MLA+

✨ Planning green corridors for long-term resilience

🌍 How do you build resilient landscapes at a regional scale?

This question guided MLA+’s contribution to the Green Corridor Planner Guidelines for the Almaty Agglomeration, developed with the The World Bank as part of a broader vision for a connected green network across Kazakhstan.

Almaty’s region spans dense urban areas, river valleys, steppes, and agricultural land. While rich in landscapes, these systems are often fragmented and increasingly exposed to climate risks.

☀️🌊 The challenges are clear.

Heat stress, flooding, desertification, and habitat fragmentation demand a coordinated, long-term response.

🎯 Our ambition
To turn green space into infrastructure and resilience into a shared regional asset.

➡️ How we approach it

The guidelines offer a structured and scalable framework that combines:

🌿 Spatial planning and landscape connectivity

💧 Ecological restoration and nature-based solutions

🌱 Climate adaptation strategies across urban and rural contexts

By translating complex environmental challenges into clear planning tools and design principles, the project supports decision-makers, planners, and communities in shaping landscapes that are resilient, multifunctional, and connected.

🌱 The goal is simple and ambitious at once

To transform fragmented green spaces into a continuous system that cools cities, supports biodiversity, and strengthens regional resilience.

Landscape as infrastructure.
Green as a long-term investment.

Before the weekend, we want to share some good news:

Not one, but two of our projects made it onto the shortlist for the World Landscape Awards!

The landscape-urban design for Taiping River in Shijiazhuang made it to the final list in the category 'Conceptual - Urban Design'

And plan for the natural regeneration of Wusong River in Shanghai is selected in the category 'Conceptual - Analysis & Planning'.

Decision day is June 11. We keep our fingers crossed and maybe you do too! ;)

If you want to know who else is nominated - here you go:
https://worldlandscapearchitect.com/2024-wla-awards-shortlist-announced/?v=3a1ed7090bfa

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Our founder and partner Markus Appenzeller has been appointed as Professor for Urban and Rural Planning, leading the Urbanism Department at Shenzhen International School of Design (SISD).

SISD is a newly founded school under hosted by the Harbin Institute of Technology HIT, co-founded by the Zurich University of the Arts and in close collaboration with the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalunya IAAC.

Markus will be involved in both, education and research, as well as advice for public and private clients. With his new role, Markus will bring new insights to MLA+ and further our agenda of international collaboration and combining local knowledge with global expertise.

Markus Appenzeller