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National Endowment for the Humanities awards $190,000 grant to the ASLA for educator workshop

2024-09-04T15:28:00-04:00

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced that it has awarded a $190,000 competitive grant to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund.

The grant comes in the form of the Landmarks of American History and Culture award, which aims to support a series of workshops for 72 K-12 educators to study environmental humanities and place-making through the lens of landscape architecture in Washington, D.C. Expert instructors will guide lesson plans on green building, climate resiliency, design sustainability, and diversity-equity-inclusion-justice. The workshop will also include guided site visits to culturally significant landscapes in the Washington D.C. region.

“The more people we invite into the profession of landscape architecture the stronger our communities will become,” said ASLA CEO, Torey Carter-Conneen. “Landscape architecture is a unique blend of art and science. Workshops like this are how we provide a path for students who likely have no idea this ...

ASLA survey finds increased demand for nature-based solutions to climate change among landscape architects

2024-05-31T08:00:00-04:00

The latest survey of landscape architects released Wednesday by the American Society of Landscape Architects includes updated information on incumbent design trends and project valuations, indicating a further shift in priorities nationwide under the looming threat of climate change.

According to the survey, significant (10% or more) increases in the demand for climate-based solutions have been recorded by at least 70% of all respondents. State and local governments are the most common source of demand in terms of clients. Stormwater management and reduced carbon emissions transportation alternatives such as walkability improvements and bicycle infrastructure make up the leading list of solutions, and almost half of those surveyed said their construction costs were more expensive than that of traditional projects.

Comparing these findings to the ASLA's 2021 survey, the most popular solutions for ecosystem degradation, extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, sea-level rise, and drought rem...

The ASLA Fund selects ten women as 2023-2025 Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program recipients

2023-09-08T18:28:00-04:00

The Fund of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has just announced its second class of the Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program recipients for 2023-2025.

The program provides each with a $3,500 stipend to cover the costs related to the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE), along with exam prep, other resources, and 1-on-1 mentorship experience from a licensed professional landscape architect.

Cornell AAP Associate Professor Valerie Aymer, Curtis + Rogers Design Principal Aida Curtis, and Alexandra Mei of the St. Louis-based Christner Architects selected ten winners of the program’s second cycle, which is funded by a $100,000 donation from former ASLA President Wendy Miller and three others from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB).

“[The] ASLA has steadfastly supported and defended licensure across the country, and the Woman of Color Licensure Advancement Program is a natural extension of this commitment,” CEO Torey C...

20% of landscape architects expect to see greenhouse gas emissions budgets in future projects, ASLA survey finds

2023-08-22T17:08:00-04:00

The American Institute of Landscape Architects has published the results of a members' survey on the role of landscape architecture products in aiding decarbonization and biodiversity in the built environment. Insights were garnered from 454 landscape architects, designers, and educators out of the ASLA’s member base of approximately 15,000.

A significant 55% of respondents stated that their clients do not establish a greenhouse gas emissions budget for their projects. However, 20% foresee it as a potential future requirement. When asked about the data that would assist in accounting for emissions, 51% prioritized embodied carbon factors for materials, closely followed by 50% wanting projected carbon sequestration details for tree species specification.

Regarding accessing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and emissions assessments, 55% advocated for a curated register of baseline data, possibly developed by ASLA or a similar body. When procuring from manufacturers, 34% of p...

The ASLA Fund announces two winners for its Inaugural National Competitive Research Grants

2023-07-19T15:32:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) fund has just announced a pair of winners of its inaugural national competitive grants, offering a total of $25,000 to researchers working towards solutions to both climate change and the ongoing biodiversity crises in the United States.

"We help communities adapt to climate-driven extreme weather and support biodiversity,” ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen explained at the announcement. “The infrastructure challenges in municipalities across the country are enormous —landscape architects bring transformative solutions.”

Learn about the grant winners and their research below.

The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve: A Showcase of Eluethera's History, Native Plans, and their Medicinal Uses. Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Raymond Jungles, Inc. Image courtesy of ASLA.

Landscape Architecture Solutions to Extreme Heat
By Dr. Daniella Hirschfeld, PhD

"Dr. Hirshfeld will explore landscape architecture- and nature-based solutions that are effective at redu...

Landscape architecture is now officially a STEM discipline, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2023-07-12T17:03:00-04:00

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated degrees in landscape architecture as a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (or STEM) discipline upon the advice of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), announced by the organization today (July 12).

The designation helps both academics and practitioners in the expanded field gain recognition for the scientific nature of their work, which increasingly helps both government and private interests mitigate against the impact of climate change while performing other tasks that are critically important to the health and safety of the environment for citizens throughout the country.

"The STEM designation finally reflects the reality of the discipline of landscape architecture. Our work is fully dependent on science and technology, from understanding soils at the level of microbial interactions and nutrient exchanges, which keep our urban canopy alive, to coastal adaptations informed by continuously evolving ...

ASLA will send two observer delegates to UN's COP27 for the first time

2022-11-03T17:51:00-04:00

A two-person delegation from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) will be present as observers of next week’s COP27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in an unprecedented move first announced yesterday by the organization.

Landprocess founder Kotchakorn Voraakhom and Climate Positive Design founder/CMG Landscape Architecture principal Pamela Conrad will travel to the conference in order to present the ASLA Climate Action Plan to attendees, which is set for publication on November 12th.

The plan is an extension of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Climate Action Commitment that was announced at last year’s summit. The 27th edition is taking place under a rather unique set of circumstances colored by an ongoing land war and a recent UN report that called for up to $6 trillion in annual green investments in order to combat its updated prediction indicating the world is now on track to warm between 2.1 to 2.9°C by the end of the century.

Related O...

The ASLA calls on members to support new congressional funding for heat mitigation effort nationwide

2022-10-24T16:06:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is now soliciting support for a new congressional effort aimed at bolstering heat mitigation strategies in vulnerable communities across the country.

The bill, formally titled H.R. 7534, was introduced by Democratic Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego and would enhance the ability of landscape professionals to design solutions that will mitigate the effects of heat on urban areas across through the establishment of a new grant program to be administered by HUD and the EPA.

Project types that will be eligible for funding after the establishment of the new act include pavement cooling, shade structures, cooling centers, green roofs, drought-tolerant vegetation planting, and other techniques.

Earlier on Archinect: Op-Ed: A Unique Moment for Landscape Architects

Further technical assistance will be provided to communities that meet the criteria outlined in the bill’s Environmental Justice rider, with each applicant required to produce doc...

A look at the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential impacts on the Landscape Architecture community

2022-08-16T12:45:00-04:00

A new report from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has outlined the potential impacts and trade benefits of the provisions included in the Biden Administration’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that is set to be signed into law in the coming days.

The $369 billion bill includes many grants and other types of funding for a host of green GSA-owned properties, Federal Highway Administration projects, and affordable housing developments. Over on the ASLA’s The Dirt blog, Roxanne Blackwell and Caleb Raspler broke down what it might entail for the landscape architecture community in separate practice and client areas.

Among the relevant provisions included in the overall package are:

More than $4.5 billion to be directed toward water infrastructure (dams, water treatment facilities, etc.). This includes the $4 billion in drought relief funds, another $15 million to "provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and r...

Meet the first class of ASLA's new Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program

2022-06-06T12:38:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced its first class of Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program participants.

Ten women from across the country were selected to take part in the two-year program, which was created to provide support and mentorship opportunities to BIPOC women working towards their professional landscape architecture licensures. The aim of the program is to increase racial and gender diversity within the profession as taken from ASLA’s 2020 Racial Equity Plan of Action.

Launched in February, the program crucially provides up to $3,500 to cover costs related to the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE) for each participant in addition to the mentorship opportunities and preparatory coursework for each section.

“We are proud to take this first step to lift up women of color in our landscape architecture community, by providing them with the support network they need to achieve licensure,” ASLA President Eugenia Martin said i...

Landscape architect Lisa E. Delplace has been appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

2022-03-24T13:30:00-04:00

Landscape architect Lisa E. Delplace, FASLA has been announced by President Biden as the latest member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Delplace is the CEO and Principal of D.C.-based landscape architecture practice Oehme, van Sweden (OvS), where she is in charge of overseeing the firm’s institutional, commercial, and residential projects.

Delplace steps into a proud tradition of landscape architects serving on the prestigious body, beginning with the appointment of ASLA founder Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr., who served on the commission from 1910 to 1918.

ASLA President Eugenia Martin spoke highly of the new appointee, saying: “We are incredibly pleased with Lisa’s appointment to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, where she will provide advice to executive departments of the Federal Government on how to best preserve and enhance the visual and cultural character of the District of Columbia. The Commission and our nation will benefit tremen...

Gary Hilderbrand appointed new chair of landscape architecture at Harvard GSD

2022-03-23T14:37:00-04:00

One of the landscape design world’s leading names will be stepping into a new role this summer as Reed Hilderbrand founding principal and partner Gary Hilderbrand has been announced as the new chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard GSD.

Hilderbrand has been on the faculty at Harvard for over 30 years and will step into the role vacated by Anita Berrizbeitia after seven years at the helm of what is the oldest landscape architecture department in academia.

A statement from GSD Dean Sarah Whiting praised Hilderbrand’s “sensibilities as a teacher and as a practitioner,” stating that the two “are one and the same.”

“His unyielding efforts to reconcile imminent, often intractable forces of urbanization with ecological sustainability, cultural history, vegetative regimes, and thoughtful kindness are central to his pedagogy and practice both,” she continued. “I could not be more delighted he has accepted this appointment, and I am excited for what is to come under ...

ASLA launches new program to boost representation of women of color in landscape architecture

2022-03-11T12:48:00-05:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund has launched a new program to support women of color obtain landscape architecture licensure and increase racial and gender diversity within the field.

In its inaugural year, the Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program will provide 10 women of color with a two-year, personalized experience that includes up to $3,500 to cover the cost of sections of the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE), along with exam preparation courses, resources, and mentorship from a licensed landscape architect.

According to data from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board (CLARB), only seven percent of landscape architects are non-white and only 30 percent are women. It is clear that obtaining licensure can have huge ramifications. The ASLA notes that a report by The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing found that among highly complex, technical fields, such as landscape architecture, a license narrows...

ASLA cancels 2020 Conference on Landscape Architecture

2020-07-17T13:42:00-04:00

In a press statement delivered this week by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the organization announced they are canceling the annual conference that was set to take place in early October. Originally scheduled to be an in-person event taking place in Miami Beach, growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in states that have begun to re-open caused the organization to reconsider its plans.

ASLA President Wendy Miller, FASLA shares, "For the health and safety of everyone involved, ASLA is unfortunately compelled to cancel the Conference on Landscape Architecture. While we're all disappointed, an in-person conference is not possible this year, we now have a unique opportunity to rethink how we as landscape architects connect – to one another, to the Society, and to our profession as a whole."

With this cancellation, the conference organizers are keen on reworking their event programming to create a virtual program for the fall.