Creation / Reaction:

‘Each social formation, through each of its material activities, exerts its influence upon the civic whole; and each of its ideas and ideals wins also its place and power.’ — Patrick Geddes

Landscapes are in every way embedded in creative processes, from design to their making, from planning to their management, engaging different and often disparate community expectations. Of course the endlessly creative natural processes, from geology, to plants, to ecology and so on provide the prime matter with which the landscape professions are concerned.

Creation almost always provokes a responsive reaction, sometimes as an opposing natural force or process, and often a human response ranging from approval and celebration to extremes of disgust and opposition. Creation can result in transformation as well as revolution – for better or for worse. The processes of transformation and revolution in design are an inherent part of the creative process, and it is often the moments of conflict or tension that can be the most creative. These catalysts may be found in creation and reactions across all practices in landscape, and thus we encourage participants to explore these active and often difficult situations they find in the course of their work.

Topics that may be addressed in the conference include, but are not limited to:

Design and Invention
Innovation and Technologies
Urbanism and Planning
Creative Destruction/Revolution
Consultation and Co-creation
Landscape Democracy
Planting and Ecological Processes
Remediation, Reclamation, Amelioration and Restoration
Collaboration and Community Engagement
Urban Development and Gentrification
Natural Disasters, War Relief and Rebuilding
Materials and Waste

Call for Papers:

We invite abstracts for oral paper presentations. Contributions are welcome under any of the above themes. We encourage those specifically dealing with areas of conflict or tension in landscape processes. We welcome submissions across the range of research, education, and practice in landscape architecture, planning, management, science, and all associated fields.

Papers will be presented at the conference in thematic sessions. Each themed session will contain four, fifteen minute presentations with an additional five minutes for questions. Full papers will be published in the conference proceedings.

ECLAS members also have the opportunity to propose a themed session, which, if accepted, would be organised by the proposer(s). Individual abstracts within these sessions are still subject to peer review.

Abstract Submission (blind review):

Authors should submit their abstracts online (here) for blind review by a panel of reviewers, who will be assigned abstracts, which correspond to their area of expertise. Following review, the conference organisers will select the papers and sessions to be included in the conference.The abstract of 300 words plus a short biography of 200 words. Submit your abstract here.

Authors will be notified regarding the acceptance or non-acceptance of their abstracts. The accepted abstracts will be returned to the authors with the reviewers comments. Authors whose papers have been accepted should then submit their full paper at the designated time.

Full Paper Submission (blind review):

Full papers will be uploaded to the conference website in advance of the conference and reviewed by the group of reviewers. Authors will receive comments and should then upload the final version of their paper following provided instructions. The full paper shall contain no more than 3000 words.

Keynote Speakers:

Johanna Gibbons (J and L Gibbons)

Martí Franch (EMF)

Lynn Kinnear (KLA)

Mark Morris (AA / Cornell)

Gillian Darley