More good news this week, with governments and other agencies across Australia continuing to invest in parks, public spaces and greener communities.
Behind every one of these projects are landscape architects - working with communities, government departments and industry collaborators to create places that are healthier, more resilient and support social connection. Together, these projects demonstrate how investment in landscape architecture delivers lasting public benefit, creating healthier, more resilient and connected communities for generations to come.
Sydney’s new civic heart
After more than forty years in the making, Sydney’s Town Hall Square is finally moving from idea to reality — and a landscape architect is helping lead it. The City of Sydney has appointed Aspect Studios, alongside architects JPW, to design the $150 million square opposite Town Hall: a new “living room” for the city, linked to Circular Quay and Central by a pedestrianised George Street, with construction slated for 2028. It’s a clear signal of where our profession sits now - in the centre of civic life.
Perth’s planning to be a cool city
WA has launched a whole-of-government Urban Greening Strategy and “Let’s Grow” Action Plan 2026–2030, targeting 30% canopy cover by 2040 to take the heat out of the city, backed by planting incentives and cross-government greening.
The plan includes a commitment to plant one million trees by 2035 and deliver a $10 million Let’s Grow Grants program and a $6.9 million Treebate incentive scheme.
A forest Walk and Talk in Tassie
AILA Hobart community recently attended a Walk and Talk of the newly completed The Forest at the University of Tasmania, hosted by Realm Studios. The tour provided insights into the project's vision, design and delivery, including the technical challenges and complexities involved. It was a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and engage with the broader landscape architecture community.
(Our thanks to Claire Arnold, Chapter President for sharing.)
The World wants nature based solutions
In May, the largest World Urban Forum in history brought more than 57,000 people from 176 countries to Baku under a single theme: housing the world. Its outcome, the Baku Call to Action, landed on two ideas AILA has argued for years — that housing and climate justice are inseparable, and that we cannot house people safely without nature-based solutions: the green and blue infrastructure that cools streets, manages water and makes density liveable.
It’s global validation for our local truth. And the proof is already going in the ground here at home with big investment across the country - Victoria’s $315 million Suburban Parks Program, $757 million through WestInvest in NSW, and Brisbane’s $141 million Victoria Park. The world is calling for nature based solutions. Australia’s landscape architects are already delivering them.
Connected in Colour for Pride Month
Public spaces - our parks, streets, squares and foreshores - are where community life unfolds. They are places to gather, celebrate, reflect, exercise, connect and participate in civic life. As shared spaces, they should be welcoming, accessible and safe for everyone.
Landscape architects shape these places through policy, planning, design, research and long-term stewardship. By bringing together environmental, social and cultural considerations, we create public spaces that support social connection, community wellbeing and a sense of belonging.
As Australia's peak body for landscape architecture, AILA champions the creation of places that deliver lasting public benefit - supporting healthier, more connected and more resilient communities for current and future generations. During Pride Month, we recognise the contribution of LGBTQIA+ members to our profession and reaffirm the importance of creating public spaces where everyone can participate in community life with confidence, dignity and respect.
There’s still time to submit your award entry
Your work belongs in the 2026 Awards
Entries for the 2026 AILA Awards are open now — and this is your moment to put your work forward. The Awards celebrate the projects, the practices and the people shaping the country through landscape architecture: the parks, streets, waterfronts and living systems that hold our communities together.
Entries are judged first at Chapter level, with winners announced across the country before the best progress to the National Awards. And in recognition of the support members have shown over recent months, the entry fee has been held at $350.
Don’t leave it to the final week - entries close 10 July. Get together with your collaborators, tell the story behind your place, and enter via the AILA website - aila.org.au/awards
ENTER NOW