LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS SHAPING PLANNING & DESIGN

The Landscape Institute's recent response to the New Towns Draft Programme highlights a significant shift occurring across the built environment sector: the growing recognition that landscape should help shape development from the outset, rather than be considered as an afterthought, once key decisions have already been made.

For many years, landscape architects were often appointed later in the design process, after site layouts, infrastructure routes and development parameters had largely been established. While landscape could still add value, opportunities to influence the structure, resilience and long-term success of a place were often constrained by decisions already taken. Today, however, the profession is increasingly contributing at the strategic stages of development, helping to inform site selection, masterplanning, green infrastructure networks, environmental resilience, ecological connectivity and long-term stewardship strategies.

This shift reflects the growing importance of issues that sit at the heart of landscape practice, including:

• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

• Green Infrastructure planning

• Climate resilience and adaptation

• Nature recovery and ecological connectivity

• Sustainable drainage and water management

• Health and wellbeing

• High-quality placemaking

• Long-term landscape stewardship

  
  

While planning policy and environmental legislation have undoubtedly helped drive this change, there is also a growing understanding that successful places depend upon the integration of landscape, ecology, infrastructure and community needs from the very beginning.

A Landscape-Led Approach to Development

Landscape architects bring a unique perspective to the design process because we work across multiple scales. Our role extends beyond the design of individual spaces and planting schemes. We help understand how places function as interconnected systems, balancing environmental, social and economic objectives.

A landscape-led approach begins by understanding the characteristics of a site and its wider context. This includes:

• Landscape character and local distinctiveness

• Existing ecological networks and habitats

• Hydrology and natural drainage patterns

• Topography and landform

• Heritage and cultural influences

• Public access and movement patterns

• Community needs and aspirations

By understanding these factors at the outset, development can respond to the opportunities and constraints of the landscape rather than attempting to retrofit solutions later in the process.

Designing for Resilience

The challenges facing the built environment are becoming increasingly complex. Climate change is creating greater pressure on water resources, increasing flood risk and placing stress on both natural and built systems. At the same time, biodiversity decline has highlighted the need to restore habitats and reconnect fragmented ecological networks. Landscape architects are uniquely positioned to address these challenges because many of the solutions are landscape related. Green infrastructure, habitat corridors, urban tree planting, sustainable drainage systems, multifunctional open spaces and nature-based solutions can all contribute to creating places that are more resilient and adaptable over time. These interventions often provide multiple benefits beyond the original intent as they support biodiversity, improve health and wellbeing, manage water, reduce urban heat and enhance the quality of place.

Moving Beyond Housing Numbers

The Government's ambition to deliver new towns and large-scale development presents an opportunity to think differently about how communities are planned. Success should not be measured solely by the number of homes delivered, but by the quality, resilience and long-term sustainability of the places that are created. This imperative is outlined in the NPPF.

Landscape can play a central role in achieving this ambition. Well-designed landscapes provide structure, identity and character. They create opportunities for recreation, support nature recovery, manage environmental risks and contribute to healthier communities. When considered early, landscape can help shape development rather than simply responding to it.

Implications for Landscape Practice

The increasing recognition of landscape within strategic planning and development is creating new opportunities for the profession. Landscape architects are being asked to contribute to site selection, visioning, masterplanning and long-term stewardship discussions in ways that were less common a decade ago. This evolution reinforces the value of multidisciplinary thinking and highlights the importance of understanding planning, ecology, green infrastructure, climate resilience and placemaking alongside traditional design skills.

As the profession continues to evolve, landscape architects have an important role to play in ensuring that future development responds positively to both people and nature. Landscape is not an optional enhancement to development. It is fundamental infrastructure that supports environmental resilience, community wellbeing and long-term place quality. The places that succeed in the future are likely to be those where landscape, ecology, infrastructure and community needs are considered together from the very beginning.

References: Landscape Institute Consultation Response: New Towns Draft Programme Consultation, 22 May 2026.