Damian Holmes is a registered landscape architect and strategic advisor with over 25 years of international experience. As the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA), he has been instrumental in shaping discourse within the landscape architecture profession. Damian also serves on the Board of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, contributing to one of the world’s leading botanical institutions.

Insights

• 2026 Business Trends for Landscape Architects
  This is a follow-up to my WLA article, “What are the landscape architecture trends for 2026?” for the more business-focused people of the landscape architecture industry. I endeavour to cover business trends that I think will influence the industry during 2026 and beyond. Increasing UncertaintyOver the past year, we have seen increasing uncertainty in the… Read more: 2026 Business Trends for Landscape Architects
• Nature-Based Solutions in Landscape Architecture: Key Insights from Thailand
  Article by Damian Holmes – Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture The Design with Climate: Nature Based Solutions symposium was held at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand with a diverse range of speakers from academia as well as the public and private sectors. Throughout the two-day event, several recurring themes emerged. Landscape architects need to incorporate… Read more: Nature-Based Solutions in Landscape Architecture: Key Insights from Thailand
• Transforming Climate Adaptation Strategies in Asia Pacific
  The APAN 9th Adaptation Forum was held in October 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, co-hosted by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN). Over the five days, speakers from the UN, NGOs/NPOs, and Government Ministries sought to… Read more: Transforming Climate Adaptation Strategies in Asia Pacific
• Highlights from the WLA Shanghai International Forum 2025
  The WLA Shanghai International Forum was held on November 8, 2025, at the Minhang Campus of the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Design. It was the first large-scale event that WLA had held and also the first in partnership with another organisation. We also held the 2025 WLA Student Awards, which was a proud moment to… Read more: Highlights from the WLA Shanghai International Forum 2025
• From Design to Demand: Key Strategies for Marketing Your Design Firm
  Design firms thrive or falter based on their ability to attract new clients or secure projects from existing ones. All design firms require the ability to market their business to potential clients. Marketing is more than just sales, websites, and social media; it requires a planned approach. The following provides a few tips on how… Read more: From Design to Demand: Key Strategies for Marketing Your Design Firm
• Reviving Landscape Architecture: Attracting New Students
  Article by Damian Holmes, Founder & Editor of World Landscape Architecture Recent years have shown an anecdotal decline in landscape architecture enrollments, influenced by factors such as economic downturns, rising educational costs, and opportunities in the digital economy. While these trends impact the field, it’s crucial to take steps to attract more students. Increase Awareness… Read more: Reviving Landscape Architecture: Attracting New Students
• Op-Ed: Climate Change Action Beyond Projects
  Over recent years, there has been a beneficial shift in the focus of landscape architects to reduce the impact of climate change worldwide through the design of landscape-led projects, which have increasingly focused on decarbonization. However, there is a need to go beyond individual projects and address the broader issue of climate change on a… Read more: Op-Ed: Climate Change Action Beyond Projects
• Why your design business needs systems
  Regardless of their size, your design firms require a set of systems that provide a defined series of workflows and decision-making processes. These can be informal or formal systems that have been developed over time, but often not documented. Some designers argue that systems hinder creative freedom and impose too many limitations on design outcomes.… Read more: Why your design business needs systems