Màiri McAllan MSP (Scottish Government) and Karen Anderson (Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland) will join plenary sessions exploring how a landscape-led approach to housing delivery in Scotland is essential for people, place and nature.
The Landscape Institute (LI) is pleased to announce the programme and speaker lineup for the Scotland edition of its National Housing and Regeneration Conference Tour.
The conference will be held in Edinburgh on 29 January and bring together policy makers, leading thinkers and practitioners across environmental disciplines and the built environment to debate and explore how a landscape-led approach to housing delivery can be embedded across Scotland.
The LI’s National Housing and Regeneration Conference Tour is being held throughout the UK nations in 2025-26, with tailored programmes for each. The Edinburgh conference follows the successful Birmingham conference, held in October 2025, with editions in Cardiff (26 March 2026) and Belfast (date tbc) also planned.
Find out more and book your space.
Why landscape-led, why now?
The Scottish Government has set an ambitious housing target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 as part of its Housing to 2040 Strategy, as a response to the national housing emergency. This is an opportunity to create high quality places that are resilient, inclusive and sustainable, delivering long-term value for people, communities and the environment.
Collaboration across the built and natural environment is essential to achieving this ambition. By embracing a landscape-led approach, developers, planners, housing providers, local authorities and other professionals can unlock multiple benefits, including:
- Economic growth and placemaking
- Long-term community and commercial value
- Environmental resilience and biodiversity
- Health and wellbeing outcomes
- Social equity and community cohesion
This event will examine how a landscape-led approach can support the delivery of Scotland’s housing ambitions while addressing the climate and nature emergencies, promoting wellbeing, and strengthening communities. It will explore how landscape-led planning and design can help to implement the Place Principle, support the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), and contribute to the just transition to net zero.
Programme
Keynote speaker
Màiri McAllan MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Scottish Government
Planning context and policy in Scotland (plenary session)
Nicola Woodward, Senior Director and Head of Office, Lichfields
Daniel McKendry CMLI, Principal Landscape Architect, Architecture and Design Scotland
Karen Anderson, President, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
Planning context and policy in Scotland (plenary session)
Kirstin Taylor CMLI, Director, LDA Design
More details and speakers to be confirmed
Transition to net zero neighbourhoods (breakout session)
More details and speakers to be confirmed
How housing can help address the biodiversity crisis (breakout session)
Craig Smith, Scottish Biodiversity Metric Officer, NatureScot
Stuart Bence, Operations Officer – Nature and Climate Change, NatureScot
Jazz Collier, Landscape Architect, Brindley Associates Ltd
Becky McLean, Director of Sustainability, Civic
Creating healthy and equitable places to live (breakout session)
Catherine Ward Thompson FLI, Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Edinburgh
Anna Perks, Tree Equity Lead, Woodland Trust Scotland
More details and speakers to be confirmed
Living with water in better ways (breakout session)
Nick Bowen CMLI, Director, RaeburnFarquharBowen
Michael McIvor, Permeable Paving Specialist, Tobermore
Grant Vason, Edinburgh & Lothians Strategic Drainage Partnership Manager, Scottish Water
Closing discussion and networking reception
What to expect
Networking and discussion
- Engage with professionals across the built and natural environment and connect with decision-makers.
Policy and expertise update
- Gain insight into current Scottish policy, legislation and best practice through panel discussions and case studies.
- Learn how Landscape-led approaches deliver better planning and design outcomes for housing and regeneration.
Get involved
- Contribute to panel discussions and share your perspective on housing and regeneration in Scotland.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Enhance your skills and knowledge through sessions aligned with the LI’s Landscape CPD Framework.
- Strengthen your understanding of how to convey the value of a Landscape-led approach to housing delivery.
Gain new ideas
- Hear from expert speakers and Scottish case studies that show how landscape-led design adds long-term value to homes, places and communities.
