Dr Tang observes that in Southeast Asia, sustainability and working with ecological systems have been built into the DNA of the landscape architect profession. A pioneer in this regard, Singapore is an exemplary place. The expertise in this area has been translated into many different locations within the region. The economy is also starting to shift here, where government systems are planning builds with sustainability and resilience in mind. It is no longer an afterthought or a band-aid as was in the past.

She shared that as the only tertiary-level programme that qualifies graduates for accreditation as practising landscape architects in Singapore, the MLA is focused on practices in Asia. While global trends are relevant and covered in the syllabus, we are committed to producing knowledge to address the urgent issues of the region that we are in.

The courses we teach, most notably our design studio courses, are based in either Southeast Asia or other parts of Asia. In 2023, there was a studio investigating new types of “landmarks” in Korea, another developed landscape interventions in a typhoon-prone area of the Philippines, and in Singapore students explored the potential of small vacant sites as catalysts for social and ecological change. We believe that focusing on Asia allows our students a competitive edge, especially since Asia is one of the largest growth markets for landscape architecture now.

She adds that another interesting aspect of the programme is how design and research are equally integrated within the core curriculum and independent work. The research aspects build on our faculty’s strength and landscape research, especially in the region and get students to delve into new arenas of research that are motivated by design questions, instead of merely replicating design approaches by others indiscriminately.

When asked about staying current with trends, Dr Tang indicated that the MLA programme stays ahead of them by anticipating changes. The programme employs a pragmatic utopian approach to envisioning future challenges, especially in understanding how we can work with any client to advocate for a much more sustainable environment. When our students enter the profession, clients count on them for information and ideas on what is relevant in our new futures, and this motivates our students to explore alternative forms of practice and build a strong vision for their careers.

Our faculty is on the top of their game in terms of research and engaging with technologies. We have brilliant minds working on areas like vertical greening technologies, ecological systems within urban settings, and rewilding projects before their respective trends have been implemented en masse.

Additionally, the programme received a generous donation from Gardens by the Bay to organise a distinguished lecture series on landscapes and sustainability. This forum invites world-renowned landscape architects to discuss issues in the profession that go beyond simply designing a park or a roof garden, and expand into critical issues like urban design, climate change adaptation, and social and environmental equality issues. This lecture series complements ad-hoc conversations and lectures by practising landscape architects from Singapore and the region hosted by MLA. It also keeps the NUS community abreast of the most recent developments in landscape practice.