About

Video Series

Landscape Architects: Designing a Climate and Nature Positive World
ExpoYerba Buena Park, San Francisco, California | CMG Landscape Architecture  


"The world is both facing a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis. The heart of the solution for both of these problems is nature.

Landscape architects design with nature, so we can keep communities:

COOL
SAFE
HEALTHY

As landscape architects, we prepare all kinds of communities to adapt for a different and promising future.

Let's design with nature so we can achieve a sustainable, resilient, and bountiful future for everyone.

It is the only way we can solve our problems. And as you will see, provide so many other important benefits at the same time."  José Almiñana, FASLA, PLA, Principal, Andropogon  



This 10-part video series explains solutions from ASLA's Climate Action Plan.

Watch on ASLA's LinkedIn and Instagram.     

WATCH INTRODUCTION

November 12

Almiñana kicks-off the video series with a call to action.


 

WATCH VIDEOS ON COOL SOLUTIONS

November 13: Schoolyards

John W. Cook Academy Space to Grow Schoolyard, Chicago, Illinois      

"Replacing asphalt, which gets hot, with green spaces means we can absorb rainwater. This creates a cooler environment."  Mark Jirik, ASLA, PLA, Director of Horticulture, site design group

Learn more about this project

 

November 14: Cities

City of Phoenix Urban Forest Plan, Phoenix, Arizona   

"The City of Phoenix is building a network of trees and shade structures to provide life-saving shade to the people in our city. Our goal is that everyone has enough shade to be able to walk safely on the streets of Phoenix"  Lora Martens, ASLA, PLA, Urban Tree Program Manager, Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, City of Phoenix

Learn more about this plan  

 

WATCH VIDEOS ON SAFE SOLUTIONS

November 15: Sea Level Rise

Graffiti Pier, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  

"This project really reveals the ways in which the places that we love have to change in order to endure and be resilient in a changing climate"  Sara Zewde, ASLA, PLA, Founder, Studio Zewde
 
Learn more about this project 

 

November 16: Flooding

Sanya Dong'an Wetland Park, Hainan, People's Republic of China 

"In the middle of the city, we created about a one square kilometer-sized urban park. By simple cut and fill, we create hundreds of islands over a lake, functioning like a green sponge, that can regulate over a million cubic meters of stormwater."  Kongjian Yu, FASLA, Founder, Turenscape

Learn more about this project

 

November 18: Wildfire

Playbook for the Pyrocene

"We are now able to see which urban design and landscape architecture approaches are the most impactful in adapting to wildfire"  Anya Domlesky, ASLA, PLA, Director of Research, SWA

Learn more about this guide  

 

WATCH VIDEOS ON HEALTHY SOLUTIONS

November 19: Walking

Dequindre Cut and Joe Lewis Greenways, Detroit, Michigan

"We’ve converted old railroads into scenic trails and we’re reducing car use. We’re lowering greenhouse gas emissions and we’re revitalizing communities"  Matty Williams, ASLA, Senior Advisor on Neighborhood Economic Development, City of Detroit

Learn more about these projects  

 

November 20: Biking 

Jackson Street Reconstruction Project, Saint Paul, Minnesota

"Transportation emissions are high due to the heavy reliance on personal vehicles, which contribute to approximately 29 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. In the space of Jackson Street, we repurposed a travel lane and parking lane"  Cindy Zerger, ASLA, PLA, Urban Design Practice Lead, Toole Design

Learn more about this project  

 

WATCH VIDEOS ON CLIMATE AND NATURE POSITIVE DESIGN

November 21: Biodiversity

Crissy Field, San Francisco, California   

"Human beings depend on a biodiverse planet for survival. Crissy Field restored 40 acres of tidal marsh and dune habitat and reintroduced native plants, birds, and fish to the site."  Mary Margaret Jones, FASLA, PLA, CEO and President, HargreavesJones

Learn more about this project  

 

November 22: Climate Mitigation + Adaptation + Biodiversity 

Climate Positive Design

"We can design to remove carbon; protect our communities from flooding, heat, and drought; and provide habitat. These strategies are at the core of what landscape architects do"  Pamela Conrad, ASLA, PLA, Founder, Climate Positive Design

Learn more about this approach  

 

SHARE COMPILED VIDEO

November 25

Help Tell the Story of Landscape Architecture and Climate Action  

The series of 10 videos will be available in one compiled 7-minute video you can share with policymakers, community leaders, clients, and partners.

"We inspire communities to act. And together, we can create a path to a more sustainable future"  Pamela Conrad, ASLA, PLA, Founder, Climate Positive Design
 

 

CREDITS

This video series was produced by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and directed by LANDAU Design + Technology.

Thank you to all the member contributors.

And the production team at LANDAU: 

Gina Rattanakone, Motion Graphics Designer
Chris Landau, Affil. ASLA, Founder and Principal 
Daniel Rodríguez-Colón, Marketing and Product Manager

Image credits:

Header: Yerba Buena Park, San Francisco, California / CMG Landscape Architecture
Introduction: ASLA 2014 Professional General Design Honor Award. Shoemaker Green. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Andropogon / Barrett Doherty and Andropogon
Cool Schoolyards: The John W. Cook Academy Space to Grow Schoolyard, Chicago, Illinois. site design group, ltd. (site) / site design group, ltd. (site)
Cool Cities:  Urban Forest Plan, Phoenix, Arizona / City of Phoenix
Sea Level Rise Solutions: Graffiti Pier, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Studio Zewde
Flooding Solutions: Sanya Dong'an Wetland Park, Hainan, China / Turenscape
Wildfire Solutions: Playbook for the Pyrocene / SWA
Walkability Solutions: Dequindre Cut, Detroit, Michigan / SmithGroup
Bikeability Solutions: Jackson Street Reconstruction Project, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Toole Design / Bruce Buckley Photography for Toole Design
Biodiversity Solutions: ASLA 2022 Landmark Award. Crissy Field, San Francisco, California. HargreavesJones / HargreavesJones
Climate Mitigation + Adaptation + Biodiversity:  Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco, California / CMG Landscape Architecture
Compiled video:  ASLA 2018 Professional Analysis and Planning Honor Award. From Pixels to Stewardship: Advancing Conservation Through Digital Innovation. Austin, TX. Andropogon

Contact

ASLA General Inquiries:
info@asla.org  

ASLA Center Event
Space Inquiries: 
Janet W. Davis 
jdavis@asla.org

PR Inquiries:
communications@asla.org  

Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion
Lisa Jennings
Senior Manager, Career Discovery
and Diversity
ljennings@asla.org 

Donations to the ASLA Fund: 
DonateToday@asla.org  

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