“History is important as a basis to any profession, as a point of reference, and in our case, as an inspiration for new design. No self-assured profession should avoid facing up to its past”

Dr Jan Woudstra

What history should we narrate in the education of landscape architects? How should we engage students in the history of their chosen profession? What methods and tools can be devised to improve student engagement in history teaching? What resources do we need to improve history teaching?

A two day meeting of international universities and schools to discuss history teaching for landscape architecture, at the University of Sheffield organised by Jan Woudstra and Robert Holden for FOLAR. The conference will run over two days; the first day - Thursday 8 September - will consist of an exploration of different philosophes and ideas in teaching of history. There will be eight different contributions, presented as four pairs, with contrasting views that provide a basis for discussions.

The second day - Friday 9 September - will primarily consist of focussed discussions. These discussions will be organised by theme, to enable sharing of best practice and in-depth exploration of issues. Each discussion will be preceded by three short positioning papers of five minutes each. We will continue to compile and vote on a ‘Declaration on Teaching History in Landscape Schools’, which is ultimately to be developed into a Manifesto.

Tickets for attending at the University or online available here: