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India hosted its first IFLA Global Studio Program (GSP) earlier this week at Vivekanand Education Society's College of Architecture (VESCOA), Mumbai, as an allied event to the upcoming Asia Pacific Regional Congress 2025. The initiative brought together students from India and across the globe to deliberate on the theme 'Reimagining Urban Landscapes: Negotiating Mumbai's Paradoxes.- Organised by the Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA), the five-day charette focused on addressing urban challenges through collaborative design and innovation, encouraging cross-border academic engagement in landscape architecture.
India marked a significant milestone in landscape architecture earlier this week with the hosting of its first IFLA Global Studio Program (GSP) at Vivekanand Education Society's College of Architecture (VESCOA), Mumbai. Organised as an allied event to the forthcoming IFLA Asia Pacific Regional Congress 2025, scheduled to be held later this month at the Jio World Convention Centre, BKC, Mumbai, the Global Studio aimed to promote international academic collaboration under the theme 'Reimagining Urban Landscapes: Negotiating Mumbai's Paradoxes.' Advertisement
The Congress, organised by the Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA), will bring together leading professionals and experts in landscape architecture, urban design, and planning to explore the overarching theme 'Growth Paradox: Reimagining Landscapes.' The event is intended to encourage dialogue on redefining growth for sustainable, inclusive, and future-ready cities.
The IFLA GSP serves as an experimental platform to connect students globally through collaborative charettes. Participants from various universities across the world, pursuing Bachelor's and Master's programmes in landscape architecture, joined both physically and virtually. The initiative aims to strengthen global participation, foster debate, and facilitate knowledge exchange while enhancing institutional and student networks.
VESCOA, known for its postgraduate programmes in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, provided an apt academic setting for such an international forum. The Mumbai charette has brought together students, faculty, and institutions from diverse geographies to ideate solutions balancing urban growth and ecological integrity. The five-day workshop sought to identify key challenges and develop innovative approaches that advance the discourse on design and sustainability in urban environments.
Urmila Rajadhyaksha, President of ISOLA, expressed that the IFLA-APR 2025 Congress offered India a vital opportunity to engage in global dialogue on shaping sustainable urban environments. She noted that landscape architects hold the ability to influence urban evolution by harmonising ecology with development.
Architect Sanjay Unahale welcomed the initiative, observing that such academic collaborations foster discussions and solutions for ever-changing urban contexts. VESCOA Principal Dr. Prof. Anand Achari remarked that hosting the IFLA GSP positioned the institute as a significant contributor to global dialogue on Mumbai's contemporary urban landscapes.
The event received support from the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation. Tejashree Joshi, Head of Environmental Sustainability at Godrej Enterprise, highlighted the importance of responsible landscape management and explained how the company had integrated environmental awareness into its industrial practices and educational efforts.
Bhakti Thakoor, Chair of the Mumbai Charette, stated that the GSP aimed to build knowledge and inspire students towards collective action for a sustainable future, reinforcing the role of landscape architects as key agents of change in shaping resilient urban systems.
By engaging young professionals in design-led dialogue and encouraging interdisciplinary solutions, the initiative underlined the significance of balancing ecology with urban expansion. With strong institutional and industry participation, the Mumbai GSP not only strengthened international networks but also reinforced India's growing influence in global conversations on sustainable urban development and environmental stewardship.
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