2017

LAF Olmsted Scholars: Ready to Act on the New Landscape Declaration, Part 4

rory — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:36:46 +0000

LAF Olmsted Scholars: Ready to Act on the New Landscape Declaration, Part 4

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Inspired by LAF’s 2016 Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future and the New Landscape Declaration, a group of ten Olmsted Scholars developed their own response focused on moving forward with deliberate actions to meet the ambitions set forth in the Declaration’s four calls to action.

Through a series of blog posts, we are showcasing their action plans. Over the course of the past few months, we’ve introduced Action 1, Action 2, and Action 3. Today, we conclude with Action 4:

We will work to support research and champion new practices that result in design innovation and policy transformation.

ACT NOW

Partner with an academic institution and a professional office to implement a research project.
Implement a short/medium-term demonstration project to create knowledge and showcase effectiveness for long-term change.
Experiment with innovative tools and technology.
Become your own client. Support in-office research to proactively identify issues that can be solved with landscape architectural services.

PLAN NOW

Establish metrics to prove the environmental and cultural value of ecosystem services.
Expand funding sources for cross-disciplinary knowledge-building in both academic and professional practice.
Require ecosystem services, environmental justice, and research experience as requirements for ASLA membership and/or licensure.
Advance the integration of sustainable techniques and culture in our practices. Divest from fossil fuels and offset CO2 footprints.
Evaluate existing project delivery methods and test new platforms.

You can download a PDF copy of the full The Olmsted Scholar Agenda: from Declaration to Action, which includes all four action plans and corresponding precedents for reference and inspiration. The document is a framework for a more detailed action strategy that can be used to inspire, direct, and hold us all accountable. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to be the beginning of a larger dialogue to address the concerns and hopes stated in the New Landscape Declaration.

As 2017 comes to a close, please take a few minutes to review and reflect on which calls to action resonate with you.

What is your action plan for 2018?

Thank you Olmsted Scholars for your leadership and inspiration! The Olmsted Scholars who contributed to this effort are: Leann Andrews (2013 National Olmsted Scholar), Andrew Bailey (2014 Olmsted Scholar), Zach Barker (2013 Olmsted Scholar Finalist), Marin Braco (2012 Olmsted Scholar Finalist), Nina Chase (2009 Olmsted Scholar), Kim Dietzel (2015 Olmsted Scholar), Karl Krause (2008 Olmsted Scholar), Tim Mollette-Parks (2009 Olmsted Scholar), Andrew Sargeant (2016 Olmsted Scholar), and Nate Wooten (2016 Olmsted Scholar).

LAF’s Olmsted Scholars Program recognizes and supports landscape architecture students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits.

Thank You for a Remarkable Year!

rory — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 20:39:43 +0000

Thank You for a Remarkable Year!

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The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) invests in research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives to spur the profession forward and cultivate the next generation of design leaders. As the year winds down, LAF would like to thank our many friends, partners, and donors for their indispensable support during this ambitious year.

In 2017, LAF continued to spread the bold aspirations in our New Landscape Declaration with conversations at over 60 firms, universities, and ASLA chapter events and the launch of a new book. The ideas from a powerhouse of leading designers and the resulting call to action have been called an “excellent way to define our commitment to the environment, ecology, and health” and “an eloquent call to action for the immediate and long future of our profession and our world.”

Generous support from donors allows LAF to strengthen and embolden the profession with innovative and influential initiatives like the New Landscape Declaration, as well as our transformative programs. Together, we accomplished the following in 2017:

Awarded $135,000 to students through scholarships, fellowships, and research assistantships.
Kicked off the new $25,000 LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership with the first cohort of six recipients engaged in projects that address a range of issues — from homelessness to water resources in India to K-12 career discovery.
Recognized pioneers Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, OC and the U.S. National Park Service with the 2017 LAF Medal and Founders’ Award.
Funded landscape performance research to bolster non-profit organizations, community leaders, and advocates as they make a case for more sustainable practices and policies
Awarded the final round of mini-grants to faculty for a total of $50,000 invested in developing and testing coursework on landscape performance.

Thank you to all who devoted their time, thought leadership, and financial support to these efforts. LAF is honored to support this profession and help make our collective aspirations for change a reality.

Please consider investing in the Landscape Architecture Foundation in your year-end giving. Together we can increase our influence and impact at this important time when the services and talents of landscape architects are so vitally needed. Give online or learn more about the giving [at] lafoundation.org (many ways to support LAF).

Our friends at IRONSMITH will match up to $10,000 of your donations made by Dec 31!

LAF is a tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your charitable contribution is deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Landscape Forms Scholarship Honors Peter Schaudt

rory — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 20:40:49 +0000

Landscape Forms Scholarship Honors Peter Schaudt

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Peter Schaudt at the Landscape Forms 2014 Xtreme LA Challenge

Since 2007, Landscape Forms has offered a scholarship through the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), awarding $33,000 to 11 promising students to date. This year, Landscape Forms increased the award amount and relaunched the scholarship in memory of Peter Schaudt, FASLA (1959-2015) and his nearly 30-year career as a landscape architect.

A leader and visionary in the profession, Peter was one of the founding principals of the award-winning firm, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architecture in Chicago, Illinois and a dedicated member of the Board of Directors for Landscape Forms. Peter was widely admired for his incredible talent, dedication, generosity, and integrity. Distinguished by his focus on the “art of design,” professional stewardship, and social responsibility, Peter’s body of work leaves a lasting legacy.

The $5,000 Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Schaudt, FASLA is open to landscape architecture students in their final two years of full-time undergraduate study in an LAAB- or CSLA-accredited program in the U.S. or Canada. Applicants must demonstrate passion, commitment, and competence in creating artfully-designed places for people. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of academic accomplishment and creative design ability.

The scholarship is one of nine offered through LAF, now totaling $63,500 available annually to reward superior student performance, encourage diversity, support original research, and assist students with unmet financial need. Applications are now open and due Feb 1.

Learn more about LAF's scholarships program here.

Landscape Architecture Podcast Round-Up

rory — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 20:48:16 +0000

Landscape Architecture Podcast Round-Up

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Traveling this holiday season? Load up your phone or media player with some landscape architecture-related podcasts. Here are some of our favorites.

America Adapts

The America Adapts podcast explores the challenges, approaches, and national movement around adapting to climate change. In episode 54, host Doug Parsons attended the 2017 American Society of Landscape Architects conference and interviewed a wide swath of participants, including LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch. From legendary Martha Schwartz to students just entering the field, listen for insights and advice on how landscape architecture is stepping up to the challenge of adaptation.

Listen here

Common Edge Podcast

Common Edge is a non-profit dedicated to reconnecting architecture and design with the public that it’s meant to serve. They produce editorials, interviews, and podcasts. We especially like their July podcast on Landscape Architecture in the Age of Climate Change, which features Brooklyn-based firm, Local Office Landscape Architecture (LOLA) discussing resilience, the relationship between science and design, and how the firm became an advisor to the Obama Administration.

Listen here

Homeland Lab

Now with 13 episodes, the Homeland Lab podcast is an initiative of LAF Fellow Brice Maryman, whose work explores the intersection of public space and homelessness. The podcast features a diversity of perspectives — politicians, people who have experienced homelessness, designers, researchers, public space managers — to help foster a more nuanced and productive understanding about the profound relationship between homelessness and public space.

Listen here

Design Chatter

Sasaki’s podcast features notable guests from creative disciplines, the occasional thought piece, humor, and tangents. Episode 2 features LAF 2011 National Olmsted Scholar Kate Tooke discussing a topic near and dear to her as a researcher, former teacher, and parent: play. The section from 9:20 to 16:05 on why children need play should be required listening for every designer and parent.

Listen here

Remarkable Objects

This podcast about the intersection of nature and urban design was launched by DeepRoot in 2016. The first episode features LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch discussing landscape performance and resources to help quantify the environmental, social, and economic impacts of sustainable site design.

Listen here

Welcome 2017-2018 Board of Directors

rory — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:52:31 +0000

Welcome 2017-2018 Board of Directors

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LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch with outgoing President Jennifer Guthrie and incoming President Adam Greenspan

The 2017-2018 LAF Board of Directors began its term on October 20 at LAF’s Annual Board Meeting in Los Angeles. Adam Greenspan, ASLA of PWP Landscape Architecture became President, succeeding now Past-President Jennifer Guthrie, FASLA of GGN whose leadership helped close out and sustain the momentum from LAF’s extraordinary 50th anniversary year, which included an unprecendented summit, the launch of two new programs and a successful fundraising campaign. Stephanie Rolley, FASLA, AICP of Kansas State University became President-Elect.

Monte Wilson moved from Vice President of Leadership to Vice President of Finance. Directors Kofi Boone and Lisa Switkin became the Vice Presidents of Education/Scholarships and Leadership, respectively. Three other officers continue in their positions on the executive leadership team.

Vice President of Education:
Kofi Boone, ASLA, North Carolina State University
Vice President of Research:
M. Elen Deming, DDes, North Carolina State University
Vice President of Leadership:
Lisa Tziona Switkin, James Corner Field Operations
Vice President of Communication:
Richard E. Heriford, Landscape Forms
Vice President of Finance:
Monte Wilson, ASLA, Jacobs Engineering
Vice President of Development:
Jim Manskey, ASLA, TBG Partners

Mark Dawson, FASLA of Sasaki, Kona Gray, FASLA of EDSA, and Mia Lehrer, FASLA of Studio-MLA retired off the board at the end of their terms, which included a three-year extension for Mia and a six-year extension for Mark. Leann Andrews of the University of Washington rotated off after serving a two-year term as an Olmsted Scholar representative, and Chad D. Danos, FASLA rotated off after serving for a year in an Ex Officio capacity as an ASLA Representative. Thank you for your service!

Seven new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing experience and insights from landscape architecture practice, industry, and the nonprofit sector. Kendra Hyson, a 2015 Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars. ASLA Immediate Past President Vaughn B. Rinner, FASLA will serve as the ASLA Representative, and Bo Yang, PhD continues as the CELA Representative. Welcome to the new Board members:

Rich Centolella, FASLA, EDSA
Alma Du Solier, Hood Design Studio
Michael Grove, ASLA, Sasaki Associates
Kendra Hyson, Neighborhood Design Center
Daniel Martin, Permaloc
Kate Orff, ASLA, SCAPE
Vaughn B. Rinner, FASLA

LAF is honored to have such an accomplished, passionate, and engaged board, and we look forward to working together to advance the vision laid out in our New Landscape Declaration. Thanks to all for your commitment and service!

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Receives LAF Medal

rory — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:04:17 +0000

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Receives LAF Medal

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Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, O.C., O.B.C., FCSLA, FASLA, BCSLA is the 2017 recipient of the LAF Medal, the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s highest honor. The award is conveyed to a landscape architect for distinguished work over a career in applying the principles of sustainability to landscapes.

On October 20 at LAF’s 32nd Annual Benefit in Los Angeles, longtime friend and colleague Virginia Burt accepted the award on Cornelia’s behalf. The record crowd of over 600 supporters watched in rapt attention as a video acceptance speech from Cornelia was played. That video is posted here.

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive, and even spiritual satisfaction. This award celebrates all that is possible in our profession. Thank you so much for honoring my commitment to the land and to this precious planet.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, OC, OBC, FCSLA, FASLA, BCSLA

The LAF Medal is the latest of the many honors that Cornelia has received over a career that spans seven decades. These include the Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, the ASLA Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award from the International Federation of Landscape Architects, appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, and honorary degrees from a number of Canadian and U.S. universities.

Perspectives: Amir Gohar

rory — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:14:47 +0000

Perspectives: Amir Gohar

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October 16, 2017

Amir Gohar, Ph.D. has worked on planning and sustainable development with a variety of organizations in historic urban centers and developing areas across the Middle East and Africa. His research focuses on rapid urbanization and maintaining ecological integrity in both dense cities and remote nomadic towns.

What drew you to landscape architecture?

As a child, I had the opportunity and joy to explore nature, and I fell in love with the outdoors. From being a boy scout in primary school to a hiker, a mountain biker, and an advanced open water diver in my twenties, I have always appreciated all natural environments—as well as the cultural landscapes within them — in different contexts, climates, and territories. My parents’ encouragement, my early education, my professional experience, and my interaction with local nomadic tribes increased my curiosity and were catalysts to continue learning and practicing landscape architecture in its broader sense.

What is driving you professionally right now?

I started working on a range of different urban and landscape projects, guided by the desire to design and plan meaningful spaces and healthy environments. Whether it is public space in a historic city center, an open landscape in an environmentally sensitive area, or a neighborhood park, I have been driven by people’s engagement in the design process and integrating ecological networks within the built environment. I also strive to achieve social justice, incorporate ecosystem services, push for more civic engagement in public space, and continue learning from nomadic tribes.

You have had very diverse experiences working in urban and landscape planning and sustainable development. What are some of the key things you’ve learned?

Right now, we are in a moment that necessitates a radical shift in our practice, our thinking, and our approaches. An informed landscape architect is one that can adopt and encourage thinking across scales, across disciplines, and across institutions.

My work in protected areas in a number of countries has made me realize the importance of understanding the extent of environmental impacts at a range of scales. Proposals and strategies that might work well on one scale can fail on another scale.

My work on ecosystem services and integrating nature in cities has allowed me to work in a multidisciplinary capacity, working closely with city planners, architects, engineers, as well as non-physical disciplines such as social scientists and economists.

My work on public space design in different contexts has underscored the importance of understanding the role of different institutions in shaping our public space and the importance of coordinating between all stakeholders, including citizens, the private sector, and the various mandates of different government agencies.

What challenge would you give emerging leaders?

I would encourage them to understand that political gains and economic progress can be achieved through a green economy, clean energy, and maintaining environmental resources. We must not fall victim to the notion that economic progress is in opposition to green practices. I would encourage emerging leaders to shape the political and professional work culture to support young professionals and facilitate their ability to rise with innovative ideas and environmentally sound proposals. And finally, I would encourage them to think about long-term environmental threats such as climate hazards, even if the projected impact is beyond the scope and time-scale of their work.

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

I would emphasize the following four directions: First, I want to see a more holistic approach to landscape design and planning. For example, a landscape architect who is focused on designing a residential garden and using a water feature must understand the hydrologic cycle, the source of the water, the type of climate and seasonality, and issues in the larger watershed.

Second, I want to see more interdisciplinary work with other artists and scientists that inform the design and planning process. Third, I want to see an in-depth understanding of global natural phenomena—such as climate change, sea level rise, wildfires, and deforestation—because these cannot be addressed as “local challenges.” Only trying to address these issues locally is insufficient, and the consequences will be paid by all of humanity. Lastly, I want to see the landscape architecture discipline better informed about social factors and the characteristics of the users of the spaces we design.

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 in this interview belong solely to the author. Their inclusion in this article does not reflect endorsement by LAF.

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Urban Environmental Education in South Central Los Angeles

rory — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:12:45 +0000

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Urban Environmental Education in South Central Los Angeles

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By David del la Cruz, 2017 National Olmsted Scholar

“¿Crees que llenemos el camion?” (Do you think we will fill up the bus?) my mom eagerly asks the night before we take a hike to Temescal Canyon.

Saturday morning we wake up at dawn, dew still on cars. I pick up my nephews and meet my mother at the Slauson Recreation Center. Of course we filled up the bus.

When I show up, the bus driver shares her excitement on having a bus full of people. She is ready to get moving on our short family hike on this breezy Los Angeles morning. We finally get off the 10-E freeway and get onto the Pacific Coast Highway. A foggy Pacific Ocean vista leaves the kids in the bus in awe.

This family hike took my neighbors to the Santa Monica Mountains, far from the center of the city. As we pull up to the park for the hike, the last person trickles out, and a few people scream out, “Foto del grupo!” (Group photo!) I go ahead and take the picture of our large group. We are met by Coral, Park Ranger at the Santa Monica Mountains, and Lily, our Trail Lead. They share park and trail etiquette with us before we start the hike.

This initial trip was a great welcome back to Los Angeles after my 3 years at the University of Washington where I finished my coursework in landscape architecture.

In my last year in school, I organized a range of events in collaboration with organizers in South Central Los Angeles — from the Dreamers of South Central Los Angeles to helping South Central Arts build a base of membership along with PAINT L.A. Adding to these fruitful collaborations, this hiking trip was a collaboration with the Resident Advisory Council of the Pueblo del Rio Housing Projects. My mother is a part of the Resident Advisory Council, and she is also a respected community leader.

I look up to her and the commitments she holds with her community — from the church to the day-to-day house visits she makes to her neighbors, talking about health, checking in with and offering consejos (counseling) to her community. Her organic leadership is part of what has shaped my own ethic in leadership, along with community organizations such as Communities for A Better Environment and East Yard Communities for a Better Environment. These organizations provided me a grounding in the environmental justice movement in Los Angeles.

I was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, a large community south of downtown that has swaths of vacant land, polluted lots, and, most importantly, community members with exceptional abilities in finding ways to continue living under these conditions.

I am commited to environmental justice, and one of the ways this commitment can unfold is by exploring environmental education in the community that raised me. There are countless organizations throughout Los Angeles promoting environmental education by taking trips like the family hike I helped organize with community leaders and the National Park Service out of the Santa Monica Mountains. Nonetheless, I am interested in how environmental education takes on the issues of urban areas in working-class communities and communities of color.

Landscape architecture has given me the ability to think through urban environmental education and the ways that site design and community engagement can tackle issues of pollution at the broader level, and inclusion at the local level. I aim to use the skills of this profession to expose younger generations throughout my community to see how landscape architecture may be able to weave together community engagement with something as technical as phytoremediation.

My 2017 National Olmsted Scholar award will be used to look at these different aspects of South Central Los Angeles to work through addressing the legacies of environmental racism and historic disinvestment that impact this largely black and brown community. By understanding the impact that urban environmental education might have, working with youth and within the K-12 education system will help in building future leaders in the environmental field.

I plan to work closely with Los Angeles Unified School District and organizations committed to expanding open and green space in the region to continue building youth leadership around urban environmental issues in working-class communities and communities of color. Some of the leading organizations committed to this vision include From Lots to Spots, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, Pacoima Beautiful, among others.

The guiding research question for my Olmsted Scholar project is: How can vacant land in Los Angeles temporarily be used to support an urban environmental education ethic for high school youth?

David de la Cruz, a first generation student in higher-education, received a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington in June. He was selected as LAF’s 2017 National Olmsted Scholar and recipient of the $25,000 graduate prize.

LAF Olmsted Scholars: Ready to Act on the New Landscape Declaration, Part 3

rory — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 20:14:26 +0000

LAF Olmsted Scholars: Ready to Act on the New Landscape Declaration, Part 3

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Through a series of blog posts, we are showcasing their action plans. We recently introduced Action 1 and Action 2, and this week we present Action 3:

We will work to raise awareness of landscape architecture's vital contribution.

ACT NOW

Use clear, relatable language in public presentations. Do not use jargon.
Foster citizen urbanists and community partners.
Promote the profession via social media.
Educate the public on the benefits of working with landscape architects.
Evaluate current communication strategies and explore non-traditional and contemporary communication methods.

PLAN NOW

Partner with branding/marketing professionals to create a campaign to position the landscape architectural design process as relatable and relevant to the public.
Increase opportunities for idea competitions or conferences that foreground multi-functional, “artful and performative” landscapes to stimulate fresh solutions to local and global issues and gain visibility for the profession.
Seek short-term and alternative projects for their ability to catalyze public conversation, stimulate new ideas and teach the profession how to fail forward.

Stay tuned later this month for our final post in this series on Action 4: “We will work to support research and champion new practices that result in design innovation and policy transformation.”

Perspectives: Matty Williams

rory — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 13:00:28 +0000

Perspectives: Matty Williams

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September 18, 2017

Matty Williams is a Landscape Architect in the Detroit studio of Spackman Mossop Michaels. He originally hails from Detroit, Michigan and is a graduate of Lousiana State University.

What drew you to landscape architecture?

Culture and the architectural language of a place are elements I try to engage wherever I go. I consider myself a “city boy,” but I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors. While I lived in New York, I started paying attention to the forms, feelings, and spaces I found in parks and promenades, and how each offered a different feeling as I occupied it. I gravitated toward parks the most. I still get a sense of relief every time I’m in a park.

Around the same time in my life, I found great joy in taking on small gardening projects and reading up on the environmental justice and urban farming movements, which had very strong roots in Detroit, my hometown. Fast forward to now, I am a landscape architect because this discipline feels like the intersection of my interests related to engaging people, strengthening communities, and expressing ideas in really creative ways.

What is driving you professionally right now?

As I’ve had opportunities to work on more projects that turn into built landscapes, I’ve seen the ideas expressed by communities become real spaces. That really inspires me to listen well and respond with relatable designs and concepts.

In my spare time, I really enjoy exploring animation, parametric modeling, and video as methods to display designs and data — I love their ability to make compelling presentations and to communicate a lot of information. Those methods are not practical or straightforward enough, given the scale of many projects. But I think these types of animated data make for excellent aids in community engagement and in describing larger processes that impact a site of any size. So, I get excited thinking about new ways to present information and what new possibilities that might open up for the communities I get to serve and create designs with.

I’m also really excited about drone photography and exploring how it can add to our ability to both view and read data in the natural environment. Drones are awesome for creating aerial shots for diagrams or renderings, and I know that drones have many more advanced capabilities that we have yet to incorporate into our practice. Researching drone capabilities and strategizing ways to include them in our work is really part of the fun of working for a small design firm.

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

I believe that right now our nation is in the midst of a major awakening. It feels like a tumultuous time, but it’s also filled with lots of opportunities for designers to have a positive impact in the communities and landscapes where we build. For me, designing toward social justice is an important aspect of what I get to do as a landscape architect.

It’s a really fascinating time to be a landscape architect working in New Orleans and Detroit. The City of New Orleans recently took down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which stood prominently in the central traffic circle at the intersection of St. Charles and Howard Avenues. This major move sparked a lot of dialogue about what should be done with this site, which was once seen as a symbol of oppression, and how the future site should be something equitable that all people can feel welcome to visit. It is a conversation I’m privileged to contribute ideas to, and while tragic, I’m hoping that recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia and the removal of Confederate statutes in Baltimore, Maryland will also result in productive dialogue about how we can move forward as a nation by making our public spaces truly reflect the better parts of our nation’s rich heritage and diversity.

On another front, landscape architects are being heavily engaged in the transformation of my hometown, Detroit. I’m thrilled to have opportunities to work on projects there, including some that are transforming how the city converts vacant property into park space, providing new streetscape opportunities, and introducing infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians in ways the city has not yet seen. Detroit is a forward-thinking city, working through socioeconomic and infrastructure issues that have impacted residents for decades. But the city’s planners, engineers, designers, and placemakers are helping it evolve into a cutting-edge place to live, work and play. I’m grateful to help work through some of the landscape issues to help get us there.

What challenge would you give emerging leaders?

There are some big ticket issues that emerging leaders should focus on: climate change, water scarcity, the increasing global population, and decreasing arable land. However, I’d also like to challenge emerging leaders to encourage diversity within the profession. Within our lifetimes, we may not fully realize the mitigating impacts of our designs on larger ecological processes. But, it’s quite conceivable that through a conscious effort we can reach a variety of underrepresented individuals and encourage them to explore careers in the design realm. I think the result for future generations could look and feel a lot more like peace.

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

It's funny how often I meet people who think that landscape architects simply pull weeds, prep planting beds, and recommend pretty flowers to put in them. I really think this is a huge opportunity for the profession — to make public awareness and education about landscape architecture a focus.

Introducing young students to landscape architecture concepts is an especially important task. I believe that engaging youth in design projects gives them new ways of understanding their environment, helps them become more active members of their communities, and provides them with the agency to speak up on larger societal issues. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with programs like National Organization of Minority Architects’ Project Pipeline which does exactly that. It encourages equality within the profession and provides an introduction to young students interested in the world of architecture and design. It’s a brilliant platform to reach youth and a model that landscape architects would benefit from.