Whatever the weather: Resilient responses to Climate Change
March 30 – April 2, 2017 Delta Grand Okanagan Resort, Kelowna BC
The British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects (BCSLA) is calling for presentations and papers for the 2017 Conference, Showcase and Annual General Meeting. Until recently, human beings have generally had a free hand in shaping nature to fit our lifestyles. Consequently, we now find ourselves facing planetary climate change that is not particularly human-friendly. Understanding the capacity of ecosystems and landscapes to cope with change, depending on their history and management, is essential to removing uncertainty from our actions. A good understanding of our vulnerability to climate change, –– is the key to creating resilient communities. We ask, “What kind of world has a place for each of us, and for future generations?”
Communities across Canada face dramatic changes in demographics, population growth, and increasing frequency of severe climate impacts. Planning and designing for resilience – environmental – social – economic – is the only way to help cities survive, adapt, grow, and thrive as these changes affect demands on the built environment, infrastructure, transportation systems, and water and energy resources. Basic to our actions are the concepts of human (social) adaptation, local and traditional knowledge, environmental values, place attachments, and cultural landscapes. The entry point to action is understanding nature [including human nature], and what role it has in placing limits on, or even directing, our actions and efforts to adapt and become more resilient as humans.
The time for dreaming about a better planet is over. We don’t need, or have time, to discuss “why” any longer.
The time for action is now: Educate us, motivate us, activate us.
CONFERENCE FORMAT
Through a landscape design lens, invited key speakers will frame the conference theme and sub-themes. Presentations in the four sub-theme formal sessions and a general poster session, will address what we are doing, on the ground, and in our communities.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: PAPERS AND POSTERS
This Call for Abstracts is open to all BCSLA Members and allies. University students in studies related to the conference sub-themes are also invited. We invite submissions from any area or discipline of landscape architecture, from wide points of view (and especially from interdisciplinary or collaborative perspectives and practices), responding to the conference theme of resilience and the four sub-themes of Mobilizing for: 1) Community Transformation to Resilience, 2) Equitable and Inclusive Livable Cities, 3) Blue-Green Infrastructure 4) A Better Built Environment.
THERE WILL BE TWO FORMATS FOR PRESENTATIONS
PROPOSALS FOR PAPER PRESENTATIONS
We invite abstracts on any of the conference sub-themes. Paper presentations must focus on actions, results, measures of success, and their broader significance to the profession and society. Paper (PowerPoint) presentations will be restricted to 20 minutes in length. This will be strictly enforced at the conference.
PROPOSALS FOR POSTER PRESENTATIONS
We invite Posters on any of the conference sub-themes. Posters provide an opportunity for an informal presentation featuring “give and take” with conference attendees. Presenting a poster is also a good way in which to discuss and receive feedback on a work in progress that has not been fully developed into a paper.
If your proposal is accepted, your poster will be displayed for a two-hour time period during the conference. You will be expected to “present” your poster at that time. At least one author for each accepted poster must register for and attend the conference. The space available for your poster will be 3 feet high by 4 feet wide. You must bring all printed materials with you. Power sources will not be available.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- The deadline for abstract submissions is 12 Noon PST, Friday, January 6, 2017.
- All submissions will be peer reviewed. Notice of acceptance will be sent to you by 13th January 2017.
- Please note that presenters must be registered for the conference.
Abstracts for papers or posters must be submitted in a MS-Word document, in single-space, Arial 12 font. They must include:
- Title of the paper
- Author(s)
- Email address of the corresponding author
- Physical address of the corresponding author
- Indicate whether the submission is for a paper (podium presentation) or a less-formal poster presentation (24 x 36 format)
- Indicate whether it is a student paper or poster, and the name of the institution
- Indicate which sub-theme the abstract relates to
- Abstract of no more than 250 words for both papers or posters
Send abstracts as an attachment to: [email protected] with ATTN: BCSLA CE Committee as the subject. For additional details please log on to www.bcsla.org.
