Landscape Middle East Magazine - September 2023

In this issue

Our September issue focuses on Consulting arborist, horticulturalist and landscape designer, Mark Laurence who has over forty years’ experience in the industry breaks down why planting trees cannot fix our climate change. His key message: “we must shift our design principles and practices to make a difference.” He also notes that it’s time we understood trees as phytobiome generators, rather than just as shade/beauty structures spaced along a pavement. Meanwhile, Hasib Ahmad, landscape manager at Neom in KSA, also weighs in on the topic with his article on the impact that innovative green infrastructure is having on sustainable urban development. We also feature an article on the new era in sustainable engineering, focusing on the convergence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles within landscape design. According to experts, these ESG considerations go beyond traditional project metrics, transcending the boundaries of environmental conservation to encompass social equity and responsible governance. There are also a number of local and international landscape projects in this issue, including Lycabettus hill, an emblematic spatial landmark in Athens, its subtle landscape approach reveals the values of the empty space, while housing an Attic sculptural rock at its epicenter. The project took first prize at the Architectural design competition for the “Redesign of the surrounding space.