New Landscape Institute report calls for major shift in how the built environment sector approaches development
The Landscape Institute (LI), the UK’s chartered body for the landscape profession, officially launched a landmark evidence-based briefing report at this week’s UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), making a compelling case for landscape-led development as being essential to the UK’s sustainable future.
The briefing — Maximising value from built development: How a landscape-led approach is essential for people, place and nature — was unveiled for the first time at the UKREiiF Industry in Focus Pavilion on 21 May during a session titled Creating Happier, Healthier & Richer Places. Chaired by LI President Carolin Göhler FLI, who introduced the report, a discussion followed with prominent built environment leaders: Roger Madelin CBE (Canada Water – British Land), James Scott (Urban & Civic), Jan Bessell (Royal Town Planning Institute), and Richard Hollison (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council).
The newly launched report calls for a fundamental shift in how the built environment sector approaches development. It urges landowners, developers, planners, local authorities and infrastructure funders to embed the expertise of chartered landscape architects from the earliest stages of planning. A landscape-led approach, the report argues, results in healthier communities, stronger ecosystems and more economically resilient places.
Landscape Institute President Carolin Göhler FLI comments:
“The places we build today must serve generations to come, socially, economically and environmentally. Landscape-led development is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The Landscape Institute’s new evidence-based report shows that by embedding landscape thinking from the outset, we can create resilient, nature-rich communities where people and places can thrive together. At UKREiiF, our message was clear: to meet today’s challenges — from climate resilience to housing delivery — landscape must move from the margins to the mainstream of development practice.”
With 1.5 million new homes planned for delivery in England alone, the LI’s briefing warns that continuing with business-as-usual practices will fail to create places fit for future generations and risks a high-cost legacy to people, place and nature. Instead, it offers a practical, evidence-based pathway to development that places landscape — and the expertise behind it — at the heart of decision-making.
The LI stressed that chartered landscape architects are uniquely trained to integrate natural and built environments at every scale — from strategic land use and masterplanning to on-the-ground design and long-term stewardship. Backed by the LI’s Royal Charter, they are well-positioned to help deliver on national goals for climate adaptation, nature recovery, and housing.
“Policymakers have a critical role to play in embedding this approach into planning frameworks, funding criteria and housing policy,” adds Carolin Göhler.
“We need stronger national direction and local enforcement that ensures landscape isn’t treated as an afterthought, but as core infrastructure. For developers, the initial and long-term benefits are clear. Investing in landscape enhances the value (more easily saleable and higher returns) and longevity of housing stock, benefits nature, lowers future maintenance and energy costs, and reduces strain on health and social infrastructure by promoting wellbeing and active outdoor lifestyles. It is smart, forward-looking investment that creates multifunctional places, builds trust with communities, and creates places people are proud to live in.”
By launching this briefing at UKREiiF — one of the most influential events in the UK’s real estate and infrastructure calendar — the LI reinforced its call for cross-sector collaboration to prioritise landscape as the foundation for thriving, future-proofed places.
The LI delegation at UKREiiF included President Carolin Göhler FLI, CEO Robert Hughes, Director of Membership & Professional Standards Jonathan Ellis, Director of Policy & Public Affairs Belinda Gordon, and Head of Marketing, Communications & Events Neelam Sheemar. Together, they represented the Institute’s commitment to shaping policy, engaging stakeholders, and championing the profession’s role in tackling the UK’s pressing climate, housing and biodiversity challenges.
