In this episode of PodParks, Maria Burnett is joined by Ceylan Belek Ombregt, a registered landscape architect practicing across the United Kingdom, United States, and Turkey, and Studio Lead at Martha Schwartz Partners.
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Designing with Empathy: A Practical Guide to AI Personas for Inclusive Architecture & Urbanism
Can a machine help us design for the people a plan usually forgets? This guide makes an honest case that it can — as long as it never decides alone. When a park or plaza is first sketched, whose experience is actually in the room? Workshops and surveys are essential, but they tend to reach...
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A Global Board for a Global Mission
2026 Nominations Now Open
Two elected seats — a Young Leader and a Park/City Agency Representative —
are open ahead of the 2026 AGM. An invitation to help shape the strategic
direction of our international community of practice.
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Designing with Water: Why It’s Harder Than It Looks with Pawel Gradowski
In this episode of PodParks, Maria Burnett is joined by Pawel Gradowski, a landscape architect with over 40 years of experience across Europe, Canada, and South Africa, and the founding director of LASquare, specializing in aquatic landscapes and water-sensitive design.
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Technology, Golf Courses, and Better Practice with Dr Fritz Lord and Erik Kaiser
In this episode of PodParks, Maria Burnett is joined by Dr Fritz Lord and Erik Kaiser to explore how evolving practice, land use, and data-informed decision-making are shaping the future of parks and recreation.
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Accommodating Growth in Latin American and Caribbean Cities
What if the way your city grows today determines whether future residents ever get access to a park, a tree, or a breath of fresh air? That’s not a rhetorical question — it’s the urgent reality documented in Accommodating Growth in Latin American and Caribbean Cities, a groundbreaking new report jointly produced by the Inter-American...
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Switzerland’s Parks System, Political Structures, and the Evolution of World Urban Parks, with Emanuel Trueb
In this episode of PodParks, Maria Burnett is joined by Emanuel Trueb, Head of City Gardens and Cemeteries for the City of Basel, Switzerland, and former President of the International Federation of Parks and Recreation Administration (IPFRA).
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Creating the Queen Elizabeth II Garden
Discover how The Royal Parks created the Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent’s Park through sustainable design, biodiversity, and circular economy practices.
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Bridging the Green Divide: Jenny Moodley on Parks, Equity, and African Innovation
We open Season 4 of PodParks with a powerful conversation with Fergus Garrett , renowned horticulturist and the long-time driving force behind Great Dixter.
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The Nature-Based Solutions Opportunity Scan
The Nature-Based Solutions Opportunity Scan provides a strategic framework for identifying where nature can deliver climate, resilience, and community benefits at scale. The document positions nature-based solutions (NbS) not as isolated environmental projects, but as cross-cutting investments that address flooding, heat, biodiversity loss, water security, and social wellbeing simultaneously. By scanning ecological, economic, and urban...
