2019 Annual WASLA Conference

Greater Tacoma Convention Center, March 22, 2019

10:15 - 11:15 am
Post Carbon Landscape Architecture

Description:

In October 2018, the UN released a bombshell report whose implications will shake the profession of landscape architecture to its core. The report shows that "we only have the slimmest of opportunities remaining to avoid unthinkable damage to the climate system that supports life as we know it." In order to maintain that slim opportunity, the report states that humans must stop using all fossil fuels - i.e. carbon - within 30 years to keep global temperatures from increasing beyond our ability to adapt. A post carbon era will have enormous repercussions for landscape architects. While the need for our work will only grow, eliminating the use of fossil fuels will radically alter the materials and construction methods we take for granted. This in turn will have dramatic impacts on design, education, professional practice, and ethics.This session will be a 'vantage point' from which to explore the consequences and possibilities of a post carbon era. While there will be no easy answers, this discussion is vital if landscape architects are going to lead with authenticity.

Speaker Bio:

Steve Austin JD, ASLA, Clinical Assistant Profesor Washington State University

Steve Austin teaches landscape architecture, urban planning, and construction law at Washington State University. He has over 30 years experience as a land and urban designer and planner, land use attorney, and community organizer. www.steveaustin.org

Learning Objectives:

Realize that climate change is accelerating and worsening beyond expectations
Understand the dramatic implications of the end of fossil fuel use
Explore the possibilities of post carbon landscape architecture