2025

LAF Fellow Anya Domlesky is Positioning Infrastructure Adaptation as Climate Action

heather — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000

LAF Fellow Anya Domlesky is Positioning Infrastructure Adaptation as Climate Action

light-blue

Anya Domlesky presents at the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium.

In densely populated U.S. cities, expanding green space or implementing climate solutions can feel daunting, particularly where undeveloped land is scarce and much of the public realm is dominated by aging or decommissioned transportation infrastructure. At the same time, the carbon costs of new materials and construction raise difficult questions, as some climate-oriented projects may take decades or even centuries to offset the emissions generated by their own creation. How can cities pursue truly sustainable solutions while convincing policymakers and residents that these investments will also improve daily life and strengthen local economies?

These issues can be complex and, at times, may seem to conflict with each other, yet 2024-25 LAF Fellow Anya Domlesky chose to tackle them in her fellowship project, Infrastructure, Rescripted: The Public Realm on a Mass Scale. The project proposes a systems-based approach to urban infrastructure that prioritizes the reuse, reallocation, and co-use of transportation infrastructure over new construction as a path toward deep decarbonization.

“Past LAF Fellows have been instrumental in thinking about how to calculate and what to calculate in embodied carbon, and [we, as a profession] began to realize that landscape architecture may actually have negative impacts. We have a carbon footprint,” Anya explained during her presentation at the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium. “I saw this in my own work when my lab would run performance analyses. Some fantastic projects were 200 years until carbon neutral. These were derailed by EPS foam, concrete, and steel.”

Over the last five years, landscape architecture has increasingly focused on embodied and operational carbon, addressing emissions associated with material extraction, transportation, and energy use in operations and maintenance. While these efforts have advanced sustainability and low-carbon design, Anya asserts that the field must now shift toward thinking about deep decarbonization, examining the very essence of urban building and lifestyle.

Achieving deep decarbonization in urban spaces would mean reducing new infrastructure construction, curbing outward sprawl, and prioritizing the reuse or co-use of existing materials and systems. These changes would also require a rewiring of social expectations around development and corresponding economic adjustments. Anya believes landscape architecture can drive this shift. “As a systems-based discipline, I think we have a lot more agency and influence over what happens.”

Her interest in sustainable design began early. Anya grew up in an energy-independent house designed and built by her parents through their study of sustainable building practices. After majoring in architecture, with a minor in landscape studies, at Smith College, she earned a Master of Architectural History and Theory from McGill University before deciding to pursue a more hands-on approach through a Master of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Anya went on to join SWA Group, where she was a designer, then Director of Research, running the research and innovation lab she founded, XL Lab. To expand previous work on infrastructure adaptation, she applied for the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. “There had been research within the firm and the lab, and it was time to start involving other practitioners and folks to start thinking about it as a more disciplinary question for the field,” she reflected.

As Principal Investigator on a research project at SWA, Anya and her team studied infrastructure adaptation through case studies, cataloging typologies, strategies, components, funding sources, and the redeveopment process.

After commencing work with her fellowship cohort of six, Anya felt her project taking shape. "Through the LAF Fellowship it went from a project that was built on a lot of data and a lot of case studies to one that was really synthesizing what that meant and what infrastructure adaptation could do.” In practice, this meant reframing underused and existing infrastructure as a climate asset by demonstrating how reuse and redesign could reduce embodied carbon, support low-carbon mobility, and expand the public realm without relying on new construction.

Research synthesis projects like this enable practitioners to translate findings into evidence-based insights for lawmakers, philanthropic partners, and community stakeholders who play a major role in supporting landscape architecture work. One infrastructure adaptation pathway highlighted by Anya’s research is roadway reuse. Converting car-oriented roadways into bike or pedestrian corridors, often paired with new or expanded greenspace, can significantly reduce embodied carbon by avoiding demolition and new construction while also encouraging low-carbon transportation. These interventions help catalyze the broader social and behavioral shifts required to achieve deep decarbonization.

Sharing this research with the broader landscape architecture community is central to the LAF Fellowship. “One of the most valuable things about the fellowship was making those ideas public and circulating them from the platform of LAF, which has so many folks involved in practice — folks that are interested in performance and what landscape can achieve,” she said.

As a recognized leader in practice-based research, Anya is frequently approached by rising designers eager to dedicate more of their time to inquiry. “For those looking to get involved in research, I always say the field will probably look very different when you are my age, but what you can prepare yourself for is to be not only flexible, but opportunistic. Keep your eyes open, look at what people are doing,” Anya advised. “Firms that are more adventurous are thinking about the value proposition of design and how to operate in a competitive field and may be more interested in practice-based research and other forms of innovation.”

You can watch Anya's presentation from the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium here.

Research Update: Management of Biodiverse Landscapes

heather — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:27:25 +0000

Research Update: Management of Biodiverse Landscapes

aqua

The LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell supports research relevant to design practice. The 2025 grant was awarded to “Keeping Up: Maintenance and Management of Ecologically Vibrant Landscapes.” The 12-month research project is being conducted by Brenna Castro Carlson of Atlas Lab and research partner Haven Kiers of the University of California, Davis. Six months into the project, they provided an update on their progress.

The research focuses on maintenance-related challenges to creating habitat and increasing biodiversity in large-scale public and institutional landscapes, which typically face limited maintenance budgets yet serve diverse and often disadvantaged communities. The research team is working to catalog current management approaches, identify systemic obstacles, and explore successful strategies that support biodiversity, including alternative funding models, staff training programs, community stewardship programs, and innovative maintenance practices.

Their first phase of work consisted of two coordinated national surveys: one for designers and one for maintenance professionals. The goal was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the systemic obstacles preventing the widespread adoption of high-biodiversity landscapes in large-scape public and institutional settings.

The surveys were distributed through partner capacity organizations (including LAF) to reach professionals across a wide range of regions and organizational contexts. The survey received strong national participation, with responses from 158 designers (primarily landscape architects) and 109 maintenance professionals (including gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape managers.) The team also conducted more than 20 in-depth interviews with a smaller group of landscape architects to gain nuanced insights on challenges and opportunities.

Preliminary findings from Phase 1 reveal a high level of agreement between designers and maintenance professionals on the importance of biodiversity and the challenges of achieving it at scale. Both groups reported widespread use of basic practices such as planting regionally native species, removing invasive species, and protecting or restoring habitat and soils. However, there were significant gaps in goal setting, monitoring, and long-term management of biodiverse landscapes.

The primary systemic barriers identified through surveys and interviews include:

Know-How: There is significant lack of training and technical expertise among maintenance personnel tasked with managing complex, ecologically rich landscapes.

Funding: Limited funding and resources prevent organizations from dedicating the time and labor needed to support biodiversity over the long term.

Collaboration: Weak communication and coordination between designers, owners, and maintenance staff lead to mismatched expectations and inconsistent management practices.

One-Size-Fits-All: Traditional landscape maintenance firms often lack the capacity, equipment, and experience required to successfully care for biodiverse landscapes.

Aesthetic Norms: Conventional norms and expectations for manicured, uniform aesthetics create resistance to naturalistic planting approaches.

By bringing these barriers into focus, this research lays the groundwork to support sustainable management and help biodiversity thrive in public and institutional landscapes.

Principal Investigators Brenna Castro Carlson and Haven Kiers

The next phases of the research include documentation of case studies of existing projects, creation of an advocacy fact sheet, and production of a handbook-style “UpKeep Catalog” with references and resources. These products aim to empower landscape architects and land managers to catalyze fundamental shifts in how landscape maintenance is conceptualized, practiced, and evaluated to support high-biodiversity landscapes over the long-term.

The project concludes in summer 2026. In addition to the release of the full set of products, look for an LAF webinar showcasing the research process and findings.

2026 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

heather — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:50:25 +0000

2026 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

green

Thirteen faculty Research Fellows and ten high-performing landscape projects have been selected for LAF's 2026 Case Study Investigation program.

Now in its 16th year, Case Study Investigation (CSI) is a unique research collaboration and training program for faculty, students, and practitioners. LAF-funded faculty-student research teams work with designers to document the impacts of exemplary, high-performing landscape projects. Teams develop methods to quantify the environmental, social, and economic benefits of built projects and produce Case Study Briefs for LAF’s Landscape Performance Series.

Research Fellows lead the CSI collaboration and receive funding to support a student Research Assistant. The academic teams work with liaisons from design firms to evaluate and document each project. LAF provides training, supporting materials, and feedback throughout the process.

Among the projects selected for the 2026 program are a water conservation garden in Salt Lake City, a pilot project for HUD-funded coastal resilience in coastal Louisiana, a former golf course turned ecological restoration in southern California, a school in Delaware designed for its students’ unique needs, and a regional mega-park in Kentucky.

The geographically diverse projects also include the visitors’ center for a Puerto Rican national forest, a series of reimagined vacant lots in Chicago, an urban nature preserve that supports New York City’s first net-zero community, an iconic sponge city wetland park in Harbin, China, and a world-class Massachusetts museum landscape.

The 2026 CSI program kicks off in February and runs through early August. We look forward to working with the teams to document this diverse array of outstanding projects and their impacts!

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
+ True Nature Design
CSI Research Fellow: Aaron Liggett
Student Research Assistants: Hannah Huntley and Morgan McNeff
Project: The University of California, Santa Barbara North Campus Open Space, Goleta, CA

Harvard University
+ Reed Hilderbrand
CSI Research Fellows: Max Piana, PhD, and Gary Hilderbrand, FASLA, FAAR
Student Research Assistants: Anya Sheldon, Anna Marsh, and Kate Doherty
Project: The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA

Illinois Institute of Technology
+ Lamar Johnson Collaborative
CSI Research Fellow: Ron Henderson, FASLA
Student Research Assistant: Julian Stanfield
Project: PopCourts! Series, Chicago, IL

KU Leuven
+ Turenscape
CSI Research Fellow: Kelly Shannon, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Zhuhui Bai
Project: Qunli Wetland Park, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

Louisiana State University
+ CARBO Landscape Architecture
CSI Research Fellows: Fabiana Trindade da Silva, PhD, and Yao Wang, PhD
Student Research Assistants: Catherine Frampton and Laura Ramos Ramirez
Project: Gretna City Park, Gretna, LA

Rutgers University
+ Starr Whitehouse
CSI Research Fellow: Myla F.J. Aronson, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Brooke Lyn Belmonte
Project: Arverne East Nature Preserve, Far Rockaway, NY

Universidad Ana G. Méndez
+ Marvel Architects
CSI Research Fellows: Luis A. Pérez Rivera and Michelle Lee Delgado Wallace
Student Research Assistants: Sahyly Meléndez Figueroa and Samary Cruz Ponce
Project: Portal de El Yunque Rain Gardens, Río Grande, PR

University of Delaware
+ ForeSite Associates
CSI Research Fellow: Anna Wik, RLA
Student Research Assistants: Cate Boettger and Aleena Sabir
Project: The Pilot School, Wilmington, DE

University of Kentucky
+ WRT
CSI Research Fellow: Tracey Miller, PhD
Student Research Assistants: Robert Anthony Lonnemann and Liz Feight
Project: The Parklands of Floyds Fork, Louisville, KY

Utah State University
+ Studio Outside
CSI Research Fellow: Huaqing Wang, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Simin Gholami
Project: Water Conservation Garden at Red Butte Garden & Arboretum, Salt Lake City, UT

Call for Videos: Voice Your Research Needs

heather — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:17:06 +0000

Call for Videos: Voice Your Research Needs

green

As part of the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange, the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) invite professional and academic practitioners in landscape architecture to create and share short videos describing the research questions or knowledge gaps they'd like to see addressed to have real-world impact.

The videos will help set the stage and spark interest for the Research Exchange virtual gathering on January 22 to identify shared research interests, explore opportunities for collaboration, and begin to shape a responsive research agenda for landscape architecture.

How to Participate

1) Create a short video clip (60 seconds or less) that responds to one or more of these prompts:

If you could direct a research team, what would you ask them to explore? What are the questions that keep you up at night?
For professional practitioners: What do you need to know to do your design work better, improve your practice, or have more impact?
For academics: What are your research interests and how do you see them supporting real-world professional practice?
If seeking academic and/or professional partners: What kind of collaborator are you looking for?

2) Post the video on your LinkedIn and/or Instagram account between December 1, 2025 and March 18, 2026. Be sure to include LAF and CELA so we can share your post with our audiences.

On LinkedIn, tag LAF and CELA
On Instagram, add @lafoundation and @thecelaofficial as "Collaborators" on your post/reel

Feel free to include this language in the text accompanying your video post:
As part of the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange initiative, LAF and CELA are inviting landscape architecture professionals to submit 60-second videos describing the research questions or knowledge gaps they'd like to see addressed to have real-world impact.

Video Tips

The video should be you responding to one or more of the prompts. It can simply be a video selfie with your own flair. You are also welcome to incorporate other views and visuals to support your content – have fun with it!

We recommend recording in 9:16 vertical orientation, which works for posts on both LinkedIn and Instagram.
Ensure the sound quality is clear and free from loud or disruptive background noise.
If you are social media savvy, then feel free to add captions.

UPDATE: Check out some of the videos we received.

The playground belonging project
@playgroundbelonging - Instagram Reel

2026 Summit Call for Speakers

heather — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 16:54:24 +0000

2026 Summit Call for Speakers

red

Have something to say? Apply to speak at LAF’s 2026 Summit!

Planned for June 4-6 in Detroit, the Landscape Architecture Foundation's (LAF) Future Now summit will demonstrate taking innovative ideas to action to shift paradigms and address climate change, biodiversity, and equity through initiatives big and small.

LAF is now accepting proposals for 10-minute lightning talks (day 1) and 1.5-hour workshops (day 2) through an open call. Both proposal types must energize the audience and demonstrate thought leadership through actions, ideas, and innovations that align with the calls to action in LAF's New Landscape Declaration and subsequent Action Plan.

We want to hear from you about what works and what is possible. Been working on an issue that is ripe for landscape architects to play a more central role? Developed a replicable framework for co-creation? Want to share a lens for decolonizing design? Have a new model for design practice that moves beyond the client-driven professional services model? We want to hear your success stories and how you would challenge others to do more. We want everyone in attendance to leave inspired and with new tools to act!

Submissions are welcome from landscape architecture professionals, academics, students, and those with non-landscape architecture backgrounds. Submissions are due December 30.

Learn More

LAF Fellow David Buckley Borden is Closing the Science-Communication Gap

heather — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:35:55 +0000

LAF Fellow David Buckley Borden is Closing the Science-Communication Gap

light-blue

David Buckley Borden speaks with attendees at the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium.

As the climate crisis worsens, scientists search tirelessly for ways to slow its progression. Many proposed solutions require public support, but how can people support what they do not understand? 2024-25 LAF Fellow David Buckley Borden sought to tackle this very issue through his project, “Emergent Mutualism: Closing the Interdisciplinary Science-Communication Gap”.

“As ecological challenges become more acute, scientists are thrust into the spotlight to provide vital practical knowledge, and our ability to survive on an increasingly inhospitable planet is becoming dependent on a heightened ecological awareness, deepened environmental values, and an investment in our collective, global well-being," David explained in his presentation at the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium. “As one scientist recently put it to me, ‘we’re losing the culture war on climate change, essentially because we are failing to deliver effective science communication’.”

An Associate Research Professor at the University of Oregon in the Department of Landscape Architecture and newly-appointed Senior Advisor of Creative Practice and Innovation at Oregon State, David is no stranger to finding creative ways to illustrate complex topics. Through various positions, fellowships, grants, and residencies, David has worked collaboratively on numerous exhibits, art pieces, and site-specific landscape installations, from reframing rotting hemlock trees as an insect snack bar with the help of some colorfully painted signage to communicating global temperature increases in a public sculpture that people can walk through and experience.

"Warming Warning" was a collaborative public art project — by then Harvard Forest Fellow David Buckley Borden and Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist Aaron M Ellison — installed on the university’s Science Center Plaza in 2018.

In his work through the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, David applied several science communication theories to address the knowledge gap between the public and scientific community. A favorite is Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Holy Trinity o’ Science Communication”, which blends pop culture, humor, and science to illustrate scientific points. “Humans are driven by an emotional response,” David notes, “not necessarily rigorous, reproducible datasets.”

During the fellowship, David developed a series of how-to booklets on capturing public attention for scientific understanding. He based his work on case studies he conducted on several of his recent design collaborations. The booklets also include communication theory, elements of design, and public engagement which, together, create a blueprint for a holistic science communications project. David hopes his creative science communication methods can serve as an example for others in the scientific community. “Leveraging the experience, information, and approach for the benefit of others is really in the spirit of the LAF Fellowship,” he reflected. The combination of the case studies and critical theories can make the application of scientific communication easier for researchers everywhere. The more communications are factored into scientific research projects, the more understandable and accessible these projects become for the public.

David credits the LAF Fellowship facilitators and five other members of his cohort for encouraging him to be more ambitious with his project and challenging him to expand his approach. “My interests are very focused on forests, but this sort of model can be applied to any kind of ecosystem or eco-tone or environmental issue.” In the future, David believes the friendships he formed through the fellowship could lead to further collaboration or inspiration. What starts as a meeting to catch up over a cup of coffee could lead to the next great environmental undertaking. “I’ve initiated some of my best projects that way — you’re not looking for a project, you just show up, express interest, and start working on something.”

He intends to continue his hands-on approach to science communications through several grants from the Center for the Future of Forests, Fuller Initiative for Productive Landscapes and Society at Oregon State, and the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation. These grants will enable David to build on his LAF Fellowship work, studying how programs can be designed to mainstream nature-centric attitudes in both individuals and organizations by means of community-driven projects.

David encourages those interested in getting involved in similar projects to look for research groups in their area and volunteer to help. He hopes that in the future, the public can work with ecosystems instead of against them, treating them with respect while using them as a classroom and research laboratory.

You can watch David's presentation from the 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium here.

Welcome 2025-26 Board of Directors!

heather — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:55:44 +0000

Welcome 2025-26 Board of Directors!

teal

The LAF Board of Directors, including outgoing and incoming members, at its Annual Meeting, hosted at the Tulane River and Coastal Center in New Orleans October 8-9, 2025.

The new board term brings the annual change in President, along with several Directors assuming new leadership roles, 6 Directors cycling off, and welcoming 7 new Directors.

The 2025-26 LAF Board of Directors began its term on October 9, 2025 at LAF's Annual Board Meeting and events in New Orleans. Alexa Bush of the City of Detroit Planning & Development Department became President, succeeding Alma Du Solier of Hood Design Studio. Elaine Kearney of TBG became President-Elect after serving as Vice President of Development for three years.

Directors C.L. Bohannon, Kevin Conger, Rikerrious Geter, and Lauren Leighty stepped into Vice President roles, while two other officers continued in their positions on the executive leadership team:

Vice President of Finance: Scott LaMont, EDSA
Vice President of Development: Kevin Conger, CMG Landscape Architecture
Vice President of Research: Lauren Leighty, SmithGroup
Vice President of Education: C.L. Bohannon, University of Virginia
Vice President of Leadership: Alexis C. Landes, SCAPE
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Rikerrious Geter, SCAPE

Austin Allen of DesignJones, Rob Gray of Design Workshop, Emily McCoy of Design Workshop, Jim Burnett of OJB Landscape Architecture, Trinity Simons Wagner of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, and Roana Tirado of HOK retired off the board at the end of their terms. Nick Jabs of Port Urbanism rotated off after serving as an Olmsted Scholar representative. SuLin Kotowicz of VIRDIS Design Group rotated off after serving in an Ex Officio capacity as the ASLA Representative, and back in March Jun-Hyun Kim of Michigan State University rotated off after serving as the CELA Representative. Thank you for your dedicated service!

Seven new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing extensive experience and knowledge from landscape architecture practice. Jacob Kuhn, a 2018 LAF Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars, one of two dedicated two-year slots. Welcome to the new board members:

Ari Daman, Public Landscape and Urbanism Studio (PLUS)
Grant Fahlgren, PFS Studio
Allison Harvey, OJB Landscape Architecture
Jacob Kuhn, MNLA
Conners Ladner, Design Workshop
Anna Hook Spooner, Anchor QEA
Autumn Visconti, HOK

In addition, the two Ex Officio positions for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) turn over yearly. ASLA Immediate Past President Kona Gray and CELA President Taner Özdil (as of March) represent their organizations on the LAF Board of Directors.

LAF is honored to work with this distinguished group and the range of talents and experiences they bring! We look forward to an exciting year ahead as we celebrate LAF's 60th anniversary and we continue to invest in people and ideas that move us toward of vision of a world where people and planet thrive together by design.

Inaugural LAF Gala Dinner a Success

heather — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Inaugural LAF Gala Dinner a Success

teal

On October 10, LAF held its first-ever Gala Dinner at Gallier Hall in New Orleans, immediately preceding LAF's 40th Annual Benefit. This smaller, private event was piloted with the LAF Board of Directors, Board Emeriti, and their guests, combining aspects from several previously standalone LAF events.

The 2025 LAF Olmsted Scholars were recognized, with 41 of the 91 scholars in attendance, including the two National Olmsted Scholars — Issam Azzam of Harvard University and Olive Tang of the University of California, Davis — who gave short presentations about the work they are moving forward.

Kristina Hill, PhD, was presented with the 2025 LAF Medal for her work as a researcher, educator, community leader, and advocate working at the intersection of urban design, ecology, and social justice. As Past President Michael Grove said it his introduction, "Kristina's career has been a masterclass in what it means to lead with both intellect and conscience. She’s shown that resilience isn’t only about raising seawalls or redirecting tides... It's about strengthening the bonds between people and place. It’s about designing with courage, with humility, and with care."

Kristina Hill was presented with the LAF Medal by LAF Immediate Past President Michael Grove.

Dennis Otsuji was presented with the 2025 LAF Legacy Award for his extraordinary service to the organization. Dennis was instrumental in creating a pivotal point for LAF in its near 60-year history, setting the stage for it to grow into the organization it is today. The 2025 LAF Founders' Award winner, the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, was also recognized.

Overall, the pilot Gala Dinner was a success and set the stage for future years. Combined with the LAF Annual Benefit that followed the dinner, the two events set a new record for fundraising to support LAF and our research, scholarships and leadership programs. Thank you to all who attended! More photos from the event can be found on LAF's Flickr page.

LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch Honored with ASLA President’s Medal

heather — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000

LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch Honored with ASLA President’s Medal

teal

LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch was beyond surprised when she was announced as the 2025 recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) President's Medal at the Oct 13 ASLA Honors and Awards Lunch. The President's Medal is awarded each year to an ASLA member for unselfish and devoted service to the ASLA at the national level over a period of not less than five years.

LAF at the 2025 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

heather — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 19:29:26 +0000

LAF at the 2025 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

teal

If you'll be in New Orleans for the 2025 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Conference on Landscape Architecture, please join us for these events to celebrate, connect, and share. In addition to our popular Annual Benefit, LAF will host a happy hour to showcase some of the research and inquiry we've supported. LAF's Megan Barnes will participate in a panel on research collaboration. And don't forget to stop by our EXPO booth to learn about LAF programs and initiatives and how you can get involved. We hope to see you!

LAF's 40th Annual Benefit

Fri, Oct 10, 8-11pm CT
Gallier Hall (*Ticket purchase required)
On the first evening of the conference, join us for a lively evening of celebration and connection — New Orleans-style! Enjoy great company, a generous spread of food, and an open bar, all while supporting LAF and our impactful work.

LAF Booth in ASLA EXPO Hall (#1824)

Sat, Oct 11, 9:30am-5:30pm and Sun, Oct 12, 10am-2pm CT
New Orleans Morial Convention Center
Stop by our booth to learn about LAF programs and funding opportunities, including our research grant, the LAF Fellowship, scholarships, and the LAF Ignite program.

LAF Happy Hour + Poster Session

Sat, Oct 11, 4:30pm-5:30pm CT
Morial Convention Center, EXPO Booth #1824
Join us for a happy hour to connect and reconnect with our program participants and scholarship winners, past and present. The event will include posters from select program alums to showcase research and inquiry that LAF has supported.

Education Sessions

All ASLA Conference Education Sessions, Deep Dive, and EXPO activities take place in the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In addition to conference registration, Deep Dive sessions require the purchase of a ticket.

Featuring LAF staff...

SUN-B01 Academia + Practice = Knowledge: A Research Collaboration Primer

Sun, Oct 12, 2pm-3:15pm CT
Room 217-219
Academics and practitioners must join forces for research collaborations that create new knowledge to address the pressing issues of our time. However, challenges can arise due to differing terminology, drivers, and approaches. Three panelists who work across boundaries share actionable advice for effective research partnerships across academia and practice.
Includes LAF's Megan Barnes

Featuring past LAF program participants discussing their LAF-supported work or a continuation of it...

FRI-B09 Landscape Architects in the Expanded Field: Lessons from Working with Infrastructure

Fri, Oct 10, 10:15am-11:30am CT
Center Stage-Room 343-345
As local, state, and federal agencies focus funding on large-scale infrastructure projects, landscape architects must adapt their approach to remain relevant and reclaim the public realm. This session will focus on creative methodologies that rethink infrastructure to position placemaking and public space design at the forefront of transformative projects.
Includes 2024-25 LAF Fellow Anya Domlesky

FRI-DD-01 Decarbonization in Practice: Tools, Materials, and Industry Collaboration

Fri, Oct 10, 8:30am-11:00am CT
Room 338-339 (*Ticket purchase required)
Panelists will present the background and best practices associated with decarbonization. The overview presentations will include recent lessons and challenges encountered in practice and an orientation to key resources. Break-out focus groups will dive into detail on each topic: design process, materials specification, and collaborating with industry partners.
Includes 2022-23 LAF Fellow Christopher R. Hardy and 2023-24 LAF Fellow Meg Calkins

SAT-DD-02 Place-based Technical Assistance Strategies to Advance Climate-Resilient Solutions

Sat, Oct 11, 2:30pm-5:00pm CT
Room 338-339 (*Ticket purchase required)
This session will use presentations and hands-on exercises to introduce attendees to and engage them with field-tested, actionable methods and strategies that jurisdictional staff, technical design and planning consultants, and funding organizations can use to support resource-limited communities in achieving their disaster recovery and/or resilience-building goals.
Including 2021 LAF Research Grant recipients Andrew Fox and Travis Klondike

SAT-C01 Advocacy Through Design: Leveraging Existing Design Strategies Through a More Inclusive Lens

Sat, Oct 11, 3:45pm-5:00pm CT
Room 206-207
Accessibility is more than compliance. By leveraging intentionality through design, landscape architects can put empathy into action to become advocates for the disabled community. In this session, learn how to incorporate techniques and strategies to push the boundaries of accessibility and make places more inclusive, welcoming, and joyful.
Includes 2020-21 LAF Fellow Alexa Vaughn

SUN-A07 Staying in the Loop: Balancing Automation and Identity in the AI-LA Era

Sun, Oct 12, 8:30am-9:45am CT
Room 243-245
As artificial intelligence reshapes creative fields, landscape architects face a shifting identity. Once defined by intuition, vision, and expertise, many now engage with AI, reimagining authorship and creativity. This session explores AI’s impact and its expanding roles, as well as strategies for adapting to evolving perceptions at the intersection of technology and design.
Includes 2022-23 LAF Fellow Phillip Fernberg