2021

2022 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

heather — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 18:31:56 +0000

2022 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

green

Twelve faculty Research Fellows and ten high-performing landscape projects have been selected for LAF’s 2022 Case Study Investigation program.

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.

Faculty 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 selected projects for the 2022 program are several that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and address pressing challenges associated with climate change. Project types include a state-of-the-art hospital landscape focusing on Indigenous values in Bendigo, Australia; a large recreation area on Alabama’s Gulf Coast; a series of streetscape interventions in El Paso; a unique elevated park along a disused rail line in Philadelphia; and a Shanghai park that was previously an airport runway. The geographically diverse projects also include a campus landscape supporting nursing students in St. Louis, an arboretum and nature center just west of Houston, a Detroit trail focused on urban art, a cutting-edge wetland park in China’s Sichuan Province, and a reclaimed industrial waterfront in Tacoma.

The 2022 CSI program kicks off in February and runs through early August. We look forward to working with the teams to document this range of outstanding projects and their impacts!

Arizona State University
+ SWA
CSI Research Fellow: Chingwen Cheng, PhD, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP
Student Research Assistant: Ramandeep Kaur
Project: El Paso Pedestrian Pathways, El Paso, TX

Auburn University
+ Sasaki
CSI Research Fellow: Charlene Marie LeBleu, FASLA, FCELA, AICP
Student Research Assistant: Kangkhita Aishwarya Bosu
Project: Gulf State Park Master Plan & Phase 1, Gulf Shores, AL

Purdue University
+ ECOLAND Planning and Design Corp.
CSI Research Fellow: Yiwei Huang, PhD, ASLA
Student Research Assistants: Wanting Zhang and Yahan You
Project: Suining South Riverfront Park, Suining City, Sichuan, China

RMIT University Melbourne
+ Oculus
CSI Research Fellow: Bridget Keane, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Peter Grant
Project: Bendigo Hospital, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Temple University
+ Studio Bryan Hanes
CSI Research Fellow: Bess Wellborn Yates, ASLA
Student Research Assistants: Sidney Buckingham and Michelle Lee Delgado Wallace
Project: The Rail Park, Phase 1, Philadelphia, PA

Texas A&M University
+ Design Workshop and Reed Hilderbrand
CSI Research Fellows: Galen Newman, PhD and Dongying Li, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Rui Zhu
Project: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Phase 1, Houston, TX

Tongji University Shanghai
+ Sasaki
CSI Research Fellow: Nannan Dong, DEng
Student Research Assistant: Yiqi Wang
Project: Xuhui Runway Park, Shanghai, China

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
+ DTLS
CSI Research Fellow: Kelley Lemon, PLA, LEED AP, EDAC
Student Research Assistant: Chia-Ching Wu
Project: STLCC Forest Park Center for Nursing and Advanced Health Sciences, St. Louis, MO

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
+ SmithGroup
CSI Research Fellow: Salvador Lindquist, ASLA
Student Research Assistant: Kyle Riley
Project: Dequindre Cut Greenway, Detroit, MI

University of Washington
+ Site Workshop
CSI Research Fellows: Ken P. Yocom, PhD and Amy Wagenfeld, PhD
Student Research Assistant: Rebecca Habtour
Project: Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance, Tacoma, WA

Passion to Improve Community Through Participatory Design

dita — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 20:12:53 +0000

Passion to Improve Community Through Participatory Design

green

Ayana Belk presenting academic work

Ayana Belk, an MLA student at Kansas State University, is the 2021 winner of the $10,000 LAF Honor Scholarship for Inclusive Community Design. She also received the $2,000 first-runner up award for the new Daniel Zwier/Permaloc Innovation Scholarship.

Ayana was born in Columbia, Missouri and grew up in Kansas City, near Troost Avenue, the city’s racial and economic dividing line. Her neighborhood on the east side was historically an underserved community with vacant lots, few amenities, very few trees, and no parks. She recalls that as a child “off of George Kessler Boulevard, we would go play in the medians where there was grass but no playgrounds or parks.” This disparity and lack of access to neighborhood parks and nature would become the driving force propelling Ayana’s journey into landscape architecture.

When Ayana was a junior in high school, she took her first big trip outside of Kansas City to Chicago to go audition for the Voice! Although she did not win a golden ticket, the experience was life changing. Seeing Millennium Park with Lurie Garden and Frank Gehry’s BP Pedestrian Bridge — a park that incorporated recreation, art, nature, and transportation all into one system was eye opening. Ayana realized these were things she never got to enjoy growing up in her neighborhood in Kansas City. This became the inspiration she needed and happenstance took care of the rest. “By coincidence, I saw a green plant on a poster in my high school hallway that said “landscape architecture”. I researched it and knew I had to become a landscape architect.”

With encouragement from a high schoolteacher and advisor, Ayana applied to the non-Baccalaureate Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program at Kansas State University. During her time in college, Ayana has been honored with multiple awards including the 2021 Commerce Bank Presidential Student Award for promoting equity and diversity at K-State. Winning the scholarships from LAF was affirming for her with respect to her research and its merit for the larger landscape architecture community.

I had this dream but it didn’t seem very possible at the time. But after writing out and submitting my vision, then to have a jury of strangers pick me — knowing that they believe in me and that what I am doing is worth investing in makes me feel validated and on the right track.

Ayana’s thesis research addresses Black students’ journeys to discovering and navigating landscape architecture. Her work explores the barriers Black landscape architecture students face, with the aim of offering universities and the profession recommendations for improving the Black experience and increasing the number of Black landscape architects. She recently conducted a survey to collect descriptive and quantitative data on individual students’ experiences. She looks forward to processing the responses and using the information to develop recommendations that can be disseminated and shared.

Ayana is encouraged to see the discipline prioritizing research and diversity. She believes “we can’t achieve diversity without the research. Let's make sure Black landscape architecture student voices are heard and that we have the data we need to improve our programs and profession!”

What does the future hold for Ayana? She will graduate in May 2022 with an MLA and a minor in regional and community planning, she wants to use her training to rebuild the community she grew up in and to recruit more Black landscape architects. Ayana hopes to do this by starting a nonprofit in Kansas City that would provide a space for youth to create art, help them discover landscape architecture, and improve the Troost Corridor through participatory design. “Participatory design practices that bridge the gap between the designers and those the design is for are at the core of my design philosophy. I take a narrative and historical approach to design and have a special interest in urban acupuncture.”

As an emerging professional, Ayana’s goal will be to create sustainable pocket parks to replace the vacant lots along Troost Avenue to give current residents and future generations nearby places to play and discover.

Welcome 2021-22 Board of Directors!

heather — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 17:20:57 +0000

Welcome 2021-22 Board of Directors!

teal

The 2021-2022 LAF Board of Directors began its term on November 19, 2021 at LAF's Annual Board Meeting and events in Nashville. Kofi Boone, FASLA, of North Carolina State University became President, succeeding now Past-President Monte Wilson of Jacobs whose leadership helped LAF continue to navigate the evolving pandemic and poise itself for future growth. Roberto Rovira of Florida International University became President-Elect following a year of service as Vice President of Leadership and a year as Vice President of Research.

Directors Sierra Bainbridge, Connie Chung, Alma Du Solier, and Alpa Nawre stepped into Vice President roles, while two other officers continue in their positions on the executive leadership team.

Vice President of Research: Michael Johnson, SmithGroup
Vice President of Education: Alpa Nawre, University of Florida, Critical Places
Vice President of Leadership: Alma Du Solier, Hood Design Studio
Vice President of Communications: Sierra Bainbridge, MASS Design Group
Vice President of Finance: Connie Chung, HR&A Advisors
Vice President of Development: Michael Grove, FASLA, Sasaki

Rebecca Bradley of Cadence, Po-Sun Chen of BrightView, Brian Jencek of HOK, Diane Jones Allen of DesignJones and The University of Texas at Arlington, and Lisa Switkin of James Corner Field Operations retired off the board at the end of their extended terms after serving in leadership roles. Daniel Martin, formerly with Permaloc and now with ASLA, served for nearly four years. McKenzie Wilhelm of Coen+Partners rotated off after serving a two-year term as an Olmsted Scholar representative and Wendy Miller, FASLA, rotated off after serving for a year in an Ex Officio capacity as the ASLA Representative. Thank you for your dedicated service!

Eight new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing extensive experience and knowledge from landscape architecture practice, industry, and the nonprofit sector. Jennifer Engelke, a 2012 LAF Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars. ASLA Immediate Past President Tom Mroz, FASLA, will serve as an ASLA Representative.

Welcome to the new board members:

Austin Allen, The University of Texas at Arlington, DesignJones LLC
Jim Burnett, FASLA, OJB
Mark Carlos, BrightView
Jennifer Engelke, PhD candidate at the University of Washington
Tom Mroz, FASLA, SmithGroup
Scott Neeley, SiteOne
Trinity Simons, Mayors’ Institute on City Design
Roana Tirado, HOK

LAF is honored to work with such an accomplished, passionate, and dedicated group! We look forward to continuing to advance LAF's mission and deliver initiatives that increase the influence and impact of landscape architects.

LAF at the 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

heather — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 21:18:16 +0000

LAF at the 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

teal

If you'll be in Nashville for the 2021 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Conference on Landscape Architecture, please join us for these events to celebrate, reconnect, and build from the work of the Green New Deal Superstudio. We can't wait to see many of our friends and supporters in-person!

LAF Events

LAF's 36th Annual Benefit
Fri, Nov 19, 7-10pm CST
Country Music Hall of Fame (*Ticket required)
Join top designers from practice, academia, and industry for a lively evening with great food, an open bar, and
stunning view of the Music City skyline. All proceeds support LAF's research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives.

LAF Booth in ASLA EXPO Hall
Sat, Nov 20, 9am-6pm and Sun, Nov 21, 10am-2pm CST
Music City Center, EXPO - Booth 1817
Stop by our booth to learn about LAF programs and funding opportunities like our fellowship, research grant, and the more than $150,000 in scholarships available to students. You can also hear about the Green New Superstudio and what's next to bring design into the jobs, justice, and decarbonization agenda.

Superstudio

Education & Practice PPN Campfire Session
Sat, Nov 20, 1-1:45pm CST
Music City Center, EXPO - Practice Basecamp Theater
Education & Practice Professional Practice Network PPN Chair Bill Estes will lead a facilitated discussion with participants from the Green New Deal Superstudio, including Kevin Robert Perry, Brian Tseng-Nicodemus, L. Irene Compadre, Adam Scott, and LAF's Megan Barnes.

Designing the Green New Deal Initiative: Demystifying Design and Policy
Sat, Nov 20, 4-5pm CST
Music City Center, Room 205
This Education Session with Kate Orff of SCAPE, Billy Fleming of the McHarg Center, Roxanne Blackwell of ASLA, and LAF's Barbara Deutsch will discuss the Green New Deal Superstudio and explore the complex intersection between policy and design.

Green New Deal Superstudio Happy Hour
Sat, Nov 20, 5-6pm CST
Music City Center, EXPO - Booth 1817
Join LAF, Superstudio participants, and others who want to continue the dialogue about how landscape architects can address climate change and inequity through their work and by working upstream to influence policy and priorities.

Other Activities

ASLA National Leaders and Honorary Members Reception
Thur, Nov 18, 6-8pm CST (**Invitation only)
Omni Nashville, Broadway F
LAF Director of Programs and Communications, Heather Whitlow, is among those being inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects as Honorary Members, recognizing notable service to the profession by non-landscape architects.

Perspectives: Jeff Lee

heather — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:00:12 +0000

Perspectives: Jeff Lee

light-blue

november 15, 2021

Jeff Lee, FASLA is the Founding Principal of Lee and Associates, Inc (LAI) based in Washington, DC. He has over 30 years of experience in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design, receiving numerous awards for his firm's work in the U.S. and abroad. Jeff has served on various design awards juries and as visiting critic for many universities and colleges. In 2007, he became the first Korean American inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows.

What drew you to landscape architecture?

When I arrived in the United States as a 10-year-old child from Korea, I was overwhelmed at the sheer beauty of this country. Having grown up in Seoul, South Korea where the city and the landscape still bared the ravages the Korean War, the contrast of seeing tree-lined streets and well-kept public parks were magical to the eyes of this child. I threw myself into all things American, learning English, keeping up in school, and really trying to learn as much as I could about the USA, including joining the Boy Scouts which introduced me to the wonders of nature, camping, hiking, wilderness survival, and respect for the great outdoors.

I was always drawn to studio arts so I took as many elective courses in the arts department while pursuing the pre-med curriculum at the University of Virginia. I stumbled into a two-hour Introduction to Landscape Architecture course taught by Harry Porter, who was the chair of the program and later became the first landscape architect to be dean of the School of Architecture. At the end of the course, Harry encouraged me to transfer into the architecture school and pursue a degree and career in landscape architecture. What does an 18-year-old say when such a mentor suggests such a thing? A profession that combined the arts and sciences while playing to my strength of drawing and my love of nature? Who knew that there was such a thing?!

What is driving you professionally right now?

Having started Lee and Associates (LAI) in Washington, DC almost 35 years ago, we have had the privilege to be a part of the city and the region’s renaissance during that period. The city that I came to in the '80s is barely recognizable beyond the monumental core and the open spaces. The transformation, especially along the waterfront has been stunning. The firm's portfolio and our deep understanding of the region brings us unique and important commissions, which allow our practice to continue being involved in shaping the city and the quality of the public realm in a very significant way. This includes visioning and planning, community-based corridor studies, neighborhood arts districts, and sustainable site overlays for differing applications. It is always exciting when you see the glass as half full. We also receive assignments overseas that bring unique and interesting challenges while creating understanding and awareness of different cultures and ecosystems.

What challenges is landscape architecture allowing you to address right now?

The biggest challenge that we have is the same as it has always been: creating built environments while enhancing natural environments to preserve the earth’s capacity to support human life. The profession is at the table to address solutions to issues such as innovative stormwater strategies or green area ratio requirements because they have become the law. We should elevate the dialog beyond demonstration projects so that these “performance landscapes” are spectacular.

More and more, we no longer have to convince decisionmakers to invest in the landscape since the demand for quality open spaces seems to be at an all-time high as people see the economic benefits of such spaces. I think that in a relatively short time, we as landscape architects should be able to provide a cost-benefit matrix on the positive and sustainable interventions in the public realm. The COVID-19 pandemic has made people think differently about having access to outdoor spaces and how they are used. There is a resurgence in desire to create more “lungs for the city”. We should not squander this moment to make a lasting and meaningful impact.

What challenge would you give emerging leaders?

The most important aspect of our profession is to clearly communicate our ideas. Virtual imaging and 3D renderings have changed the way we communicate our ideas and also the way we design. People now have preconceived notions of how a design presentation should be. Sometimes, a 3D perspective done overseas has more impact than the actual design itself.

I still spend a great deal of time drawing by hand because my brain is tuned in to the images and ideas that are being generated in the moment. With CADD, the process is different. Not better or worse, just different. I would challenge emerging leaders to look to all mediums to communicate their designs, ideas, issues, and the landscape architecture perspective using them. Videos, social media, standup comedy, visual and performing arts — whatever it takes to get the ideas and messages across. A landscape architect’s rap would be interesting and attract a new pipeline of students.

Where do you think the profession needs to go from here?

In the wake of climate change, environmental degradation, extinction of species, sea levels rising and affecting heavily populated areas, landscape architects are intertwined with all of these humanity survival issues. The natural tendencies for other professions such as doctors, architects, and engineers seem to be that of specialization. But without having the wide-angle lens view of the connectivity from our built systems to environmental system and the laws and policies that dictate positive outcomes, the glass will always be half empty.

LAF's Perspectives interview series showcases landscape architects from diverse backgrounds discussing how they came to the profession and where they see it heading. Any opinions expressed belong solely to the interviewee. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.

New Scholarship, Increased Awards Among LAF's 2022 Scholarship Offerings

heather — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:00:00 +0000

New Scholarship, Increased Awards Among LAF's 2022 Scholarship Offerings

green

LAF is pleased to offer $161,000 for the 2021-22 academic year through 17 different scholarships, several with multiple awards.

LAF scholarships support new generations of landscape architects by rewarding superior student performance, supporting access and diversity, and assisting students with unmet financial need. These awards are made possible through funds established by our generous sponsors.

The total amount available for 2022 represents a 30% increase over our 2021 offerings thanks to the establishment of two new scholarships and increases to several existing scholarships.

Eligible applicants are undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. Additional requirements vary by scholarship. Spread the word to qualified candidates! Applications are now open and due February 1, 2022.

New this year!

LandDesign Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarships
As part of their commitment to promoting a company culture that celebrates diversity and supporting the development of talent, LandDesign established this new scholarship for undergraduate landscape architecture students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC). Two winners each receive $5,000 and participate in a LandDesign mentoring program during the following academic year.

Kenneth R. Brooks MLA Research Scholarship
Added in January! Recognizing Professor Brooks' career, this new $5,000 scholarship was established to help students focus on a rigorous research project. It supports a continuing MLA student based on thesis or capstone research that contributes to advancing the discipline.

Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarships
With additional support from the Marjorie K. Simmons Foundation, a second $5,000 award has been added to this scholarship for BIPOC undergraduate students.

Rain Bird Intelligent Use of Water™ Scholarship
The award amount for this scholarship has doubled to $5,000 for an undergraduate landscape architecture, horticulture or irrigation science student.

LAF Honor Scholarship in Memory of Joe Lalli, FASLA
A new $10,000 runner-up award will be made in addition to the $20,000 winner and $5,000 runner-up awards in this scholarship for students pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

LAF Honor Scholarship for Inclusive Community Design
The runner-up award has increased to $5,000 for this $10,000 scholarship available to master's students who show commitment to underserved urban communities and community-scale design issues.

See all scholarships available for 2022.

New LAF Communications Associate

dita — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:39:15 +0000

New LAF Communications Associate

teal

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is delighted to announce that on October 18, Dita Bittenbender joined the organization as Communications Associate. Dita will be taking on the important role of coordinating and implementing communication strategies across our digital channels. This work helps to build community and elevate the landscape architecture discipline while supporting LAF programs, events, and fundraising efforts.

Prior to joining LAF, Dita served as the Office and Operations Manager at the architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s (SOM) Washington DC Office. During her time at SOM, Dita coordinated special programs, events, and collaborative initiatives that influenced her interest to become more involved in civic engagement, sustainability, and urban design. Her past experience includes real estate management, business development, graphic design, and communications and marketing.

Dita holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Merchandising from Virginia Commonwealth University with focus on visual merchandising, photography, and graphic design. During her spare time, she is out exploring new dog parks, beer gardens, and trails with her golden retriever Tater-Tot aka Tate. During the pandemic, Dita traveled thousands of miles on the open road with her spouse and Tate, visiting 15 states and taking in sights with a renewed appreciation for the American landscape and the benefits of connecting to nature. Her newest pet projects include propagating succulents, taming Monstera plants, and DIY home decorating and improvement hacks.

We are happy to have Dita on board!

Green New Deal Superstudio Curated Projects and Full Archive Released

heather — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:16:47 +0000

Green New Deal Superstudio Curated Projects and Full Archive Released

red

Explore a set of 55 curated projects or browse the complete archive of 670 submissions that spatially manifest the principles of the Green New Deal.

The Green New Deal Superstudio was an open call to give form to policy ideas by translating the core goals of decarbonization, justice, and jobs into place-specific design and planning projects.

Some 670 projects were submitted as part of the year-long initiative, which attracted the participation of over 90 universities in 39 states and 10 countries, as well as hundreds of practitioners from across the design disciplines. The projects range from pragmatic to speculative and cover a wide variety of issues, innovation, scales, and geographic regions.

The full set of submissions are catalogued as part of the Green New Deal Superstudio archive in the JSTOR digital library, where they are freely accessible. Each submission includes three image boards and descriptive text.

A curated set of 55 projects were selected to illustrate the breadth of work submitted. The projects are organized into 6 categories: Adapt, Empower, Energize, Remediate, Retrofit and Cultivate. This sample was not intended to be the "best" designs, but rather a set of projects that serve to catalyze conversation. The projects were chosen through a two-step review process. Twenty-five invited reviewers helped with the daunting task of taking the 670 submissions, pulling out key themes, and distilling the work down to a manageable set. They worked in teams to ensure that each submission was evaluated by at least three reviewers, and their input informed the final curation process. Thank you to the reviewers!

A national climate plan like the Green New Deal will be understood by most people through the landscapes, buildings, infrastructures, and public works agenda that it inspires. The Superstudio was a concerted effort to give form and visual clarity to the unprecedented scale, scope, and pace of physical landscape transformation that it implies.

In the press conference announcing H.R. 109, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remarked that the public should view the non-binding resolution as a "Request for Proposals…we’ve defined the scope and where we want to go. Now, let’s assess where we are, how we get there, and collaborate on real projects."

The 670 Superstudio submissions and the ongoing conversations they will engender is our contribution to Ocasio-Cortez’s request. This work can support policymakers and advocates to advance Green New Deal ideas and approaches. The projects will also inform a national conversation on policy and design at a Landscape Architecture Foundation summit in April 2022.

Join us October 28 to explore themes and takeaways

In a virtual Superstudio Showcase on October 28 at 12pm EDT, four of those tasked with reviewing and curating the submissions will critically reflect on the body of work, highlight key themes, and show representative examples from the submitted projects.

Running from August 2020 through June 2021, the Green New Deal Superstudio was an open call to translate the goals of decarbonization, justice, and jobs into local and regional design and planning projects. The organizing partners are:
Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)
Weitzman School of Design McHarg Center
Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes (CRCL)
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA)

Perspectives: Pablo Cortez

heather — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:11:50 +0000

Perspectives: Pablo Cortez

light-blue

October 12, 2021

Pablo Cortez, PLA, is a California-based licensed landscape architect and president of Sitio Landscape Architecture, Inc. He has over 15 years of experience in the profession. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Minority Landscape Architects and co-hosts the landscape architecture-focused, Drawn to Scale podcast.

What drew you to landscape architecture?

Initially it was "impaction" of the architecture program at Cal Poly Pomona, which means that due to high demand, applicants are held to higher eligibility standards. I missed the minimum GPA requirement and learned about landscape architecture from professor Ken Nakaba while sitting in on a College of Environmental Design program presentation. The hand-drawn sketches and design process drew me in, and the sustainable, environmentally conscious practices I'd learn about during the program helped to keep me motivated.

What is driving you professionally right now?

Growing my firm has been a top priority. I started Sitio Landscape Architecture in 2019 and have been able to maintain a variety of work coming through. I've found myself driven to increase our clientele and project types and be able to eventually hire staff to help with that growth.

On the project side of things, our work on public spaces has allowed me to see the need for equal access to not only green spaces but the public realm at large and has been a continued focus of our work.

What challenges is landscape architecture allowing you to address right now?

The majority of our projects have all had some form of California native plant material to minimize water usage and features that address excess water runoff and rainwater harvesting. These are fairly standard landscape design elements, and it's great to see such widespread implementation.

One of the challenges we've been able to help address is the issue of equal public realm access. Not all communities in California have been designed with pedestrians and public transportation in mind. Given the right thought and design, these communities can start to provide not only much needed access to basic services but also to community-based retail, restaurants, and green spaces. I believe having a landscape architect involved in these projects can only help to increase the awareness and connections within these communities.

What challenge would you give emerging leaders?

Challenge the status quo. As cliché as that answer is, unless emerging leaders act to take on leadership roles within organizations, we can't expect much to change. From my own experience, you can make all the requests, suggestions, and calls for change but unless the owners, management, and people in charge are 100% on board from the very beginning, those changes will be excruciatingly slow if they ever see the light of day. "Emerging leader" is a temporary title.

Where do you think the profession needs to go from here?

Not sure I have an answer for this, but from what I've observed over the past 15 years, there is a general sense of an increasingly diverse profession. With that diversity come different points of view and perspectives on the issues and problems landscape architects work to solve. I believe that can help to develop not only creative solutions but the right solutions.

Superstudio Showcase: Reflections from a Year-Long Open Call

heather — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 16:27:00 +0000

Superstudio Showcase: Reflections from a Year-Long Open Call

red

This virtual event celebrated and reflected on a year of exploration, innovation, and collaboration by the 3,000 participating designers and students.

The Green New Deal Superstudio was a concerted effort to give form to policy ideas by translating the core goals of decarbonization, justice, and jobs into place-specific design and planning projects. Some 670 projects were submitted through the year-long open call, which attracted the participation of over 90 universities, as well as hundreds of practitioners from across the design disciplines.

In this virtual event on October 28, 2021, four of those tasked with reviewing and curating the submissions critically reflected on the body of work, highlighted key themes, and showed representative examples from the submitted projects. How did the submissions address issues facing their regions? What were the key strategies and ideas? What does this work say about the ability and readiness of the built environment design disciplines to make large-scale change?

Introduction

Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, CEO, Landscape Architecture Foundation
Kate Orff, FASLA, Founding Principal, SCAPE and Professor & Director, Urban Design Program, Columbia University

Presenters

Kofi Boone, FASLA, University Faculty Scholar and Professor, North Carolina State University
Kristina Hill, PhD, Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley
Michael Johnson, Principal and Co-Director of Urban Design, SmithGroup
Roberto Rovira, Professor & Chair, Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design, Florida International University

Green New Deal Superstudio: Explore the Projects

The Superstudio ran from August 2020 through June 2021 and attracted the participation of more than 180 studio courses from over 90 universities in 39 states and 10 countries, as well as hundreds of practitioners from across the design disciplines.

A total of 670 projects were submitted, ranging from adaptive reuse of degraded sites to regional-scale frameworks to visualizations of speculative futures. The complete archive of submissions is available in the JSTOR digital library.

A curated set of 55 projects can be viewed on the Superstudio website. These projects were selected to catalyze conversation and illustrate the wide variety of issues, innovation, scales, and geographic regions represented in the submissions.

2021

2022 CSI Teams and Projects Announced

Twelve faculty Research Fellows and ten high-performing landscape projects have been selected for LAF’s 2022 Case Study Investigation program.

Passion to Improve Community Through Participatory Design

Welcome 2021-22 Board of Directors!

LAF at the 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

Perspectives: Jeff Lee

New Scholarship, Increased Awards Among LAF's 2022 Scholarship Offerings

LAF is pleased to offer $161,000 for the 2021-22 academic year through 17 different scholarships, several with multiple awards.

New LAF Communications Associate

Green New Deal Superstudio Curated Projects and Full Archive Released

Explore a set of 55 curated projects or browse the complete archive of 670 submissions that spatially manifest the principles of the Green New Deal.

Join us October 28 to explore themes and takeaways

Perspectives: Pablo Cortez

Superstudio Showcase: Reflections from a Year-Long Open Call

This virtual event celebrated and reflected on a year of exploration, innovation, and collaboration by the 3,000 participating designers and students.

Introduction

Presenters

Green New Deal Superstudio: Explore the Projects

Green New Deal Superstudio Partners