NZILA Streetscape Webinar - Margot Long — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Margot Long is a principal and founder of PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc in British Colombia, Canada and is set to present to New Zealand landscape architects in a NZILA Streetscape Webinar on July 29.

Margot (BCSLA, AALA, FCSLA, ASLA, LEED® Associate) is widely seen as an industry leader and mentor as well as an advocate for embedding the values of Truth and Reconciliation, climate change adaptation, emotional connection, and community health and wellness into Canadian landscapes.

With more than 35 years experience in private practice Margot is known for her creative and progressive thinking and believes in landscape designs’ ability to reinforce healthy and happy communities among all species.

In the following Q & A Margot tells LAA a little about herself and outlines what we can expect from her July presentation, Purpose in our practice.

LAA: Your work and your philosophy is pertinent to landscape architecture practice in Aotearoa New Zealand as we continue to work with Maori to deliver better outcomes from our urban landscapes - how did you begin your work with indigenous peoples?

ML: We started working professionally with Indigenous communities in 1995, and most of these projects were relatively small, such as new schools or health and community centres on reserve lands. These sites were so remote that our typical project processes did not always apply. Many Nations had not had a new building constructed in many years, so the process was less about reconciliation (which unfortunately wasn’t being broadly considered by most settlers at the time) and more about providing design services to the community.

I recall an architect who was somewhat forced to work with me because the Nation wanted a woman landscape architect! The architect led a collaborative process using a game-like methodology, using puzzle pieces to create and model the community visions. The project co-design included numerous Nation members, involving students at the school, the teachers and the elders. It was a great experience and process and incredibly fulfilling to participate as a professional.

Today, many of our projects are large-scale urban projects where the local Nations are key stakeholders or directly lead the development process. Some of these planning projects look similar to a typical developer project as economics are important, but the process is different, and the connection to the place is stronger.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre overlooks Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains in British Columbia. Image credit - PWL Partnership.

LAA: You are noted for embedding the values of truth and reconciliation in your practice - can your outline your processes in this area?

ML: The first and most crucial step is to listen. Too often, designers – specifically settlers - come to a project thinking they have all the answers without understanding the questions. We will not start a project unless we’re confident we’ve had an opportunity to hear and understand the objectives and values of the community we’re working with.

But more than that, genuine truth and reconciliation requires tremendous work as individuals to honestly reflect on how colonial values have informed our thinking and perspectives. I’m committed to decolonizing both within our practice and with my worldview and recognize that this is a life-long process that balances learning with un-learning, and I still have a long way to go.

Our process is informed by the communities we’ve worked with – we’re continuously inspired by their deep connection to place, emphasis on good relations, and profound knowledge of land and water. It’s been humbling to realize how limited our western understanding of landscapes can be. If our leaders and politicians considered seven generations ahead in their decision-making process, our country and cities would look and be totally different.

We are not experts in Truth and Reconciliation or Indigenous Landscape Design, as we are all learning and have much to learn still. Our process dramatically changes project to project depending on the type of project, the level of involvement of the Nation and community, and the client group.

We believe in putting the pursuit of “good relations” at the centre of our decision-making and will always err on the side of caution and respect, even if it means losing work. We commit to centring Indigenous People meaningfully, even if it means we need to step back or pause a project. This can mean that a big part of our process is simply waiting for the right time to ensure that the correct protocol is resolved.

Our process is continually evolving and adapting as we do more work with Indigenous Peoples.

Southeast False Creek is a Vancouver urban waterfront community, envisioned as the city’s first sustainable neighbourhood. Image credit - PWL Partnership.

LAA: You speak of landscape designs’ ability to reinforce healthy and happy communities among all species – can you elaborate on that?

ML: One of the most important lessons we continue to learn from Indigenous Peoples is the idea of “kinship” and that humans are not separate from nature but an essential part of a much larger family. This is true no matter where you live but is especially important to remember in cities where there is typically a physical disconnection to natural systems. In the Vancouver area, we are privileged to be so close to a diversity of environments, including the ocean / Salish Sea, mountains, bogs and wetlands, rivers critical to the salmon habitat, and forests. However, every year, at an alarming pace, our city environments become denser, and our connection to these natural elements continues to recede. More towers block our views of the mountains, our access to the ocean is minimised because of development and economics, our rivers and waterways become more polluted or affected by stormwater, and our green open space gets smaller and smaller.

The open space in urban environments needs to provide the back and front yards that one may not have when living in a small condo. The open space must allow us to gather and meet with our neighbours. The open spaces need to do a lot - but most importantly, it needs to remind us of our innate connection to the landscapes surrounding us – the watershed, mountains, rivers, forests, and oceans. So as landscape architects, we must advocate for increased connection to the city’s land and water levels.

LAA: Climate Change adaptation is another key area of work for you - do you think the message is finally getting through of how vital this work is?

ML: I still believe we have an incredibly long way to go. I feel Landscape Architects, environmentalists, climate activists, and many others get the message, but there is still a long way to go at a leadership level.

LAA: You are on the jury for this year’s World Landscape Architecture awards - is that a role you relish?

ML: Being a juror in an international or national design awards program is an incredibly rewarding and special honour. I learned so much through the whole process and genuinely valued the depth of work of our profession and our influence on building urban and natural environments. I love it for various reasons, one being that you see what your peers are doing, which drives my ambition. Also, these award submissions are usually at the top of design, innovation, and creativity and are inspiring.

LAA: What can New Zealand landscape architects expect from your presentation in July?

ML: As Landscape Architecture evolves amidst a backdrop of compounding cultural, social and ecological crises, it’s clear that our profession cannot continue business as usual. Therefore, our practice is deeply committed to finding implementable approaches to improve the performance of our built landscapes and to understand better how we can minimise the emissions required to create them. Our studio has focused the past two years on examining our knowledge and performance gaps and consolidating lessons learned. We’ve been using this information to implement practical ways to ensure every project strives to be as sustainable as possible, regardless of size or client.

The presentation will show projects that connect us to nature in dense urban environments. It will also demonstrate how we approach projects, the edges we push, and the directions we focus on to make our projects as sustainable as possible.