong Kong takes on even greater significance. The theme "Liminal Landscapes," addressing the shifting boundaries of water and land, is a direct continuation of the work Kongjian championed. Next year, we will move from policy advocacy to tangible implementation, ensuring that his wisdom is built into the bedrock of our cities as we operationalise the "Sponge Planet" he envisioned.
I am also thrilled to announce the launch of the IFLA Global Landscape Awards in 2026. For too long, the extraordinary work of landscape architects has been celebrated in regional silos. The challenges we face, rising sea levels, urban heat, and biodiversity loss, are global, and the solutions must be recognised on a global stage. This new awards programme will unify our recognition systems, offering a prestigious platform to showcase projects that do not just beautify, but perform.
A Final Word
This year tested our resilience, but it also clarified our purpose. We are the stewards of the land and the water. We are the memory of those we have lost, and the architects of the future we must build.
I wish you peace, rest, and strength this holiday season. Let us meet 2026 with the courage that Kongjian always demanded of us.
Warmest regards,
Dr Bruno Marques
President, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)
