Dr. Makhzoumi’s expertise lies in ecological landscape design and planning, where she uses a holistic and developmental approach to balance community needs with ecosystem health, biodiversity protection, and landscape heritage conservation. Her work in this area is particularly relevant in post-conflict recovery and sustainable urban greening, where she combines her knowledge of architecture and landscape architecture to create sustainable and livable environments.

In recognition of her contributions to the field, Dr. Makhzoumi has received several prestigious awards, including the Tamayouz Award for Women in Architecture and Construction in 2013, the European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and the IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award in 2021. She has also authored and co-authored several books and articles, including Ecological Landscape Design and Planning: The Mediterranean Context and The Right to Landscape: Contesting Landscape and Human Rights.

As an adjunct professor of landscape architecture at the American University of Beirut and the acting president of the Middle East Chapter of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, Dr. Makhzoumi continues to push the boundaries of landscape architecture and advocate for sustainable and community-driven solutions.

You can find more details about the conference here, and read on for a LAA Q & A with Dr Makhzoumi.

LAA: It’s a big question, but how would you describe your approach to landscape architecture?

JM: Apart from the pleasure of beholding a landscape for the first time, whether an urban plaza or village woodland, it is curiosity as to how the landscape was shaped? By whom and for what reasons, that I find intriguing. Uncovering layers of the landscape palimpsest, the natural and cultural, understanding local perceptions and valuation is the essence of the holistic, expansive methodology of ecological design that I have applied in many projects. The process is open-ended and humbling, a journey of discovery and learning. The understanding gained helps me frame the problematic and inspires landscape design – here I mean design in its broadest sense, a plan for sustainable and meaningful future.