Carbon Neutrality refers to theoretical positions and design practices aimed at stopping greenhouse gas emissions in response to the global climate crisis. This is a recognized aim in Architecture, as regards both design theories and the implementation of advanced buildings. Yet in Landscape Architecture research and practice this topic is still under-explored, in particular with regards to the potential cross cooperation with other disciplinary fields. This is striking, since the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) has declared that over 70,000 landscape architects around the world are taking action as global citizens to limit planetary warming to 1.5° C.
While carbon neutrality remains a primary goal, critics argue that the concept itself fails to bring out enough of the scale of the transformation needed, and to effectively connect with professionals as well as stakeholders.
It is therefore time to foster current and potential Landscape Architecture engagement towards an age beyond fossil energy, to stop carbon emissions and where possible develop carbon-positive envi-ronments across all scales.
To begin with, Landscape Architects should consider wind turbines, solar panels and other means to combat climate crisis as every-day design materials, much alike plants and soils that they are so accustomed to design with. Each designed landscape should be at least climate neutral to keep up with the pace of other disciplines contributing to deal with climate change.
It is eminent that Landscape Architecture scholars, students, educators and professionals have to be-come agents of development and sharing of knowledge and skills. It is time to turn emerging theories into practice and to impact policy making, building new alliances with other disciplines and together upscale best practices. Landscape Architecture can impact a sustainable future also as a boundary spanner among multiple scientific and technical fields.
This issue aims to collect experiences around the complex subject of a Post Carbon era. Contributions coming from different fields significant for Landscape Architecture theory and practice are welcome. At the same time the issue wants to question the Landscape Architecture degree of intentional commitment in such a complex objective.
In summary, the call for paper aims to:
- support a conceptual framing of post carbon design in Landscape Architecture and in relation to other disciplinary fields;
- highlight emerging trajectories in combining research and education in a post carbon era;
- explore whether research and education are involving local actors, as investors and administra-tions, and stakeholders like NGOs and category associations and how;
- document recurring topics and issues in research and education.
Keywords: climate change, design research, trans-disciplinary research, cooperation, renewable energy
Open until November 30th 2025.
To submit your full paper, please go to our submission platform: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ri-vista/about/submissions
Registration and login as Author with the Ri-Vista system is required to submit and follow the submission process online. Later, the account is necessary for following the status of your submission.
The proposals have to be unpublished and written in Italian or English; the text can be of 20,000 to 30,000 characters, including spaces, title, authors, abstract, keywords, captions and references.
The proposals have to include a minimum of 5 — a maximum of 10 pictures with good definition (at least 300 dpi/inch and 25 cm the smallest side) free from publishing obligations or accompanied with the specific permission.
The selected papers will be published in the thematic section of the 2 | 2025 issue of Ri-Vista.
DOWNLOAD Call for paper 1-2026
