Newsletter #30: The will to act and the courage to shape

If Nature is the substance, landscape is where meaning takes form. It is where identities root themselves and evolve over time.

This awareness guides my work every day. And it asks for more than knowledge: it asks for intention, for responsibility, and ultimately for the courage to shape.

Over twenty-five years ago, the Council of Europe set a milestone with the European Landscape Convention, adopted in Florence. It affirmed something both radical and inclusive: landscape is everywhere. In urban and rural areas, in degraded as well as high-quality places, in the exceptional as much as in the ordinary.

With this, landscape ceased to be seen as a passive object of intervention. It became recognised as a fundamental component of our natural and cultural heritage, a shared ground where the apparent divide between Nature and culture dissolves. Everything is landscape.

Today, this understanding becomes ever more urgent.

In Italy, the development of the Piano Nazionale di Ripristino (PNR) marks a historic shift: from protecting Nature to actively regenerating it. For the first time, ecosystem restoration becomes a legal obligation, aligned with the European Nature Restoration Law, with clear targets such as restoring 30% of habitats by 2030.

Yet beyond regulation, this is a profound opportunity: to create more livable and climate-resilient cities, to strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of territories, and to foster new economies rooted in biodiversity, agriculture, tourism, and ecosystem services. It is a turning point and a clear call for action, both ecological and cultural. As planners, we are asked to move beyond the anesthetic comfort of aesthetics, beyond the constraints of what is merely “beautiful.” Because resilience is not about appearance. It is about survival, adaptation, and performance.

This calling resonates deeply with the recognition I recently received through the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, under the theme “Architecture is Transformation”. An award is never an endpoint; it is a responsibility. It connects us to a global community of practitioners who demonstrate that sustainability is not a technical add-on, but an attitude, a way of thinking, designing, and acting with long-term accountability. All the more, it is a privilege to share this recognition with the 2026 laureates Ye Man, Founder of ZSYZ, Amelia Tavella, Founder of Amelia Tavella Architects, Doan Thanh Ha, Co-founder of H&P Architects and Loreta Castro Reguera & José Pablo Ambrosi, Founders of Taller Capital. Your work continues to expand the boundaries of what sustainable design can be.

At the same time, new tools are emerging that allow us to see and understand landscape in unprecedented ways. With the launch of Ecoverse during Milan Design Week, we explored how artificial intelligence can support a more conscious, data-informed, and systemic approach to designing with Nature.

For centuries, landscape architecture has taught us to appreciate Nature through its visible forms. Now, we are called to go further, to understand what lies beneath the surface: patterns, relationships, and dynamics that shape living systems. So where do we go from here? If landscape is identity, and Nature its substance, then the future of design lies in reconnecting the two, across scales, disciplines, and geographies. It means moving beyond isolated interventions toward integrated, living systems. It means understanding cities as urban landscapes, capable of supporting complex ecological, social and economic needs.

This is also the perspective I will bring to World Design Capital Frankfurt 2026, in the dialogue on “Design for People.” Because ultimately, designing for people means designing with Nature.

We are at a moment that calls for clarity, responsibility, and imagination. The tools are there. The knowledge is there. What remains is the will to act and the courage to shape.