Parliamentary evening of the Federal Chamber of Architects and bdla on March 19, 2024 in Berlin

There is still a lot to be done in terms of speeding up the planning process and there are many starting points for improvements. The Federal Chamber of Architects BAK and the Association of German Landscape Architects bdla drew attention to this at a joint parliamentary evening on March 19 in Berlin. A key message is that, from the perspective of planning practice, legislative changes aimed solely at shortening procedures fall short.

The association and the umbrella organization of the 16 chambers of architects had invited guests to the German Parliamentary Society for an exchange of views, where the patron of the evening, Dr. Lina Seitzl (SPD), member of the Bundestag and full member of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, warmly welcomed the attendees. Dr. Seitzl expressed her thanks for the cooperation and opened the evening with the words: "The demands we place on open spaces and landscapes are manifold. Healthy ecosystems form the basis of our lives and urgently need to be protected and enhanced. This is why landscape planning today must combine different land uses efficiently and sensibly in order to avoid unnecessary interventions in nature and the landscape and to reduce sealing. The technical expertise of landscape architecture is indispensable for this".

Discussions with members of the German Bundestag focused on the connection between landscape change and accelerated planning. Central fields of action such as integrated spatial concepts, land compensation, climate and species protection, simplification of procedures, decision-making culture and specialist personnel were discussed. Against this background, recommendations for setting the right course in the fields of action were discussed. The BAK and bdla representatives emphasized that the challenge lies in multi-perspectivity and that no one aspect should be played off against another.

bdla President Prof. Stephan Lenzen pointed out the skills of landscape architects, which are needed both in planning and in approval procedures. "There is a consensus that the (green) transformation, above all climate protection, energy and mobility transition, must be driven forward faster and more decisively than before in order to achieve the agreed sustainability and climate protection goals. However, in the debate about the transformation, planning offices and their personnel requirements are often overlooked. Essential tasks are the responsibility of the liberal professions, namely landscape architects."

Gudrun Rentsch, Vice President of the bdla, addressed the connection between integrated spatial concepts and acceleration in her statement. She emphasized that acceleration also requires continuity. "Before further innovations are made, a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of previous ones is required. The federal government, federal states and local authorities must pursue overall spatial strategies and create integrative spatial concepts in order to overcome competition for land and actually accelerate processes."

BAK President Andrea Gebhard drew a link to the important EU Nature Restoration Law, which will soon be voted on in the European Council: "In addition to the protection and maintenance of areas and landscapes, the European Nature Restoration Law also focuses, after a long time, on the restoration of natural areas that have almost been lost. Functioning ecological systems are the basis for functioning agriculture. Green spaces and ecosystems are of undisputed relevance for all cities, municipalities and communities, as they can provide fresh air corridors, regulate temperatures and regulate the water balance in all populated areas. The law must not fail in the European Council! We expect Germany to stand by its responsibility for climate and species protection and agree to the stabilization of ecologically valuable areas."

The bdla has published concrete recommendations for action for the federal government, federal states and local authorities in the policy position "Landscape change and planning acceleration. Recommendations for a landscape-oriented acceleration of planning in times of biodiversity and climate crisis". The 12-page brochure is available to download or order.

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