On Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4, The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture will host Landscape First: Unearthing the Benefits of Nature-Based Solutions, a conference exploring what can be achieved when landscapes are prioritized in urban settings. With the generous support of the Still Water Foundation, the event will bring together elected officials, institutional leaders, community stakeholders, and professionals in planning, design, and engineering for one-and-a-half days of discussion about how nature-based solutions inspire creativity, unite neighborhoods, improve health, and support new infrastructure for urban resilience.

Featuring presentations and a series of themed panels comprised of leading practitioners in conversation with the university’s scholar-practitioner faculty and senior staff, the format of the event is intended to provide attendees with actionable insights to help improve urban and urbanizing areas in near-, mid-, and long-term futures.

“Over the years, School of Architecture faculty and researchers have contributed to advancing conversations about improving urban environment at all scales, from undertaking studies on expanding the Combined Transportation and Emergency Call Center, to reimagining a next-generation convention center for downtown Austin and developing resilience hubs to better prepare residents to manage community-scale shocks,” said Allan Shearer, Potter Rose Professor of Urban Planning and the School of Architecture’s Associate Dean for Research and Technology. “Landscape First builds upon this legacy of collaboration, bringing faculty research and expertise into conversation with the work of practitioners and civic leaders to explore how nature- and place-based planning, design, and action can contribute to more sustainable communities."

Featured talks include and opening address by Ignacio Bunster-Ossa, Vice President for Landscape Urbanism and Resiliency at The Collaborative; a keynote address by Gullivar Shepard, Partner at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; and a featured address by Mary Margaret Jones, President and CEO of Hargreaves Jones.

Landscape First will take place in person at the Crum Auditorium in Rowling Hall. All events are free and open to the public with prior registration. A full schedule and conference details can be found below. For additional details and registration instructions, visit sites.utexas.edu/landscapefirst.

Thanks to our convening partners: the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), AIA Austin, Design Austin, the Congress for New Urbanism, Central Texas Chapter, the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and Waterloo Greenway.

PANELS AND TALKS

APRIL 3, 2025

OPENING ADDRESS: LANDSCAPE AS INSPIRATION 
5:00-6:30 p.m. 
Discover how innovative nature-based solutions promote community engagement and advance new sustainable and resilient visions for cities. 

Moderator: Phoebe Lickwar, ASLA, FAAR, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, UT Austin School of Architecture; Founding Principal, Forge Landscape Architecture 
Speaker: Ignacio Bunster-Ossa, FASLA, VP for Landscape Urbanism and Resiliency, The Collaborative

APRIL 4, 2025

PANEL: LANDSCAPE FROM CAMPUS TO CITY 
9:15-10:30 a.m. 
Learn how landscape concepts shape conversations and how landscape projects drive positive change for stronger communities, from campus to city scale. 

Moderators: Hope Hasbrouck, FAAR, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, UT Austin School of Architecture; Jim Walker, Director of Sustainability, UT Austin 
Panelists: Gina Ford, FASLA, Principal and Co-Founder, Agency Landscape + Planning; Mark Hough, FASLA, University Landscape Architect, Duke University; Frederick (Fritz) Steiner, Ph.D., FASLA, FCELA, FAAR, Dean of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania 

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: LANDSCAPE AS EXPANDED PRACTICE 
10:30-11:30 a.m. 
Explore how nature-based solutions in urban planning and design create new opportunities for civic life. 

Moderator: Brent Stringfellow, AVP of Campus Operations and Campus Architect, UT Austin

Speaker: Gullivar Shepard, Partner, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates 

PANEL: LANDSCAPE AS INVESTMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE 
12:30-1:45 p.m. 
See how investing in nature-based solutions provides tangible returns, including improved public health, reduced urban heat island effects, enhanced stormwater management, food security, and other benefits. 

Moderators: Maggie Hansen, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, UT Austin School of Architecture; Mandy Pope, Director of the Real Estate Center, UT Austin McCombs School of Business 
Panelists: Aaron Abelson, Managing Partner, HR&A; Allyson Mendenhall, FASLA, Chief Practice Resources Officer, Sasaki; William C. Sullivan, Ph.D., ASLA, FCELA, Professor and Director of the Smart, Healthy Communities Initiative, University of Illinois

FEATURED ADDRESS: LANDSCAPE AS SETTING FOR ART AND CULTURE 
2:00-3:00 p.m. 
Discover how urban landscapes elevate cultural values by serving as settings for public art and cultural offerings.

Moderator: Andrée Bober, Founding Director of UT Austin Landmarks

Speaker: Mary Margaret Jones, FASLA, FAAR, President and CEO, Hargreaves Jones

PANEL: LANDSCAPE AS PROMISE 
3:00-4:00 p.m. 
Discover how urban landscapes elevate cultural values by serving as settings for public art and cultural offerings.

Moderators: Brent Stringfellow, AVP of Campus Operations and Campus Architect, UT Austin; Heather Woofter, Dean, UT Austin School of Architecture 
Panelists: Ron McCoy, FAIA, University Architect, Princeton University; Gullivar Shepard, Partner, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; Melba Whatley, Co-Founding Board Member, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy