Why our aesthetics are changing and we need to celebrate the new images

By Prof. Dr. Antje Backhaus

And we as a society must find a new aesthetic in this. It is not climate adaptation measures that need to be cautiously pressed into existing aesthetic norms, but our aesthetics must finally evolve! I would even go so far as to say: wild, green and chaotic must be the epitomes of "shockingly cool"!

In this issue of our association magazine, we want to take a closer look at where we are on the path to transformation. In this time of change, our creative approach must also change. We want to ask: What influences how we design and what (urban) landscapes are we actually striving for?

One thing seems clear: the era of monochrome landscapes is over. No more uniform avenues, trimmed lawns, non-porous city squares and water features cast in concrete. These aesthetics lead to overheated streets, massive waste problems and species-poor landscapes.

We need to move to a resilient, resistant design that puts (bio)diversity at the center.

Looking in the rear-view mirror for bold solutions for tomorrow

Yes, the 1980s incorporated similar ideas into design. Perhaps we can learn something from looking in the rear-view mirror. But we must not be concerned with "going back" or "less". We need bold and innovative solutions for tomorrow.

Climate researchers and meteorologists (e.g. Schwanke, 2022; Paton et al. 2021) have reported that we can expect a steady increase in heatwaves and even individual hot days of up to 45 °C in northern Europe by 2030. A large part of our urban greenery and not least many of the existing street trees will experience considerable difficulties with these temperatures. And this is just one of many climate facts that we should have prepared for long ago.

We must continue to expand our knowledge of ecosystem resilience and urban climate relationships. We still know too little about which design options really combine the best, most future-proof ecosystem services in the end.

But it is already clear that our current ideal of a typical row of similar street trees must be replaced by an ideal of the greatest possible diversity of tree species with broad genetic origins. Tree grates should be surrounded by shrubs and grasses - as the best possible habitats and to achieve the best cooling performance (cf. Rahman et al., 2020).

Wild street greenery cannot remain beautifully flowering and tidy in the long term in line with our romantic ideal of nature. It will become untidy and site-appropriate, diverse and succession-controlled. The cityscape of tomorrow will show soil-bound greenery that drains rainwater, casts shade, rots and is home to a multitude of worms, beetles, spiders and fungi. Only such urban greenery is able to withstand rapid climatic changes.

Integrating dynamics into design considerations

If one species or variety fails, another can survive, adapt and reproduce. The amount of green space required (see Rahman et al. 2022) means that we will not be able to intensively plant them all - and we may not need to. Diverse and untamed greenery is best able to survive periods of drought while protecting us from soil erosion and flooding during extreme rain events. For such ideals, we landscape architects need to integrate the process and dynamics much more into our design considerations. From designers of static images, we are becoming caretakers of constantly evolving landscapes.

We need as much living soil as we can get. That's why impermeable surfaces should be a thing of the past. We should unseal every square centimeter and build primarily on areas that have already been transformed. Closing city centers to car traffic and unsealing entire streets must become conceivable and feasible.

We should use the (building) resources we already have by dismantling and reusing existing structures.

No more shipping new materials from distant shores and over thousands of highway miles. We need to live with what we already have and adequately consider the life cycle and climate emissions of our projects. The Circular Design project in Vienna's Grellgasse shows how aesthetics can change under such conditions (see p. 6 to 9). Rediscovering old materials in a different context can help us to create exciting images and at the same time build more sustainably.

This inevitably changes the face of our cities and creates new urban atmospheres.

Moving into a green, messy, wild design era

For such drastic change to happen quickly, we need to celebrate the new images that emerge.

We should cheerfully embark on a new design era where 'green', 'messy', 'wild' and 'diverse' are the equivalents of 'cool' and 'trendy'.

Wild, green and messy must be the epitomes of "shockingly cool"!

Prof. Dr. Antje Backhaus

As long as adaptation to climate change and the biodiversity crisis remains a necessity that we have to endure, we will not manage to meet its challenges. Instead, we should find joy in developing a new aesthetic for a new era. "I want something cool like that - where can I get it?" must apply to our neighbor's wild, untamed front garden and not to his shiny new cell phone.

It is not least up to us landscape architects to take society by the hand and point out the opportunities for change. So let's develop the new, untamed images of life in cool, chaotic, wild, trendy greenery and try to generate enthusiasm for them! - The key to change is to change our ideals of beauty!

References:

• Paton, E., Vogel, J., Kluge, B., Nehls, T.,2021. Extent, trends and extremes of droughts in the city. Hydrology andamp; Water Management, 65 (1), 5-16.
• Rahman M.A., Franceschi, E., Pattnaik, N., Moser-Reischl, A., Hartmann, C., Paeth H., Pretzsch, H., Rötzer, T., Pauleit, S., 2022. Spatial and temporal changes of outdoor thermal stress: influence of urban land cover types. Scientific Reports 12: 671.
• Rahman, M.A., Stratopoulos, L.M.F., Moser-Reischl, A., Zölch, T., Häberle, K., Rötzer, T., Pretzsch, H. and Pauleit, S. 2020: Traits of trees for cooling urban heat islands: A meta-analysis. Building and Environment 170.
• Schwanke, K., 2022: Climate change and its consequences - from heat to heavy rainfall. REHAU Forum Stormwater Management, May 12, 2022 (https://youtu.be/5QZJYgJTAEA)
  
  

Author: Prof. Dr. Antje Backhaus, landscape architect bdla, gruppe F Freiraum für alle GmbH, Berlin, Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Leibniz Universität Hannover. The text appeared in the bdla association magazine "Landschaftsarchitekt:innen" 1/2024.

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