We need new talent – more and more every day. 

By Marion Linke

Every sector is complaining about a shortage of young talent. By comparison, our profession is still doing well – with numbers having stagnated at around 600 bachelor’s graduates per year over the last 12 years. But why haven’t student numbers increased, despite the Fridays for Future movement? Or is this stagnation actually a positive development in light of general forecasts for student numbers (a 30 per cent decline by 2035)?

Climate adaptation measures and the retirement of many colleagues, including those in administrative roles, are creating a high demand for landscape architects – at least double the current number of graduates.

Marion Linke

bdla Spokesperson for Training

At least the number of applicants is rising at some study locations, although university enrolment rates vary by region and fluctuate from year to year.

The bdla is committed to supporting every university location, currently with a particular focus on the Technical University of Berlin. The aim here is to safeguard the degree programme in the face of financial cuts. Often, structural changes within the respective universities are also a factor.

Being open to new ideas

In Hamburg, where a new study location is being considered, the search for new partnerships – including with neighbouring disciplines – is proving helpful. In North Rhine-Westphalia, new concepts are emerging, such as running dual study programmes in partnership with local authorities. Fundamentally, we need to think more broadly, communicate more with one another, and stand up for our profession through our individual actions.

The architectural associations are discussing registration requirements and mixed educational backgrounds. Yet for many students, the system of professional associations is a ‘black box’ – completely unfamiliar and confusing due to the varying practices at state level.

The profession cites ‘building with plants’, ‘thinking complexly’ and ‘being open to new ideas’ as its core competencies. It is not only AI that will bring about significant changes in the world of work. New degree programmes are also intended to reflect the spirit of the times: climate change, green urbanism, transformed landscape governance, and much more. 

Does the core of our profession – plants – still drive the necessary climate adaptation measures and the development of liveable open spaces, settlements, towns and landscapes? How do we survive in times of budget cuts? How important is university education for our profession? – There are no simple solutions to complex issues. The bdla faces the same challenge when it comes to supporting the next generation.

There are now many opportunities for the next generation, including discussions on an equal footing – for example, with LASKO – and, on 24 April 2026, the first University Day for Landscape Architecture in Berlin. It is essential to take the concerns of the younger generation, such as mental health, seriously.

What turns a job into a vocation?

But how do we attract the next generation? What do landscape architecture students themselves say about their choice of degree programme? Many were previously unaware of the profession and only came across it by chance, whether through personal contacts, involvement in flood relief efforts or participation in public consultation processes.

What sets landscape architecture apart? What turns this profession into a calling? During discussions at LASKO in recent years, students have cited the following, amongst other things:

• meaningful, everyone relies on it,
• holistic approach, an eye for interconnections,
• practical focus, being outdoors,
•  an interest in the landscape, nature conservation and ecology,
• a dual study programme,
• combining creativity/art, natural sciences and technology,
• an interest in individual design,
• climate-resilient cities; design has an impact on the environment,
• a purely design-based approach is not enough: working with living systems, interdisciplinarity,
• improving places, planning for people.

So how can we inspire the younger generation? Is landscape architecture still a dream job? And what can we do to make it so? This issue, with its many facets, aims to provide some insight into these questions.

Further information on the topic

• Timo Herrmann: A plea for collective action! 
• Young talent wanted – landscape architecture needs more future-shapers

Author: Marion Linke, landscape architect (bdla), Marion Linke + Klaus Kerling Landscape Architects (bdla), Landshut, bdla spokesperson for training. The text appeared in the bdla association journal “Landschaftsarchitekt:innen” 2/2026.

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