A new UK report into 'Highway Greening - Best Practice and Lessons Learnt' by LDA Designs, and UN-Habitat produces a Toolkit to improve our public spaces that encourages community engagement.

Designers Elisapeta Heta, Jade Kake and Raukura Turei on Kaupapa Māori design for climate Ataria Sharman, editor of Assemble Papers, connects with three designers to explore Kaupapa (way) Māori as a solution to our climate crises. Principal at Jasmax, Elisapeta Heta speaks of ‘climate resilience’ and ‘sustainability’ as Pākehā or white terms, preferring ‘kaitiakitanga’ (meaning guardianship), as a better way of looking at our relationship to our natural environment. An Indigenous approach to design is about the kaitiakitanga, understanding that all of life is connected and that humans are not superior to the natural world, we are part of it. Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) brings land and life together rather than separating them.  Sharman writes, “Kaitiakitanga projects offer a more holistic approach, such as understanding people as part of the land …

June Lee Boxsell spoke to landscape architects and engineers about Australian innovation and climate action at the recent LPA Design Studio summit in Irvine, California. Another wonderful collaboration with our US distributor partner Spruce and Gander. Using analogous insight, June drew parallels between the collaborative relationship of industrial designers and engineers at Street Furniture Australia to the very similar relationship between landscape architects and civil engineers at LPA Design Studio. During an hour long interactive presentation, June demonstrated the critical interactions and back and forth between design and engineering teams, from early inspiration and market research, through design, material testing, prototyping and the many rounds of product testing prior to going to market. To illustrate our process for designing and manufacturing furniture, June shared The Story of a Chair. The Story …