Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management

The Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management (LAPF) at SLU Alnarp is an internationally leading academic environment for education, research, collaboration and environmental analysis in issues related to change and development of the landscape.

The department has a particular focus on multifunctional and dynamic landscapes, which can contribute to solving societal challenges and creating quality of life. Research and teaching at the department are characterized by multi- and interdisciplinary work that spans art and design, social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, technology and combinations of these. This contributes to knowledge with a holistic perspective, with the aim of shaping sustainable and appealing landscapes.

The work is focused on planning, design and management of all types of landscapes and scales, for example green roofs, children's play environments and large-scale infrastructure projects. Knowledge of the landscape's time depth and cultural heritage, as well as the preservation and promotion of cultivated cultural plants are important parts.

It also houses the national program for cultivated diversity POM, and Sweden's national gene bank, as well as the future platform SLU Urban Futures. The department is part of the collaboration platform SLU Landscape.

An important part of the activities is the collaboration that takes place with municipalities, authorities, companies and organizations in community planning and community building - both locally, regionally and nationally.

International collaboration

The Department participates in, and contributes to, a solid network of regional academic environments, with strong ties to the University of Copenhagen, Lund University and Malmö University, in particular.

It also has well-established relationships with various public development actors, such as governmental and regional authorities and municipalities, private companies and NGOs.

Researchers participate in major international networks. They work with issues related to the planning, design and management of landscapes across all categories and scales exposed to pressing global challenges such as urbanization, climate change, economic and demographic turbulence. These important topics in society form part of the SLU strategy.

Four theme groups devise education and research on these topics:

Landscape Planning

Vegetation design and function

Landscape Governance and Management

Design of Landscapes

The faculty also hosts the Swedish academia-praxis nexus Movium and the internationally oriented research platform SLU Urban Futures. On campus an urban forest park of 30 hectares, the Alnarp Landscape Laboratory, invites for experimental on-site pedagogy and research.