Jala Makhzoumi

From defined product to fluid process: Journeys in Landscape Architecture

The quest by the International Federation of Landscape Architects to change the current definition of the profession evidences the expanding scope of landscape architecture and the changing role of landscape architects over the last 50 years. 

How did this transformation happen? 
How will the change shape future practice and scholarship?

In Jala's talk, she will reflect on these questions, drawing on her personal journey as a landscape architect, practicing and teaching in the Middle East. She will argue for an expansive discourse on landscape architecture, one that has the potential to respond to the growing complexity and unpredictability of the world we inhabit. 

Bio: Jala Makhzoumi is adjunct professor of landscape architecture, American University of Beirut, president of the Lebanese Landscape Association. In her research and practice, she pioneers a holistic developmental approach to landscape and seascape planning that mediates community needs with ecosystem health, biodiversity protection and heritage conservation. In 2019 she received the European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2021 the IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award 2021 for her outstanding contribution to education and practice.