“Reconnecting people with nature” is the key message delivered by Andreas Kipar, landscape architect and co-founder of LAND, along with Giovanni Sala. Founded in 1990, today LAND has offices in Saudi Arabia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, with a multidisciplinary team of over 200 landscape gardeners, architects, urban developers, agronomists, engineers and researchers who, project after project, innovate with nature.
Many of LAND’s projects focus on the urban landscape, where human well-being comes from redesigning the relationship between city and nature. The projects implemented run from Milan to Genoa, from Turin to Taranto, as well as transformations in the Ruhr basin in Germany or the desert landscape of Saudi Arabia, with projects including the Al Urubah park, as well as many interventions in production contexts, where nature mitigates the environmental impacts of industrial activities.
The approach is scientific and experimental, based on innovation. From here comes the LAND Research Lab, the group’s innovation and research platform: an authentic think tank for developing digital methods and tools to improve urban climate resilience. In partnership with public institutions, businesses and universities, the Lab promotes applied research, scientific consulting and skills development working in the fields of sustainability, planning and digitalisation. One of the main missions is to make sustainability measurable and designable, also using artificial intelligence.
One of the hottest topics is urban depaving, which works concretely to improve quality of life, air quality, micro-climates and rainwater management. “Depaving refers to the removal of impermeable surfaces such as asphalt and concrete in order to restore the natural soil and foster vegetation growth. It offers many benefits: it reduces the heat island effect, increasing usable spaces and improving soil absorption, which is fundamental in fighting the effects of increasingly frequent heavy rains caused by the climate crisis,” LAND states.
One concrete example can be seen in Vercelli, where in 2023 depaving works were performed along Viale Garibaldi, with significant effects in terms of urban liveability, micro-climatic comfort and the exploitation of public spaces.
Another fundamental field is the reconnection of urban and extra-urban areas, as demonstrated by the Raggi Verdi strategy developed in Milan. The project – which has been running since 2003 – anticipates the concept of the “15-minute city”, focusing on soft mobility, biodiversity and green infrastructures. “Designing green and blue corridors that overcome the urban boundaries means generating environmental and social benefits: greater climate resilience, more well-being for the people, ecological connections between the cities and the countryside,” LAND confirms.
The vision includes eight radial arteries running from the centre of Milan towards the outskirts, drawing a 72-km green belt that integrates public spaces, cycle paths and new green areas.
Strengthening the central focus of nature in contemporary debate is the recent presentation of the “Nature-Factory Manifesto”, drafted by LAND with Porsche Consulting for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025. Andreas Kipar, who participates in the Forum as a member of the Task Force for Nature-Positive Cities, proposes an evolution of the concept of sustainable city: “We want to create large urban ecosystems where nature becomes a strategic infrastructure for economic development and quality of life.”
With the Nature-Factory Manifesto, LAND offers a new role for businesses: active producers of nature, able to extend their positive impacts in the local community, in synergy with the public sector. The natural capital thus becomes an indicator of well-being, useful for steering political decisions and ensuring the transparency of sustainability goals. “We believe that nature is a driver of change. Shifting from ‘zero-impact’ policies to an economy truly focusing on personal well-being, the public and private sector can work together to generate value, today and for the future generations,” Andreas Kipar concludes.
