They come together for the world and Türkiye…

The red alert, "Code Red for Soil," is the most impactful call landscape architects have ever issued globally and in our country. After this congress, all landscape architects will step forward and take responsibility for solving environmental problems, ahead of other professional disciplines. Despite the lack of a legal framework, they will act more proactively for the future of our country and the world, while also adhering to their own professional values. We spoke with Barış Işık, President of the Chamber of Landscape Architects of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), on this topic. We present it for your consideration.

He received more papers than any other congress held in the world.

Yes, that's exactly what happened. The 60th IFLA World Congress is being held in Istanbul this year. According to information from top IFLA officials, while the number of papers presented at all previous congresses has been 300-350, ours received over 600. In other words, there was nearly twice as much demand. This is largely due to Istanbul's accessibility to many regions. Presenters will also be presenting their papers here. Presentations will take place over three days. Presenters include both international and local speakers we've invited.

Why red alert?

"Code Red for Earth," aka a red alert for the world... Global climate change, the disasters it causes, the increasing number of disasters, food security, access to food, and clean water are becoming a major problem for our country and the world. For example, there's the reality of earthquakes, and many regions of Türkiye are riddled with active fault lines. An Istanbul earthquake is expected. We are facing new disasters caused by climate change. Floods caused by sudden rainfall have become a serious problem today. Drought is a major disaster looming for our country. Currently, agricultural product prices are rising worldwide. Most of these are man-made disasters and problems. This congress will discuss solutions to these problems. In other words, landscape architecture will articulate nature-based solutions that are resilient to disasters. The goal is to warn humanity. The papers presented at the congress offer solutions to these problems. Experts in these areas have been selected and invited to the congress. All of them are world-renowned landscape architects working on these topics.

I guess there's also the famous IFLA award...

This is an award that has become a tradition at IFLA. It's like the Oscars of our profession. As you know, both the award and its winner are kept secret until the last minute and are announced at the congress. Therefore, we expect significant participation from all IFLA units worldwide. We anticipate a very productive congress, with input from executives, chamber presidents, and landscape architects worldwide.

What do you think about the interest in the congress?

It's being regularly disseminated through all social media channels and our relationships with our members. Of course, there's interest, but as you know, interest in these things usually starts flowing after the full program is announced. I believe the increase in participation will accelerate over time. We tell all our members, "This congress offers us an opportunity rarely seen anywhere else in the world." We offer a discount on participation fees for chamber members. There's also a discount for student members. Because this is an IFLA organization, pricing is done together, so everything is priced in euros. All information is available on our congress page. Registration is also available online.

 As for the interest of vocational training institutions…

There are professors who are showing interest and are actively involved in this endeavor. Our esteemed professors, often in congresses and scientific committees, provide the necessary support. Meanwhile, we receive significant support from our professors in the United States. Türkiye has many successful academics abroad, and we receive significant support from them as well. All professional structures, faculties, and even the private sector need to support us in this endeavor.

Sustainability… 

In this process, we've come to understand that sustainability has been severely undermined in Türkiye. Everyone talks about sustainability, but... I believe the landscape architecture community will once again underscore what this means and how we can move forward.

For details: https://ifla2024.com/ https://www.peyzajmimoda.org.tr/ /