The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has announced the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) first government landscape architect.

Gweneth Leigh steps into the role on a mission to create a landscape plan for Canberra, located between Sydney and Melbourne.

In a statement online, Leigh says, “this role is really to connect the dots, to connect people, and to connect research, to make concrete some of the values we can put in place to validate what landscape does. We know intuitively it does important things for us. Capturing that in a way a broader audience understands is the key role that needs to be championed.”

Born in the United States, Leigh travelled to Australia in 2004 with a background in horticulture. After settling in Canberra, she completed a PHD in public health that led grant work capturing youth voice to improve outdoor spaces while producing a series of toolkits for principals and designers.

The AILA comments on the appointment:

“We look forward to seeing the other states and territories following the ACT’s lead and establishing a network of Government Landscape Architects across Australia.”

Leigh looks towards an Australia set on climate adaption while creating spaces that connect communities.