Design Ecologies To Foster Urban Adaptive Capacity Florian Lorenz / Austria Florian Lorenz studied landscape architecture and landscape planning as well as ecology in Vienna and Copenhagen. He was working and teaching in various offices and institutions in Europe, Asia and the United States. Lorenz is currently working for the planning and communications consultancy PlanSinn in Vienna, Austria with a focus on landscape architecture, mobility and public relations. Since 2010 Lorenz is heading the research activities of the NGO Smarter Than Car and is actively promoting bicycle urbanism as a concept for a pedal-powered urbanity.
In the 21st century, mankind is facing challenges like resource constraint, climate change, or global demographic shifts in the agglomerations of today's quickly urbanizing world. To work more effectively and to successfully master the above mentioned challenges, landscape professionals will have to put a focus on urban areas with a professional eye refreshed by new concepts and visions. As the tipping points for climate stability and resource availability are drawing closer, such a methodological and professional realignment appears more pressing than ever. This urge is additionally fuelled by the long time scales typical for urban design and planning projects and the inherent complexity of contemporary urban environments. The International Federation of Landscape Architects has appreciated such a professional debate as evident from the 2012 IFLA World Congress headline "Landscapes in transition" and the themes of this year's congress.