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MAR 2023 / VOL 113 NO 3
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SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
LIFE
SUPPORT
Open space plans to revive
New York City’s public housing
YAMADA HOUSE
Preservation gaps imperil
a designer’s legacy
WELLNESS CHECK
A critical history of health
and landscape
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LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
MAGAZINE
THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN
SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
36
MARCH 2023
10 INSIDE
14 LETTERS
16 LAND MATTERS
118 ADVERTISER INDEX
119 ADVERTISERS BY PRODUCT CATEGORY
FOREGROUND
22 NOW Timothy A. Schuler, Editor
Urban canopies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will need
IS ARCHITECTURE, TOP; COURTESY GROWUP GREENWALLS, BOTTOM

strong roots; an Olmsted vision for a healthier childhood
gets a restart in Rochester, New York; promising tech for
reducing urban heat needs more work, and more.
36 PRESERVATION
Honor Roll by Timothy A. Schuler
When the influential landscape architect Joseph Yamada’s
house in San Diego went up for historic listing, everything
was there but the landscape.
50 GOODS Laurie A. Shuster, Editor

Parting Ways
Walls and fences that add charm and texture 50
while defining space.
4 / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE MAR 2023

56
95
80
NANCY OWENS STUDIO, TOP; FROUKJE RIENKS, CENTER; VICTOR GRUEN PAPERS, AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, BOTTOM
FEATURES
56 Bet the House by Zach Mortice
New York City’s public housing was once a visionary project
that combined architecture and landscape in humane and
practical ways, but years of systemic disinvestment scuttled
that dream. A new landscape master plan for the New York
City Housing Authority by Grain Collective and Nancy Owens
Studio looks to kick-start a transformation long overdue.
THE BACK
94
80 Designing Upward by Jennifer Reut
The key to a flourishing public space in Amsterdam is found
below, according to BiodiverCITY: A Matter of Vital Soil!
94 BOOKS Mimi Zeiger, Editor

No Green Pill by Pollyanna Rhee
A review of The Topography of Wellness:
How Health and Disease Shaped the American Landscape,
by Sara Jensen Carr, ASLA.
132 BACKSTORY
Without 3D-printed models, Public City might never have
figured out how to build Thunderhead, a memorial to those
affected by the LGBT Purge in Canada.
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Landscape Architecture Magazine (ISSN 0023-8031) is
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published monthly by the American Society of Landscape
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INSIDE
CONTRIBUTORS
ZACH MORTICE (“Bet the House,” page 56)

is a design journalist and critic in Chicago
who focuses on landscape architecture and
architecture and covers the intersection
of public policy and design. You can follow
him on Twitter @zachmortice.
“The sheer amount of historic, intact
public housing in New York City is
incomparable to any other American city,
and it’s a legacy I think all designers
should fight to maintain and keep livable.”
NICOLE NEDER (“Again from the Top,”

page 26) is a former landscape architect
and business owner who continues to
see the world curiously through
designer and gardener eyes.
“We all know that Frederick Law
Olmsted designed epic public
spaces, but there is much to be
learned about how his politics
and social tenets laid the
foundation work for promoting
public-wellness equality.”
GOT A STORY?
At LAM, we don’t know what we don’t know.
If you have a story, project, obsession, or
simply an area of interest you’d like to see
covered, tell us! Send it to lam@asla.org.
For more information, visit LAM online

at landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/
ZACH MORTICE, TOP; SCOTT HALL, BOTTOM

contribute-to-lam.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

@landarchmag and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/
landscapearchitecturemagazine.
LAM is available in digital format through

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subscribe or by calling 1-888-999-ASLA.

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LETTERS
THE HARM OF “PRETENDIANS”
A s the January issue of LAM that
includes my article “Here in
Spirit” was finding its way into your
vincing evidence that LeClaire has no Karen Ann Hoffman, a renowned
Indigenous heritage. Oneida bead artist, went on to point
out that “real damage is done by
mailbox, I received some distressing Over the past several years LeClaire has ‘pretendians.’ Opportunity is stolen,
information that I must share about worked on Indigenous-centered proj- causes are damaged, and communi-
the artist Kay LeClaire, who presented ects and in positions including a resi- ties are shaken.” LeClaire has since
themselves as nibiiwakamigkwe, part dency at the University of Wisconsin– stated that they have removed them-
of the throat-singing duo Taiqaa// Madison claiming they were of Onei- selves from all community spaces, CLARIFICATION
Ambe Omaa. LeClaire misrepre- da, Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), Métis, and positions, projects, and grants and In the December 2022 Now ar-
sented their ethnicity and fabricated Cuban ancestry. After allegations [of will not seek new ones, but has not ticle “Jacksonville Steps Ahead,”
their identity. An anonymous online falsehood] came to light, in a news ar- as yet apologized. I recognize that the two renderings on page 34
research specialist has provided con- ticle in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel LeClaire’s deception has caused pain are credited solely to Groundwork
on January 11, 2023, the school said it to individuals and harm to Indig- Jacksonville. The images should
had cut all ties with LeClaire and that enous communities, and I am sorry have been credited to SCAPE and
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW “there is a long and painful history of that the article may have unwittingly Groundwork Jacksonville.
W ith respect to the article on

Al Fay Park (“Play It Cool,”
erasure and cultural appropriation in contributed to it.
the U.S., which has had an immense
LAM, January), I believe we as
a profession need to be cautious
impact on the lives of Indigenous REGINA M. FLANAGAN, ASLA
people. These latest allegations are SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA WRITE US
of promoting projects [when] we a disturbing reminder of how this
may not fully understand the la- persists today.” LAM welcomes letters from readers.
bor and human rights issues in- Letters may be edited and condensed.
volved in building these projects.
ASLA is built on the foundation
of environmental and social equi-
CHANGING RULES FOR PLANTS Please email comments to LAMletters
@asla.org or send via U.S. mail to:
ty. We as a profession are defined AMERICAN SOCIETY
by protecting the health, safety,
and welfare of the public. While
I confess I am not fully aware
K udos to the town of Palm Beach,
Florida, for trying to break the
mold of primarily designing with
lieve they can do better, and so does
the Town Council, which passed a
law encouraging landscape designs
OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
636 EYE STREET NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20001–3736
of the labor laws in the United resource-guzzling plants that only closer to nature.
Arab Emirates (UAE), we have hurt the environment (“Feeling the
all heard of the labor deaths, low Pinch in Palm Beach,” LAM, Janu- We should be working with the town
wages, and poor working condi- ary). I used to be proud of being a to better their legislation. Instead of
tions in neighboring Qatar for landscape architect in Palm Beach rallying “the local landscape archi-
the 2022 World Cup. According County, but when I see the same re- tecture community—against it,” we
to the U.S. State Department and petitive designs using cheap nonna- should give in to the inevitable: You
Amnesty International, the UAE tive plants applied to all situations, it can’t fight Mother Nature and win.
has a history of human rights is- is hard to defend the profession. I too believe that using only native
sues. If this article was vetted for plants as recognized by the Institute
these issues, I would have pre- When I graduated from landscape for Regional Conservation for the
ferred to hear more about its im- architecture school in the 1980s, we 33480 zip code is too narrow a selec-
pact on social equity and healthy were taught to be stewards of the tion of available plants. Furthermore,
construction practices to better land. That is why I went into the pro- it does not take into account our
understand the project. fession. It is time for the landscape changing climate or urban landscape.
architects in Palm Beach to realize
BRETT ANDERSON, ASLA their actions are having a detrimen- CLINT OSTER, ASLA
PHOENIX
tal effect on our environment. I be- BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

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LAND MATTERS
THE WINDS
OF CHANGE
ChatGPT prompt: Explain how green infrastructure works Therefore, I call on each and every one of us to
in the voice of Jane Austen. embrace our role as leaders and agents of change.
Let us work together to create landscapes that are not
Dear reader, allow me to enlighten you on the subject only aesthetically pleasing, but also environmentally
of green infrastructure. It is a manner of designing responsible, socially equitable, and resilient to the
and managing land in a way that promotes the natural impacts of a rapidly changing world.
systems that provide numerous benefits to society and
the environment. We can start by incorporating green infrastructure,
promoting sustainable materials and practices, and
Zzz; very boring. Austen would have included some wit and designing spaces that support biodiversity and habitat
scathing social commentary. for wildlife. We can also advocate for policies and
regulations that prioritize sustainability and resiliency
ChatGPT prompt: Write a poem in the voice of in the built environment.
Emily Dickinson about climate change.
The time for action is now. Let us rise to the challenge
The winds of change are blowing strong, and create landscapes that inspire, heal, and sustain
A force both fierce and wild, our communities and the planet for generations
Bringing shifts in seasons long, to come.
A story to be filed.
Not bad.
The world we knew is fading fast,
A distant memory, OpenAI released ChatGPT in November and it has been all
As temperatures continue to blast, over the news since, with no signs of abating. It’s a bot that
A new reality. learns in real time while inhaling the web for information,
instantly producing writing that ranges from truly terrible (see
Egad. This is why we don’t publish poetry in LAM. the first two examples I tried) to a pretty decent approximation
of voice and content (see my call to action).
ChatGPT prompt: Write a call to action for
landscape architecture. Between the hand-wringing and the memes, it might be hard
for landscape architects to understand why this advance in arti-
As members of a profession dedicated to shaping our ficial intelligence language generation should matter to them,
natural and built environments, we have a critical role to but writing and speaking remain important forms of persua-
play in addressing the pressing challenges of our time. sion, even in this visual culture. A bot like this can be a leveler
Climate change, declining biodiversity, and increasing for designers for whom English is not their first language, or
urbanization are just a few of the issues we must who weren’t the recipient of Ivy League educations. What if
confront and address through our work. a bot wrote responses to an RFP? Or a grant application for
community engagement? There are other implications, some
We must recognize that our actions and designs have positive, others more troubling, but all will be at the door of
the power to create positive change and promote firms quite soon. Read up.
sustainability. It is our responsibility to make sure that
we are designing spaces that not only look beautiful but
also function in harmony with the natural world and JENNIFER REUT
support the health and well-being of communities. EDITOR

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FOREGROUND
SAN DIEGO
A winding path, part

of a nearly overlooked
IS ARCHITECTURE
landscape at the
Joseph and Elizabeth
Yamada House, in
PRESERVATION, page 36.

FOREGROUND /
NOW
EDITED BY TIMOTHY A. SCHULER
A s American cities continue to roll out tree-

planting campaigns, most arborists and
DOING RIGHT landscape architects acknowledge that the ques-
tion isn’t how many trees you can plant, but rath-
BY DIRT er how many of those trees will survive. While
there are many factors contributing to street tree
mortality, a common yet rarely addressed factor
is soil health.
REED HILDERBRAND’S FIELD GUIDE
FOR CAMBRIDGE’S SOILS
AIMS TO MAKE SURE THE “Anytime a tree is not living to its longevity, I
URBAN CANOPY SURVIVES. would guess that soils are a major reason for
that,” says Bryant Scharenbroch, an associate
BY TIMOTHY A. SCHULER
professor of soil and waste resources at the
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Poor
soil health even contributes to losses that get
attributed to other causes, Scharen-
broch says, such as pests or diseas-
es. Much the way an immuno-
compromised individual is
at greater risk from a com-
mon virus, soil issues
can weaken a tree’s de-
fenses. “It’s this down-
ward spiral situation,
PERMEABLE ROOTING AREA
COMPACTION
SOIL CONDITION
• Texture
• Aggregation
• pH
• Organic Matter
SALTS/DEICERS
TR AFFIC
/DIS T UR
B A NC E
REED HILDERBRAND

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FOREGROUND /NOW
RIGHT
The illustrated guide
was designed
to be printed and
taken into the field.
BELOW
To guide the city’s where something’s going to take care of it in the printed [the guide] as little books that they can take
investments, Reed end,” he explains. “Oftentimes, it’s the critters and in the truck,” says Eric Kramer, FASLA, a principal
Hilderbrand split
diseases that people can see. But those critters and at Reed Hilderbrand.
Cambridge into soil
management zones diseases wouldn’t have had the opportunity to at-
based on factors tack the tree had it not been predisposed to stress Using the Cambridge Urban Soils Index, an as-
correlated with by some soil condition.” sessment based on Scharenbroch’s research but
tree health. customized for the Massachusetts municipality,
To give foresters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the field guide instructs foresters in how to evalu-
a tool to easily evaluate and mitigate common ate soil based on factors such as color, texture,
soil issues, Reed Hilderbrand and a team of soil pH, and salinity. Depending how the soil scores
scientists, including Scharenbroch, developed in each area, different remediation tactics are
the Cambridge Soils Management Field Guide. An recommended. For instance, if the concentration
outgrowth of Cambridge’s Urban Forest Master of soluble salt exceeds 500 microsiemens per
Plan, the field guide provides a methodology centimeter, crews are directed to flush the tree pit
for quickly assessing the quality of the soil with two and a half gallons of water per square
anywhere in the city, along with best man- foot daily and add compost until the concentration
agement practices for addressing com- reaches an acceptable level.
mon problems. “The whole goal was
to be super practical. We literally Although the guide is specific to Cambridge, the
strategies are applicable to other urban environ-
ments, and Kramer sees potential in a tool that
would let cities develop their own urban soils
indexes. The hurdle, he says, is that most people
assume soil requires advanced knowledge. “One
of the issues that freaks people out is they’re like,
REED HILDERBRAND
‘It’s so complicated. There’s so many factors,’” he

says. “But actually, when it comes down to it, at
least in Cambridge, there aren’t that many factors.
It’s actually fairly clear.”

FOREGROUND /NOW
AGAIN FROM THE TOP
LEFT
A view of the
original Children’s
Pavilion with
rhododendron
beds, circa 1921.
HIGHLAND PARK WELCOMES BACK A LOVED AND LOST CHILDREN’S PAVILION

CENTRAL TO OLMSTED’S VISION.
BY NICOLE NEDER
W hen Frederick Law Olmsted

designed Rochester, New York’s
Highland Park, he sited an open-air
ing the breeze at the highest point
of the 150-acre park was a beloved
activity for many, but children ran fast
described as the “crowning glory” of
the park. In 1963, because of a lack of
maintenance and general disrepair,
pavilion on its highest point to cap- up the stairs, circling the three-story the pavilion was demolished. It was
COURTESY HIGHLAND PARK CONSERVANCY

ture the views. Designed by Shepley, structure, then basked in the expan- not forgotten, however, and after years
Rutan and Coolidge, and colloquially sive view, which stretched as far as of advocacy by the nonprofit High-
known as the Children’s Pavilion, the the Bristol Hills at the northern edge land Park Conservancy (HPC), the
circular structure, dedicated in 1890, of the Finger Lakes. pavilion will return—at least in spirit.
was quickly adopted by the youngest
park visitors, who at that time were The building was integral to Olm- In March 2022, the Monroe County
subject to high rates of mortality due sted’s overall park plan. All paths legislature authorized funding for
to industrial pollution. Climbing the led from the exterior realm to the the construction of a new pavilion at
steps, breathing the fresh air, and feel- Children’s Pavilion, which Olmsted the now-empty site. “The building is

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FOREGROUND /NOW
ABOVE the means to an end” of

A vintage postcard of restoring Olmsted’s in-
the Children’s Pavilion. tent, says JoAnn Beck,
The structure was
demolished in 1963.
ASLA, the president of
HPC since 2015 and a
RIGHT former landscape architect for the ty Parks Department, which owns providing, among other things, grant-
The pavilion’s City of Rochester. The new structure, and maintains Highland Park—the writing support to help raise sufficient
relationship to the which is scheduled to be completed first in the city’s Olmsted-designed funds to build the pavilion. Previously
rest of the park is
in 2024, will not be a replica, Beck park system—to steward the prop- completed preliminary sketches and
evident in Olmsted’s
1891 plan. says, but rather a new pavilion that erty. The Olmsted 200 bicentennial, cost estimates were updated to 2021
maintains the spirit of the original. plus pandemic-generated park popu- pricing to provide necessary funding
Although the building will reflect larity, provided HPC an opportunity estimates. Design work is expected to
the style and scale of the original to further its advocacy work, which begin sometime in 2023.
Children’s Pavilion, it will have an included securing funding to replace
elevator, be universally accessible, the pavilion. “This is one of the many exciting
COURTESY HIGHLAND PARK CONSERVANCY

and be constructed of more durable public investments spurred on by
“During the pandemic, Highland
materials. “The point is for it to be the Olmsted bicentennial,” says
Park performed exactly as Olmsted
an antiscreen experience,” she says, Anne “Dede” Neal Petri, Honorary
designed it, minus the pavilion,” Beck
referring to the ubiquity of digital ASLA, the president and CEO of the
devices. “People are drawn to, andsays, adding that in Rochester, the Olmsted Network. “The Children’s
need, a change in perspective.” idea of “parks as healthy places” has Pavilion helps crystallize Olmsted’s
not been as popular conceptually as prescient understanding that public
For decades, the conservancy has the horticultural history. The HPC health and well-being are advanced
worked alongside the Monroe Coun- worked with county and state officials, through contact with nature.”

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FOREGROUND /NOW
O n a Sunday this past December,

residents of a neighborhood in
Phoenix woke up to their streets
walking along the street would likely feel—by
seven degrees Fahrenheit. Similar effects have
been documented in Phoenix.
disintegrating. Rain had swept in,
and the precipitation seemed to be Ladd Keith, an assistant professor of planning
causing the streets’ gray coating, and sustainable built environments in the Univer-
recently applied as part of the sity of Arizona’s School of Landscape Architecture
city’s Cool Pavement Pilot and Planning, says the Phoenix incident is cause
Program, to peel and flake for concern but also a reminder that cool pave-
off. The loosened mate- ment, as a technology, is in its infancy, lacking
HALF rial stuck to car tires
and became slippery
the kinds of standards that have been adopted
by other industries. “A lot of [these products] are
BAKED enough to cause at

least one motorist to
still experimental and lab-tested only,” he says.
“And so I’m not surprised that we’re seeing some
crash. instances like the one in Phoenix and learning in
THE FAILURE OF A real time how the products should be applied and
REFLECTIVE STREET Although the rea- how the weather actually impacts them.”
COATING IN PHOENIX son the street coat-
POINTS TO MORE ing failed to adhere The range of reflective coating products on the
RESEARCH AHEAD. is not yet known, a market is also growing. The University of Arizona,
BY TIMOTHY A.
spokesperson for the for instance, recently partnered with Tucson’s
SCHULER City of Phoenix noted Department of Transportation and Mobility to
that reflective coatings test a reflective asphalt rejuvenator, which, in ad-
have been applied to 73 miles dition to extending the life of the road, is designed
of roadway in the city, and the inci- to neutralize vehicle-emitted air pollutants such
dent in December is the only known as nitrogen oxides through a process known as
occurrence of such a failure. photocatalytic oxidation.
Still, the event raises questions about At the same time, Keith says, cities and the con-
the efficacy of so-called cool pave- sultants they rely on should think of cool pave-
ment applications, especially when ment as one in a suite of strategies, some of
combined with the discovery, in which, including vehicle electrification, could bet-
2019, that at least some of the solar ter combat the heat island effect while also curb-
energy reflected by them is absorbed ing carbon emissions. (Waste heat from gasoline
by pedestrians. That year, research- or diesel vehicles is a significant contributor to
ers from Arizona State University urban heat islands.) “Looking at the whole suite
compared conventional and reflec- of heat mitigation strategies is really important,”
tive pavement in Los Angeles and Keith says. “With all of the money that’s been
found that while the coatings suc- approved by the federal government [for climate
cessfully lowered the road’s surface resilience], I think this is a really good opportunity
temperature, they increased the ra- for cities to look holistically at all of the climate
diant temperature—what a person risks that they’re facing, including heat.”

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FOREGROUND /NOW
A STAR
ON THE
HORIZON
INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPE
DESIGNER TIM LEHMAN
HELPS MOVE A MASTER PLAN
A fter Native Americans occupied Fort Lawton—
today part of Seattle’s Discovery Park—in
a peaceful protest in the early 1970s, the city
center offers events, Indigenous art,
programs on teaching traditional
medicine, social and community
AND A MISSION FORWARD. negotiated a long-term leaseback of 20 acres of services, and an indoor–outdoor
BY LISA OWENS VIANI the 534-acre site with the United Indians of All preschool.
Tribes Foundation. “The land was supposed to
be given back to the local tribe from which it In 2021, Tim Lehman, a landscape
TIM LEHMAN, LEFT; SEATTLE MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES, RIGHT

was taken, but that didn’t really happen,” says designer of Northern Arapaho de-
ABOVE Meghan Jernigan, a traditional medicine pro- scent, was hired by the Indigenous
Volunteers replanted gram director with United Indians, which led the women–led Na’ah Illahee Fund,
the areas around
three large ponds with
protest. “There wasn’t a lot of political support, which supports the regeneration of
native and Indigenous but a growing, cross-cultural coalition made this Indigenous communities, to improve
food plants. space thrive and allowed for development of the drainage conditions around three de-
Daybreak Star Cultural Center.” tention ponds on the Daybreak Star
TOP RIGHT property. In the process, he found
An early plan for
Since then, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural himself creating a “loose” master
Daybreak Star, which
was established following Center and its surrounding forest and wetlands plan for the site, which includes an
peaceful protests by area have served as an important resource for Native existing sweat lodge, a smoke pit, and
tribes in the 1970s. Americans of all ages in the Seattle area. The an outdoor classroom.

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FOREGROUND /NOW
ROAD
PARKING
KNOWN VEGETATION
CONTOUR LINES
TRAILS
PONDS
SACRED SPACES
SPACES FOR CAMAS GROWING
AND HARVESTING
SMOKE PIT
N
SPACES FOR INVASIVE REMOVAL
AND TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS
SPACE FOR PLANTER BOXES
ABOVE The most meaningful development, he says, has recent workshop, cedar was used to
Tim Lehman’s master been working with Jernigan and other communi- make a chest rub.
plan for the site ty members to restore the surrounding wetlands
identifies the locations
and forest. “I get to help steward the land our “It’s been an honor to learn more
of sacred and invasive
plant species. ancestors fought hard for,” says Lehman, who is about the plant medicines,” Pinkham
also a lecturer in the University of Washington’s says. “I want to hand that knowledge
landscape architecture program. down to the next generation.”
Over the past two years, Lehman and members For tribal members, all plants are
of the local Indigenous community, along with understood to be relatives, Jernigan
groups such as the Green Seattle Partnership, explains, and a great deal of thought
have removed thousands of invasive yellow flag goes into where each species should
irises from wetland areas and replaced them with be planted and why. “We ask, does this
native ferns, as well as camas and wapato bulbs, plant relative naturally inhabit this
important traditional foods. More than 10,000 space? Where will it thrive, under what
plants, including salal berry, elderberry, and salm- conditions, and who does this plant
onberry, and trees including willow and alder, need to be coplanted with?” As the sea-
have been planted around the ponds or as part of sons and the climate change, she says,
a foraging forest and medicinal garden. Shanoa community members learn more
Pinkham, the Yahowt foods and lands restoration about caring for the land, lessons that
TIM LEHMAN
coordinator with Na’ah Illahee, says many of the are passed on to the children attend-
plants have anti-inflammatory properties; at a ing preschool at Daybreak Star.

Create a
Playful
experience
FOREGROUND /
PRESERVATION
HONOR
ROLL
PRESERVING THE PRIVATE GARDENS OF A PIONEERING

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BREEZE.
BY TIMOTHY A. SCHULER
W hen Joseph Yamada and his wife,

Elizabeth, died within nine days
of each other in May 2020, obituar-
landscape architects of his genera-
tion and Liz Yamada was the first
Asian faculty member at San Diego
family organized an estate sale at the
couple’s house in La Jolla, it attracted
not just friends and neighbors but
ies and appreciations appeared in High School, later joining her hus- design enthusiasts who knew Joe
the Los Angeles Times, the San Di- band’s firm, Wimmer Yamada & Yamada by reputation. “I think a lot
ego Union-Tribune, and NPR. Most Associates, as a partner. of people went just to pay respects to
focused on the couple’s incredible him,” Kaline says.
story: Born two days apart in 1930, The Yamadas’ deaths touched many
ABOVE the two met at age 11 at a Japanese in San Diego’s design community. Also put up for sale was the Yamadas’
The informal gardens internment camp. They later attend- “It was right at the beginning of the home, at 1676 El Camino Del Teatro,
designed by Joseph ed the same high school, studied pandemic, and Liz did pass away a 3,330-square-foot, 1970s modernist
Yamada for his home
together at the University of Cali- from COVID, so for me, it hit hard,” wood house designed for the couple
IS ARCHITECTURE
in San Diego were

integrated with the fornia, Berkeley, then moved back recalls Kelsey Kaline, a historic pres- by Liz’s brother, the architect David
house designed by David to San Diego, where Joe Yamada ervation specialist at IS Architecture Kikuchi. With six decks extending
Kikuchi in the 1970s. became one of the most celebrated in San Diego. When the Yamada the living space to the outdoors—

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FOREGROUND /PRESERVATION
“I WALKED THROUGH THAT FRONT

YARD, AND CLEARLY, IT’S PART
OF THE DESIGN OF THE HOME.
IT WAS IMPORTANT.”
—ANN WOODS
far as she could tell, Wu and Lee gen- oral history produced by the Cultural
uinely wanted to “understand their Landscape Foundation that during
role in conserving the property in the the 1950s through the 1970s, “if you
future. They want to be stewards of were going to do a project in town,
the resource, which is rare.” you wanted Joe Yamada.”
Within IS Architecture, there was In September 2022, the nomination

little doubt that the house met the for the Yamada House, located in a
criteria for designation. Not only was part of La Jolla known as the Muir-
it an exemplar of a distinct style of lands, went before San Diego’s Histor-
architecture (Criterion C under the ical Resources Board (HRB), submit-
city’s historic resources regulations), ted under Criteria B and C. The board
it also was associated with a figure— agreed that the house should be desig-
in this case, two figures—who were nated. There was just one problem. “I
described in a 1978 issue of the Los “significant in local, state, or national find it ironic that we are designating
Angeles Times’s HOME magazine as history” (Criterion B). the home of a landscape architect, and
akin to “beaches surrounding some there are no landscape components
wooded island”—the house is set A disciple of California modernists in the designation,” Ann Woods, a
back on the steeply sloped lot, with including Thomas Church and Gar- professor of art history at San Diego
a Joe Yamada–designed, Japanese- rett Eckbo, Joe Yamada designed State University and a member of the
style entry sequence that features a the landscapes for many spaces that HRB, said at the meeting. What few
dry-laid stone path gently winding became San Diego landmarks: Sea- landscape elements were mentioned
through dense plantings of Pinus port Village, the Scripps Institute of were not identified as contributing
thunbergii, Metrosideros excelsa, and Oceanography, the Embarcadero Ma- to the historic nature of the property,
Rhaphiolepis umbellata f. ovata. rina Parks, SeaWorld, and parts of the something that struck Woods as odd.
University of California, San Diego, “I walked through that front yard,
In 2021, the house was sold to Troy campus. “I’ve always been interested and clearly, it’s part of the design of
Wu and Insun Lee, who recognized in historic landscapes, and specifically the home. It was important,” Woods
ZENIA CLEIGH, COURTESY INSUN LEE AND TROY WU

its historic significance and began midcentury designed landscapes, and says now. The HRB tabled a vote and
exploring how to get it listed as a in that realm [Joe’s] kind of a giant,” asked IS Architecture to inventory
historic property at the local level. says Todd Pitman, ASLA, who, as historically significant landscape fea-
ABOVE They contacted Kaline’s firm, which the campus landscape architect and tures and to reapply for designation
Many of the landscape specializes in historic preservation. assistant director of planning with at a later date.
features seen in this
“They contacted us not only to get UC San Diego, manages landscapes
portrait of Joe and
Liz Yamada, from the started with the designation process originally designed by Yamada. Pat- The omission of Yamada’s landscape
May 1977 issue of but to have a better understanding rick Caughey, FASLA, who joined from the original nomination is
San Diego Magazine, of what they could or couldn’t—or Wimmer Yamada in 1984 and later a reminder of how heavily historic
still exist today. shouldn’t—change,” Kaline says. As became a name partner, recalled in an preservation regulations are weighted

toward architecture and

also represent an op-
portunity for the field.
“I don’t think we’re very
well educated about land-
scape architecture, in gen-
eral. You’ve got this civilian
board, and we come from
very diverse backgrounds,”
Woods says (though the HRB
is required to have a landscape
architect on it).
It’s not just a matter of who

sits on the board, however.
The basic processes that gov-
ern preservation generally ignore
landscape architecture as a disci-
pline. In San Diego, for instance,
the HRB’s guidelines state that
Criterion C “applies to resources
significant for their physical de-
sign or method of construction.”
Although the term “physical de-
sign” is broad enough to apply to
landscape architecture, the guide-
lines go on to say, “The resource must
embody distinctive characteristics of
DAVID KIKUCHI, COURTESY INSUN LEE AND TROY WU

an architectural style, a type of con-
struction, a recognized construction
period, or an identifiable method of
RIGHT construction, as established through
Located on a steeply accepted bodies of scholarly and pro-
sloped lot, the Yamada fessional work.”
House is angled to
take advantage of
views and to create “In general, these types of reports N
unconventional aren’t very conducive to landscape ele-
landscape spaces. ments,” Kaline admits. A core reason

Join
Limited only by your imagination.
A modular planter and bench system

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Although the Historic American
Landscapes Survey, managed by the
National Park Service, has guidelines
for documenting landscapes, the pro-
gram was only established in 2000,
and local designations rely on local Per the HRB’s recommendation, the an extent that it became known in San
historians with landscape knowledge. team at IS Architecture revisited the Diego as the “Yamada roll.” “[Joe] was
Yamada House landscape. Without a a master of landform,” Pitman says.
It’s also a problem within landscape formal plan—Yamada apparently nev- “He used mounding and grading
architecture. Pitman, the landscape er made any drawings of the garden— to create space, to shield unwanted
architect for UC San Diego, spent the architects combed through foot- views, and to suggest movement and
six years as a member of the HRB age of the Cultural Landscape Foun- circulation.” Although the Yamadas
before stepping down in May 2022. dation’s interview with Yamada in the gave Kikuchi free rein as to the style
He says that city staff and the HRB oral history for clues to his original of their house, Joe Yamada also likely
should “do their due diligence to vision. According to the final historic had a hand in siting the house, as
be more aware of where they are” resources report, both Joe Yamada he regularly “insisted that it should
and educate themselves about the and Harriett Wimmer, his mentor be the landscape architect who sites
designers who shaped San Diego. and partner at Wimmer Yamada the building before the architectural
But he also argues that “architects, in & Associates, were “influenced by design begins,” according to the nom-
general, do a better job of champion- Japanese garden landscape design,” ination. Yamada liked the “unique
ing their heroes. Everybody knows coauthoring at least one article on the landscape spaces” that resulted from
who Frank Lloyd Wright is, right? style. For the house on El Camino Del angling a building on the site.
We should celebrate the folks who Teatro, Yamada blended traditional
do great work that came before us.” Japanese elements, such as natural Remarkably, besides the 2014 addi-
In the case of the Yamada House, stone, bamboo, and an active water tion of a putting green in the back-
it was fortunate that Joe Yamada’s feature, with a restrained, mono- yard, the Yamada House’s landscape
career is as well-documented and— chromatic plant palette. Large, hand- is mostly intact. “When you’re talking
in large part thanks to the work of placed boulders defined spaces and about Joe Yamada, to be [considering]
the Cultural Landscape Foundation, created planting beds, which were his own house, with his own land-
ABOVE RIGHT whose oral histories are available filled with ferns and white-flowering scape and his own aesthetic, and for
Yamada supervised online for free—as accessible as it is. shrubs, a nod to Wimmer. it to be largely intact, was an incred-
the placement of the
And yet, for every Joe Yamada, there ible opportunity,” Pitman says.
IS ARCHITECTURE
boulders that make up

the stepped walkway are 10 equally important design- The use of undulating, vegetated to-
that leads to the ers whose work is not so carefully pography to direct lines of sight is a IS Architecture’s final report, com-
entrance of the house. chronicled, Pitman says. strategy Yamada used elsewhere, to pleted in October 2022, identified the

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LEFT
The house’s plant
palette was influenced
by Joe Yamada’s mentor
and partner, Harriett
Wimmer.
historical, archaeological, cultural, Upon reviewing the revised nomina-

social, economic, political, aesthetic, tion, the HRB voted unanimously
engineering, landscaping, or archi- to designate the Yamada House a
tectural development.” The Yamadas historic property under all four crite-
were the first Asian American family ria. “I’ve gotten three criteria before,
to be allowed to purchase land in but to hit four—that’s unheard of,”
the Muirlands, tacitly helping end a Kaline says. The vote represents a
discriminatory practice among local major step forward for the visibility
Realtors and owners. “The Yamadas of landscape architecture in general
broke the gentleman’s agreement and of Joe Yamada in particular, Pit-
that people of Japanese descent man says. “There were people on the
shouldn’t own houses in that area,” board who didn’t even know that you
Kaline explains. could designate under a master land-
stepped, stone walkway and waterfall scape architect,” he says. “That’s not
and the boulder feature (“placed in Kaline also made sure Elizabeth Ya- willful ignorance. They just never
the Japanese style without concrete mada was included in the title for the come up. So as these things become
mortar”) as significant landscape ele- Yamada House and devoted a signifi- more common, it almost has a snow-
ments, along with mature sycamore, cant section of the nomination to her ball effect.”
New Zealand Christmas trees, and many individual accomplishments—
Japanese black pine trees; white- among them, serving on the boards Woods says she is immensely happy
flowering rhaphiolepis; nandina; and of numerous cultural institutions, in- with the outcome. “To tell a consul-
fortnight lilies. cluding the National Japanese Amer- tant, ‘You have to go back and do all
ican Memorial Foundation in Wash- this research and explain why this
Encouraged by Woods, the final ington, D.C., and advocating for the person is now a master,’ that can be re-
nomination also formally elevated preservation of Japanese American ally onerous. It’s expensive. So to have
Joe Yamada to the level of “master history. The nomination also notes gotten this far, I’m pleased,” she says.
landscape architect” within the City that Elizabeth Yamada was “integral”
of San Diego, which made the prop- to the success of Wimmer Yamada And yet as comprehensive as the fi-
erty eligible under Criterion D (“rep- & Associates, which she joined as nal nomination is, for Kaline, it’s still
resentative of the notable work of a an administrator, and later partner, just a starting point. “I could have
master builder, designer, architect, in 1976. “I’m a big proponent that spent two years working on this,” she
engineer, landscape architect, inte- the women should be brought up says. “I could have written a book.
rior designer, artist, or craftsman”). It just as much as the men are,” Kaline Someone should write a book.”
also made the case that the Yamada says. “So often in preservation we
House is eligible for designation un- only look at the source material, but TIMOTHY A. SCHULER WRITES ABOUT THE IN-
IS ARCHITECTURE
der Criterion A, as a property that re- the source material is often missing TERSECTION BETWEEN THE BUILT AND NATU-
RAL ENVIRONMENTS. HE LIVES IN THE KANSAS
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FEATURES
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Exodus and Dance, a

frieze by the sculptor
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
Richmond Barthé in
the courtyard of the
Kingsborough public
housing development,
page 56.

GRAIN COLLECTIVE AND NANCY OWENS STUDIO
REIMAGINE THE LANDSCAPES OF NEW YORK CITY’S
PUBLIC HOUSING SYSTEM.
BY ZACH MORTICE
NANCY OWENS STUDIO

PULLING OFF THE ROAD DURING A HOT AND STICKY NEW YORK CITY SUMMER
DAY IN 2020, AND INTO THE BERRY PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX ON STATEN
ISLAND, KATE BELSKI OF GRAIN COLLECTIVE HAD A BIT OF A REVELATION.
She found herself in a central lawn dotted with trees, surrounded by eight sawtooth-shaped,
low-rise buildings that are home to nearly 1,000 people, and it was all positively bucolic. “All
of a sudden we feel like we’re immersed in this beautiful oak forest,” she says. “There [are]
wild turkeys running across the central lawn. [It’s] actually preserved forest in the middle of
the city, and it’s kind of amazing.” These environments, Belski says, are “providing [a] refuge
from the urban environment and adding so much [in terms of] urban heat island effect, bio-
diversity, absorbing water.” The Berry campus is 86 percent open space. “I just think that the
idea of these sites as a concrete jungle is so far from what they actually are,” she says.
Belski was there to document the landscape for To counter this, Grain Collective’s preliminary
the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) sketches of Berry call for an axial entry proces-
as part of an ambitious master planning initiative sion leading to the central lawn, through a farm-
undertaken by the agency. And there was plenty to ers’ market and event space, gateway plaza, and
pick apart, much of which she’d seen before. Past outdoor stage, flanked by urban farming areas,
the surprise of a pastoral remove in New York City adventure fitness programs, and children’s play-
was a landscape that was repetitive, overpopulated grounds. At the perimeter, destination multigen-
with underused playgrounds, and suffering from erational playgrounds would attract people from
a distinct lack of programming diversity. across the neighborhood.

BERRY PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX (STATEN ISLAND)
OPEN SPACES
Early Childhood Playground
Destination Multigenerational
Playground
Adventure Fitness
Sports Courts and
Regular Fitness
Entry Plaza
Planting Area
Passive Green Space
Tenant Garden
Water Feature
CIRCULATION
Parking Area with
Green Infrastructure
Primary Circulation
with Special Paving
Secondary Circulation
Property Line
PROGRAMMING
1 Urban Farm and BBQ Area
2 Outdoor Stage
3 Gateway Plaza
4 Farmers’ Market/Event Space
5 Promenade
6 Stepped Seat Ramp
1 Fitness Circuit 1/5 mile
Released in October 2021, NYCHA’s Open Space Private sector intervention is necessary because,
N
Masterplan is the work of two landscape architec- as Delma Palma, NYCHA’s deputy director of
ture firms: Grain Collective and Nancy Owens design services, says, “We’re working every day to
Studio. Together the firms surveyed 133 NYCHA keep the buildings standing.” Driven by shrinking
campuses and plotted broad landscape reorgani- federal support for NYCHA—down 18 percent
zations for each. NYCHA translated this plan into from 2001 to 2017—the agency currently has
a succinct YouTube video that explains the effort a $40 billion maintenance backlog, and a 2017
to public housing residents; the video earned a physical needs assessment uncovered capital
2022 ASLA Professional Honor Award in Com- needs of $870 million for NYCHA grounds alone. COURTESY GRAIN COLLECTIVE
munications. The master plan is a fundraising
tool, giving charitable private-sector actors and The survey data collected by Grain Collective
nonprofits a budget road map to re-envisioning (available in an ArcGIS map online) is key to advo-
2,400 acres of NYCHA properties, where 1 in 16 cating for what NYCHA needs. “Having that data
New Yorkers (more than 500,000) live, nearly 90 is not something that’s typical of public housing or
percent of them Black or Hispanic. of these lower-income communities,” Palma says.

RIGHT AND BELOW
The Berry public
housing complex
on Staten Island is
centered on a wide
lawn dotted with trees
and playgrounds.
And it’s a massive trove. Each NYCHA campus

has its buildings and landscapes diagrammed
and modeled, with demographics, urban con-
text, maintenance deficiencies, and more. Nancy
Owens Studio conducted safety and maintenance
evaluations for hundreds of playgrounds, and just
one had 18 separate data points.
This kind of emphasis on landscape design

COURTESY GRAIN COLLECTIVE
from NYCHA is new, and this is the first time

the agency has engaged in indefinite-delivery/
indefinite-quantity contracts specifically with land-
scape architecture firms, which were previously
contracted as subconsultants under architecture
and engineering firms. “We recognize the huge

N
NEW YORK CITY
HOUSING AUTHORITY
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
LOCATION MAP
impact that landscape has,” Palma says.

“With a small amount of capital, you can
make a huge impact in these places.”
One reason for this outsized impact is

that mature landscapes already exist.
NYCHA CENTRAL OFFICE/FACILITIES
MIXED FINANCE/NON-NYCHA DEVELOPMENT
MIXED FINANCE/LLC1
RAD/PACT CONVERSION
FEDERAL (SENIOR DEVELOPMENT)
FEDERAL
Stereotypes of American urban public

housing imagine it as looming towers
of compacted and suffering humanity,
but the reality is often different. In New
York City, sites can be 75 percent or more
open space, a visible nod to Le Corbusier’s
tower-in-the-park design ideology that
held sway in the early to mid-20th century
when many of these campuses were built.
Additionally, NYCHA has the second-
largest private tree canopy in New York
City, according to Palma, topped only by
the New York City Department of Parks
and Recreation.
On the ground, across all five boroughs, what the ers to guide circulation through space, and few
two firms found were monotonous landscapes landscape signals that differentiate spaces for
NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY

with a lack of visual and spatial hierarchy, lending individuals, families, small groups, and large
the campuses a disorganized yet empty feel. The gatherings. The results are thousands of acres
basic building blocks of the majority of NYCHA that seem impenetrable and placeless.
landscapes are tot lots (some large campuses have
eight that are nearly identical), basketball courts, Most outdoor activity equipment is playgrounds
and bits of lawn and trees punitively fenced off for younger kids, but 73 percent of NYCHA resi-
at every juncture. There are few visual mark- dents are over 18. This mismatch is the product of

demographic change: Much of NYCHA’s housing crime rates of the 1980s and 1990s, Palma says. N
was built after World War II for young families They were a way to control how people moved
with small children that have since aged out of the
through space. The fencing also became a way
system. According to Grain Collective, some 40 to keep people off landscapes to lessen mainte-
percent of its playgrounds go unused, and only nance expenses. But today this makes many of
2 percent of space is for passive uses by adults.
the landscapes little more than intrusively man-
aged circulation routes, inaccessible and nearly
NYCHA developments accumulated their many unusable, with nearly 90 percent of mature trees
fencing barriers in response to the record-high behind fencing. These barriers confront residents

and visitors with a profound pessimism about the script brick towers up to 30 stories high at offset
public’s ability to manage public space. “In the angles from the street. The copy and paste du-
past, NYCHA took out a lot of amenities—seating plication of each building requires the landscape
and benches—because they didn’t want people to provide wayfinding cues and differentiation,
hanging out,” says Nancy Owens, ASLA, the which it rarely delivers. The buildings appear
founder of her eponymous studio. It appears that as a variety of simple geometric forms (U, H, L,
those forces at NYCHA got their wish. On a cool cruciform, or sawtooth zigzag), plans chosen to
ABOVE June morning when I visited several Brooklyn provide more corners for light and fresh air. But
Nancy Owens Studio’s campuses, there was virtually no one spending their incongruity with the surrounding city and
plans for the Van Dyke time outside. sheer size of the complexes (the largest NYCHA
public housing complex
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
property is 50 acres) make them feel like isolated

add a wider variety of
In addition to discouraging integration and con- compounds. Teen girls, for example, told Nancy
programmatic diversity
to what is currently nection to the wider city, many of NYCHA’s Owens’s team that their friends don’t want to
an undifferentiated campuses, especially the largest ones, interrupt visit because the entrance to the property feels
landscape. the city street grid, placing repetitive and nonde- foreboding.

VAN DYKE PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX
(BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN)
During our visit to the Van Dyke NYCHA devel- enough to dilute any intuitive understanding of
opment in Brownsville, Brooklyn, it takes Owens an axial plan. From the interior of the complex,
a bit to get her bearings. She’s been there before, orienting views of the street are blocked by build-
but after 74 surveys, things tend to blend together. ings. “We’re used to integrating spatially and
“There’s not an identity, a differentiation of char- programmatically, but everything is just plopped
acter,” she says. Landscapes in these places are [down],” Owens says. Her constant refrain is: “It
usually “a couple of trees around a new boiler just needs good designers.” Her plans for this
building.” complex include a skatepark, nature fitness area,
and adult fitness areas.
There are landmarks, like the sunken basketball
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
court and community center on the 23-building, Conversely, about two miles northwest of Van
22-acre campus spread over three blocks. But Dyke, there’s an NYCHA campus with a strong
buildings seem to simply run into each other, landscape identity. An axial promenade domi-
with no landscape features guiding transitions. nates the west side of the Kingsborough de-
The campus is largely symmetrical, yet offset just velopment, built in 1941, tying together about

KINGSBOROUGH PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX
(BROOKLYN)
NANCY OWENS STUDIO, BACKGROUND IMAGE; GOOGLE EARTH, INSET PHOTO

N
ABOVE half of its 16 six-story apartment buildings. The The open space master plan project began in
The Kingsborough promenade is lined by a loose allée and terminates March 2020, just as COVID-19 locked the city
public housing at a spectacular Works Progress Administration– down, which limited public input. But the firms
development features era sculptural frieze by Richmond Barthé titled did speak with property managers and tenant
a strong axial plan that
Nancy Owens Studio
Exodus and Dance. But the opposite side of the association presidents. For Grain Collective, the
used to guide its frieze is a forlorn asphalt courtyard cradled by sudden worldwide focus on public health made
concept design. a U-shaped building. Owens’s plans suggest a connection to another way these landscapes
converting the promenade terminus to an ovular were letting NYCHA residents down. Early in
round that fronts the Barthé frieze with a perfor- the pandemic, areas of central Brooklyn and
mance area. the South Bronx with high numbers of NYCHA

THE NYCHA
DEVELOPMENTS
ARE LIKE
A MUSEUM
OF TREES.
properties had some of the highest rates of and install green infrastructure that can reduce
COVID-19 infection, on top of already high levels heat island effects and absorb stormwater. For
of asthma, obesity, and type 2 diabetes often seen Belski, a key question is, “How can we integrate
in low-income communities. In July 2020 alone, the amenity needs of the demographics that are
5 percent of people in these areas tested positive living there without taking away from this amaz-
for COVID-19. This told the Grain Collective ing natural respite that has evolved because his-
founding principal Runit Chhaya, ASLA, that torically we didn’t trust people to access their own
residents “did not have good open spaces to go landscapes?” Given the vitrine-like role fences and
out to, and they were stuck in their apartments,” barriers have played in fostering the growth of
he says. “In a morbid way [the pandemic] fueled the mature flora on campuses, NYCHA develop-
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
the momentum for this project.” ments are a “museum of trees,” she says.
Climate resilience is a vital part of the plan too, The firms’ research revealed that teen girls and
and includes recommendations to reduce imper- seniors often feel left out of NYCHA landscapes,
vious surfaces, expand biodiversity with plantings, leaving them bored and isolated, respectively.

BELOW AND OPPOSITE
Like many NYCHA complexes,
the Kingsborough public
housing complex orients
its buildings away from the
street and interrupts
the street grid.
KINGSBOROUGH
EXISTING DESIGN
NANCY OWENS STUDIO

PLAY FITNESS BUILDING
WATER PLAY SYNTHETIC TURF NYC PARK
NATURE PLAY DOG RUN PRIMARY CIRCULATION
SEATING AREA/PLAZA LAWN SECONDARY CIRCULATION
PAVED PLAY/COURTS PLANTING

PLAY FITNESS BUILDING
PAVED PLAY/COURTS PLANTING
KINGSBOROUGH
CONCEPT DESIGN
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
“We spent so much time walking around [ask- The most challenging sites for Owens are often
ing], ‘Where are the teen girls? What are they the smallest ones, such as Stuyvesant Gardens in
gonna do?’” Belski says. If they’re too old for nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant. It’s a low-rise, scat-
playgrounds, parents of younger kids might look tered site NYCHA complex on two separate long
askance if they hang around. But “being a teen and narrow blocks, occupying some six acres of
is all about seeing and being seen,” she says. The land. The landscape here is a narrow strip, mostly
master plan proposes “providing these gathering populated by six repetitive playgrounds on top of
spaces for them that are highly visible, so that they fraying rubber tiles. Across this strip, from one
have the protection of the eyes of the community; building to the next, five layers of fencing box
they’re well-lit, but they feel like a space created out trees, patches of grass, and the playgrounds,
N for them.” Examples are terraced stair seating and delineating every transition in the landscape. It
stages. Seniors need seating areas integrated with doesn’t seem surprising that none of the play-
other programs and activities. grounds are being used.

KINGSBOROUGH PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX
(BROOKLYN)
By chance, we meet a local activist and communi- in NYCHA housing just a few blocks away, at the
ty organizer, Bruce Green, who came to Stuyves- Eleanor Roosevelt NYCHA campus. And true to
ant Gardens that day to organize an antiviolence Owens’s evaluations, he says those landscapes
rally after a child was shot there a few days before. prized durability over fun. But he remembers early
As police mill around in the background, he says, on there was enough room for a baseball game in
“I thought you might have been grief counselors.” front of this building—until more fencing came
It’s a reminder that the landscape design security in. “At that point, you would pretty much have to
measures (such as broader sight lines and im- take your game to a local park,” he says.
proved lighting) Owens is thinking through have
ABOVE ramifications beyond creating more inviting street
Green wants to see more skateparks and adult
Nancy Owens Studio’s frontages, though they are unable to alter the fitness equipment in NYCHA housing, which
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
concept designs for the

trajectory of epidemic gun violence on their own.
Owens’s plans propose. But he’s used to the status
Kingsborough complex
include connecting it quo at NYCHA persisting, and wary of change
to neighborhood Green, who often partners with the New York when it arrives. “The whole community is exactly
cultural amenities. City Parks Department in his activism, grew up the way it was 30, 40 years ago,” he says. “The gap

RIGHT AND BELOW
At the Kingsborough
campus and elsewhere,
mature trees and
underpopulated
playgrounds are some
of the most common
elements of NYCHA
housing complexes.
is employment. There’s been no change to the eco-

nomic growth and development of these families.”
NYCHA is supporting controversial legislation that
would allow it to lease properties to a new Public
Housing Preservation Trust, which could then
obtain private funding for renovations of proper-
ties, a structure that makes residents and activists
nervous. And gentrification-driven displacement
is a constant concern. “NYCHA is in the gentrify-
ing business,” Green says. The most obvious park
landscape improvements that Green has seen in
NANCY OWENS STUDIO
the neighborhood only arrive when white stroller

moms do, too. “You’re advocating for this place to
be transformed, exchanged, and turned over to
private interests,” he says. “Say what it is.”

BELOW
KINGSBOROUGH
The new Kingsborough CONCEPT DESIGN
concept design slots
gardens and fitness
areas in between the PLAY FITNESS BUILDING
buildings.
OPPOSITE
Richmond Barthé’s
sculptural frieze is at the N
end of a long, loose allée,
which is the defining PAVED PLAY/COURTS PLANTING
landscape feature of the
Kingsborough complex.
NANCY OWENS STUDIO, THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE
NYCHA is also looking for private dollars to fund As the areas surrounding NYCHA properties
landscape improvements and ongoing mainte- are gentrified, an open space master plan that
nance. So what’s in it for the donors? “I don’t calls for “destination” parks that would draw
know that we owe them anything,” Palma says. “A people from across the neighborhood might not
lot of the private parties that we’re working with be embraced by tenants. For Chhaya, it’s easy to
see this investment as very necessary and a part of understand why “not everybody has bought into
the social justice movement. Our asset continues the larger idea of connecting this public housing
to remain public.” to the larger city grid.” But he’s willing to take the

“IT’S REALLY ABOUT
STARTING THE CONVERSATION
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.”
—KATE BELSKI

RIGHT
Barthé’s Exodus and
Dance depicts Black
figures dancing in
celebration on one side
and the exodus of the
Israelites on the other.
OPPOSITE
The Kingsborough
concept design creates
a public amphitheater
and focal point
surrounding Barthé’s
sculptural frieze.
time to make the case and listen as

residents make theirs. “We’re here to
listen,” he says. “We’re here to take it
on the chin.”
For now, the master plan is a series of

loose, programmatic sketches pend-
ing deeper engagement with the com-
munity. “It’s really about starting the
conversation within the community,”
Belski says, “so that the solutions are
generated within their own ideas and
how they see people using the space.”
NYCHA isn’t releasing much in

the way of budget estimates for the
master plan, though Palma says that
individual projects may run from $3
NANCY OWENS STUDIO, THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE

to $15 million—not much in terms
of what some New Yorkers spend on
public landscapes.
Two days after my tour of central

Brooklyn public housing landscapes,
I stopped by Little Island, an artificial
island on the Hudson River designed
by Heatherwick Studio and MNLA,
for a brisk walk and a $6 brown-butter
chocolate-chunk cookie. It was im-

mediately apparent why its opening ture. “The good ideas right now,” she laments,
in 2021 was the New York City land- “are in affluent neighborhoods.” She studied with
scape design event of the year. With Garrett Eckbo and Lawrence Halprin at the Uni-
400 species of plants representing versity of California, Berkeley, where she learned
every shade and texture arrayed into to center social justice in the public sector as the
tightly defined microclimates, all on way to fulfill landscape architecture’s moral and
top of 132 concrete columns that bulge disciplinary mission. The constraints she experi-
into 20-foot-wide planter “pots,” it’s a ences on projects like the NYCHA open space
stunning feat of engineering, design, master plan push her to be a better designer.
and high-wire arborism. It was built “You have to provide good bones of your design
for a quarter-billion dollars, a sum that’s going to weather a lack of maintenance,”
that could immeasurably improve the she says. “It’s a challenge, but I think it’s a really
lived experience of hundreds of thou- exciting one.”
sands of NYCHA residents.
ZACH MORTICE IS A CHICAGO-BASED DESIGN JOURNALIST AND
“It’s definitely not a folly,” Palma says CRITIC WHO FOCUSES ON THE INTERSECTION OF DESIGN AND
POLICY IN ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE.
of the NYCHA master plan. “These
are people’s homes. These are ex-
tremely important to the workforce Project Credits
of New York City. The biggest em- LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE NANCY OWENS STUDIO, NEW YORK
CITY; GRAIN COLLECTIVE, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. CLIENT NEW
ployers of NYCHA residents are the
YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY. COST ESTIMATOR SHERPA
Department of Education and the CONSTRUCTION CONSULTING, WOODSIDE, NEW YORK. ENVI-
Metropolitan Transportation Author- RONMENTAL DESIGN CONSULTANT NATURAL LEARNING INITIA-
ity. Literally, NYCHA residents keep TIVE, COLLEGE OF DESIGN, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVER-
the city running.” SITY, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA. COPYWRITING WORDSHOP,
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. VIDEOGRAPHY LISANDRO PEREZ-REY,
NEW YORK CITY. ILLUSTRATOR SUYU CHEN, ROCHESTER, NEW
Owens is disappointed with where YORK. REPORT AND VIDEO WRITTEN NARRATIVE LAUREN BEL-
the locus of money, power, and de- SKI, NEW YORK CITY.
sign is today in landscape architec-

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THE BACK
TERRY EVANS, “PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA,” 1990; SHELDON ART ASSOCIATION; THE HOME GROUND COLLECTION: GIFT OF THE ARTIST IN HONOR OF BARRY LOPEZ
FROM HERE TO THE HORIZON:

PHOTOGRAPHS IN HONOR
OF BARRY LOPEZ
Sheldon Museum of Art
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
Through May 26
The late author and environmentalist

Barry Lopez’s influential writing,
including Arctic Dreams and Home
Ground, is the inspiration for a new
exhibition of photographs in his
honor. Fifty American artists donated
more than 90 photographs to the
Home Ground Collection, a project
of the newly launched Barry Lopez
Foundation for Art & Environment.
The photographers connected their
compositions to descriptions of
American topography—such as
“badlands” and “hanging valley”—
creating distinct views of subjects
including a tailings pond, a mud flow,
and the Platte River in Nebraska,
shown here in a photograph by
Terry Evans.

DESIGNING
UPWARD A PLEA AND A CALL TO ACTION,
BIODIVERCITY: A MATTER OF
VITAL SOIL! SHOULD BE ON EVERY
MUNICIPAL DESIGNER’S DESK.
BY JENNIFER REUT
S o often communicating the imperative of urban

biodiversity can come off as either too technical
or too naive, missing the mark and disengaging the
audience that most needs to take on these challenges.
BiodiverCITY: A Matter of Vital Soil! is a welcome
breakthrough.
The book is a true collaborative effort, credited to

the City of Amsterdam (the book’s subject) and
researchers from Naturalis, Netherlands Institute of
Ecology, Inside Outside, and Artis, with its origins in
the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism and
the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
The concept is credited to Joyce van
den Berg and Hans van der Made,
chief design and landscape architect
and senior chief planner for the City
of Amsterdam, though even that
information is not easy to come by in
this group effort.
Simply put, the message of the book

is focused on fully incorporating
biodiversity into public space planning,
starting with the soil and its inhabitants.
As van den Berg and van der Made neatly put it,
“The design of space in the city needs to be more
integral and develop upwards from below rather than
downwards from above.”
Getting the science of subsurface biodiversity

across isn’t easily done, but the authors’ mix of
graphics, photography, and very close-in images
(arachnophobes take note) is strong and beautifully
designed. With appealingly titled chapters such as
“Networks of the Fungal Kingdom” and “Soil Animals
Need to Go to Town,” BiodiverCITY manages to get
the technical points across with a light touch and
THEODOOR HEIJERMAN
even a bit of wit without sacrificing detail or urgency.

If every city could have a reference like this, it might
spark a transformative moment.

SOIL ORGANISMS
Animals, classified by size from 20 microns
to 30 centimeters, coexist throughout the soil
and contribute to the ecosystem’s health.

SOIL FOOD WEB
Within communities of living
things, food webs determine
how species consume and
are consumed to obtain
energy and help develop
rich, layered soils.
LUJIA ZHU

MYCORRHIZAL NETWORK
A mutually advantageous relationship
between plants and fungi allows for
the exchange of sugars, nutrients,
and water and provides protection
against pathogens.
LUJIA ZHU

A PLEA FOR WILDER CITIES
Even small openings of soil can
host a multitude of plant species
including Erigeron karvinskianus,
Geranium robertianum, and
Veronica arvensis.
Alcea rosea / Hollyhock
Chelidonium majus / Greater Celandine

NICO BICK, TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT; INGRID OOSTERHEERD, RIGHT

SEVEN TREES OF AMSTERDAM
The city’s native trees capture varying
levels of carbon dioxide and host fungal,
bryophyte, insect, and pollinating species.
ALICIA SANCHEZ FONSECA

ALICIA SANCHEZ FONSECA

CITIZEN SCIENCE:
LOOKING FOR SOIL ANIMALS
IN YOUR OWN GARDEN
Each year, citizen scientists
throughout the Netherlands
help collect data on soil animals
in local gardens, including the
green roof of the Netherlands
Institute of Ecology.
THEODOOR HEIJERMAN

INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SPACE
Resilient and well-connected green
infrastructure helps transport waste and
provides shade and habitats for species.
Shown here is a section of Haaksbergweg,
Amstel-Stad, Amsterdam.
LOUIS VAN AMERONGEN

SOIL THREATENING HABITS
A growing population and
denser cities mean more urban
soil is covered by solid surfaces,
compacting and harming soil
structure and biodiversity.
ALESSANDRA RICCETTI

ALESSANDRA RICCETTI

MYCORRHIZAL NETWORKS
The mycorrhizal network is formed
by underground fungi that link with
the roots of trees. The circle here
shows the ways in which fungi,
along the outer ring, relate to
the trees along the inner ring.
CHONG YAO

CHONG YAO

THE BACK /
BOOKS EDITED BY MIMI ZEIGER
NO
GREEN
PILL
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF WELLNESS:
HOW HEALTH AND DISEASE SHAPED
THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE
BY SARA JENSEN CARR; CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA:
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESS, 2021; 288 PAGES, $34.50.
REVIEWED BY POLLYANNA RHEE
I n 2016, Karen DeSalvo, the acting assistant secretary for

health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-
vices, noted that public health was in a new era where “one’s zip
Over the course of eight chapters that progress thematically
and chronologically, Carr offers two related interventions.
The first part of the book, titled “Infectious Terrains,” consists
code is a better indicator of health than genetic code.” DeSalvo’s chiefly of a revisionist history of the American built environ-
link between health and place underscored a pervasive and un- ment from the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. Familiar
comfortable fact about living in the United States today: Racial and canonical figures such as Andrew Jackson Downing,
and class-based segregation is both common and harmful for Frederick Law Olmsted, Daniel Burnham, Le Corbusier, Frank
people’s physical and mental health. Under these conditions, Lloyd Wright, and Lewis Mumford undergo reassessment
health is often a luxury rather than part of our common good. through the lens of dominant ideas about health and disease
At the same time, our current era is marked by constant data in their times. The second part, “The Chorography of Chronic
gathering and quantitative assessment of our cities: Where is Disease,” begins in the 1950s and presents a critical analysis
the most livable place? Which is the healthiest city? What is of recent work and initiatives linking public health with the
the walkability index of this locale? We have more information environment over the past half century.
than ever about our cities. But does all that data actually help
us? And how did we get to this point? Throughout, landscape—parks, bike infrastructure, public
housing projects, and suburbs—is interlocked with the history
Sara Jensen Carr, ASLA, an assistant professor of architecture of public health, including deadly miasmas, germ theory, and
at Northeastern University, tackles that final question in The our current focus on wellness and lifestyle choices, as well as
Topography of Wellness: How Health and Disease Shaped the increasing concerns around climate change. The Topography
American Landscape. Instead of thinking about health as a of Wellness’s narrative pinpoints urban landscapes as a central
matter resolved through a simple yes or no question—are you platform for thinking about the health and wellness of the na-
sick or not?—the book examines how landscapes responded tion’s inhabitants, as well as the undeniable political and social
to and shaped ideas about health, wellness, and politics over stakes of such endeavors. Artful landscapes, such as Olmsted’s
the past two centuries of American life. parks, provide leisurely and charming spaces throughout the

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THE BACK /BOOKS
both landscapes and health through wellness has a contempo-

rary feel, but Carr wants to show its long-standing presence.
Throughout the historical and current examples, landscape

emerges as an often underexamined but ubiquitous presence
in assessing health. As cholera epidemics swept through the
United States at regular intervals in the middle of the 19th
century, sanitary surveys revealed stark disparities in death rate
by place. Some commentators saw tenements as “perpetual
fever-nests” due to their inhabitants’ behaviors, whereas others
RIGHT viewed the poor as “victims of their environment.” Attempts
The introduction
to expand access to healthy spaces often revealed attitudes that
of urban sewer
infrastructure presented some segments of the population as more deserving
dramatically of health than others.
improved health
and sanitation The shifts Carr traces map onto larger trajectories of American
conditions. social and cultural history, especially as citizens, institutions,
and governments have grappled (and continue to grapple) with
deep inequalities. Calling for interventions in the landscape in
the name of health offered a way of advancing political objec-
tives. Responses to 19th-century epidemics in rapidly growing
cities depended on assumptions that modern vices contributed
to their spread. Urban playgrounds furnished children with
dedicated spaces but had moral justifications. Playgrounds
encouraged activity rather than idleness and kept children
separated from the influence of criminals and other bad ac-
tors on city streets. Even imaginary worlds showcased health.
Hygeia: A City of Health, a utopian text by the British physi-
cian Benjamin Ward Richardson in 1876, provided detailed
country. The designer also saw them as lifesavers for the poor descriptions of a city with “the lowest mortality” despite a lack
that allowed them to convalesce in urban nature before return- of training in design. Notably, he omitted details about human
ing to productive labor. activities. Realizing clean cities free from disease was such an
aspiration that it may as well have been a fantasy.
At its core, Topography of Wellness argues that health “was the
medium through which cities were shaped and municipal gov- The second part of the book focuses on attempts to mitigate
PUBLIC DOMAIN, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
ernments imposed order.” In using “wellness” as her central the effects of chronic diseases in 20th- and 21st-century urban
term, Carr acknowledges its breadth, but explains the choice spaces. As approaches toward health became more technical
as one rooted in its present resonance as a term connoting and professionalized at the start of the 20th century, a simi-
healthy behavior and lifestyles and her objective to interrogate larly restricted view of the relationship between health and cities
its uses. Wellness and the associated phrase “well-being” not emerged as well. Americans came to see epidemics and illness
only imply an individual’s happiness but have taken off as as a result of individual choices rather than a result of policy and
terms for marketing products. The process of commodifying structural forces. Rather than improving one’s surroundings,

THE BACK /BOOKS
the task was now to improve one’s own self and free
the body from disease. These ideas informed critics
during the midcentury era of urban renewal, such
as when Architectural Forum published an article in
1951 titled “Slum Surgery in St. Louis” and included
photographs of blighted and so-called obsolete
districts that threatened to spread across the city.
In Victor Gruen’s 1964 The Heart of Our Cities, he
considered the urban core to be a heart and advocated
RIGHT for the revival of the garden city to repair this “tired
Biological analogies
proliferated in
heart.” Like a human body, a city could have its diseases
discussions about cities and pathologies in the form of blight surgically removed.
VICTOR GRUEN PAPERS, AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, TOP; PUBLIC DOMAIN, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, BOTTOM
in the 20th century,
leading some to view This limited perspective resulted in the minimization of so-
them as living cells. cial and cultural considerations. Writing in 1984, Kevin Lynch
found the use of medical terminology problematic because it
BELOW
Urban renewal
reassured people “living outside the city that their health would
proponents believed be preserved by stopping the contagion of blight.”
in rescuing so-called intervention or design could be a straightforward solution
blighted and If there is one overarching assumption, or perhaps aspira- to the problem of health without regard for social, political,
diseased cities. tion, in these projects over time, it is the idea that a single or ideological context. Currently popular interventions such
as incorporating landscape views in health care settings, tree
planting programs, and smart cities designed with active liv-
ability in mind contain aspects of this assumption. This was
the case even as the Centers for Disease Control began to ad-
dress “social determinants of health” in the 1980s and 1990s.
Carr looks especially at research linking rising obesity rates,
increased stress, and the rise of hypertension to low-density
sprawl and life oriented around the car. But vilifying sprawl
and offering an alternative could also take a neo-traditionalist
or even regressive turn.
In one of a few reassessments, Carr examines the New Urban-

ist principles of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
enshrined in their 2000 book, Suburban Nation: The Rise of
Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, written with
the urban planner Jeff Speck, Honorary ASLA. In addition to
dismissing the work of landscape architects simply as people
who “prettify” rather than improve the landscape while leaning
on their own aesthetic preferences, Duany, Plater-Zyberk, and
Speck reveal their own limited social vision. In their rebuke

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THE BACK /BOOKS
PUBLIC DOMAIN, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, LEFT; COURTESY GROUNDWORK LAWRENCE AND AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION’S SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES DIVISION, RIGHT
Near the book’s conclusion, Carr includes a rallying cry
for landscape architects. She acknowledges that landscape
architecture “is often victim to value engineering or dis-
missed as a decorative art.” But it can also create a path to
reconnect the design and planning of cities with public
of modernist cities, Carr contends that the trio “uncritically health in mind. Landscape architects can reclaim their role
doubled down” on “defining their superior traditionalism as by envisioning a more expansive and politically engaged
European” or from the antebellum South. Since early in the set of tasks. Confronting intertwined issues of sprawl-
21st century, Duany and Plater-Zyberk have focused on post- ing development, climate change, spatial inequities, and
Hurricane Katrina recovery projects in Biloxi, Mississippi, chronic disease transcends the traditional boundaries of
and New Orleans, stressing the healthful attributes of New the profession. Nevertheless, embracing these challenges
Urbanist designs, positions that have not avoided controversy is a necessity. Instead of a solutions-minded focus, the es-
and charges that their nostalgic designs are accomplices to sential takeaway here is the need to shift the perspective on
displacement of New Orleans’s Black population. health and wellness and its relationship to landscapes if we
are to have a more equitable society. Although landscape
TOP LEFT Health, Carr acknowledges, is a term with “value judgments, architects may find the chapters in the second half most
The federal hierarchies, and blind assumptions that speak as much helpful for their focus on contemporary activities, Carr also
government now
about power and privilege as they do about well-being.” admonishes landscape architects to consider the possibility
markets wellness
by encouraging Writing in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in spring that design practitioners have been “compliant in a system
walkability in cities. 2020, Carr concludes that ultimately there is “no green pill” that exacerbates social inequity.” Landscape architects are
that solves everything. But she notes that fact doesn’t keep political actors whether or not they want to be. Recognizing
TOP RIGHT urban critics such as Joel Kotkin from vindicating Southern that fact means examining the assumptions behind health,
A proposal for California’s sprawling landscape of single-family homes as cities, and design and understanding that the choices we
green streets in
vital for minimizing virus exposures. Very often solutions make are anything but neutral.
Massachusetts links
environmental quality are oriented toward bettering or justifying the lives of those
with an individual’s who are already comfortable rather than toward more equi- POLLYANNA RHEE IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITEC-
quality of life. table approaches. TURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA–CHAMPAIGN.

2023 Student Awards | Call for Entries is now open!
ASLA 2022 Honor Award | Urban Design

The Bottom Rises: Sustainable Infrastructure Anchors a Reviving Neighborhood
Dallas, Texas, United States | Avery Deering-Frank, Student ASLA; Cooper Begis, Student ASLA; Amanda Buss; Violet Lam, Student ASLA; Jessie Hitchcock, Student ASLA; Ann
Thuruthy; Dasom Mun, Student ASLA; Oren Mandelbaum, Student ASLA | Faculty Advisor: Joowon Im, ASLA | University of Texas at Arlington | Image Credit: Avery Deering-Frank
Each year the ASLA Student Awards gives us a glimpse into the future of the profession. Award
recipients receive featured coverage in Landscape Architecture Magazine, the magazine of
ASLA, and in many other design and construction industry and general-interest media. Award
recipients and their advisors will be honored at the awards presentation ceremony during the
ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in Minneapolis, MN, October 27-30, 2023.
Must be ASLA student member. Student Members can join for Free!
Entry Fee: $65 + $65 for additional entries
Deadline: May 5, 2023 11:59pm PST
Categories: General Design | Residental Design | Analysis & Planning | Research | Urban Design
Communications| Student Collaboration| Student Community Service
Learn more here: https://www.asla.org/2023cfe/
American Society of Landscape Architects

THE BACK /BOOKS
BOOKS
OF INTEREST
COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES
OFFER HOPE TO NATURE
AND THE PLANET.
WAY BEYOND BIGNESS: METADESIGNING

THE NEED FOR A WATERSHED DESIGNING IN THE
ARCHITECTURE ANTHROPOCENE
BY DEREK HOEFERLIN; NOVATO, EDITED BY JOHN WOOD; LONDON
CALIFORNIA: ORO EDITIONS, 2023; AND NEW YORK: ROUTLEDGE, 2022;
593 PAGES, $45. 262 PAGES, $170.
Epic in both scope and size, Way Across 16 essays, Metadesigning ar-
Beyond Bigness presents design re- THE STORY OF FLOWERS gues that an interdisciplinary, collab-
search on three watersheds: the Me- AND HOW THEY CHANGED orative approach is necessary to tackle
kong, Mississippi, and Rhine river THE WAY WE LIVE the simultaneous crises—climatic,
basins. These are huge territories BY NOEL KINGSBURY; LONDON: economic, and social—facing the
united by shared challenges of water LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING, 2023; planet in our Anthropocene era. The
216 PAGES, $29.99.
infrastructure, including manage- book doesn’t shy away from urgency,
ment across borders and accelerated stressing that the Earth is in trouble
flooding due to climate change. The The garden designer Noel Kings- and designers need to use their agen-
architect Derek Hoeferlin, Affiliate bury, known for his collaborations cy in what may feel like end-times.
ASLA, organizes the book around a with Piet Oudolf, carefully indexes The contribution by the landscape
trio of methodologically based chap- 100 blooms, each accompanied by architect and urban designer Chuck
ters: “Appreciate + Analyze,” “Specu- meticulous illustrations by Charlotte Ware, ASLA, “Towards Synergistic
late + Synthesize,” “Collaborate + Day that evoke 18th-century botani- Performance in Design,” uses case
Catalyze.” The first two sections are cal etchings. True to the title, The studies to highlight how landscape
packed with contributor essays, pre- Story of Flowers provides insight into architecture affects economic and
cise analytical drawings, and field- the idea that flowers are so much community development, environ-
work photography, while the latter more than their beauty. They are mental health, and culture.
gives space to the more intimate role currency, medicine, and the object
of community engagement. of cultural myth. While cultivated
beds may require tending, Kings-
bury argues that there is reciprocity:
As we care for flowers, they, in turn,
change us.

INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
The perfect place to find out about LAAB-accredited
landscape architecture degree programs.
“The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) is the official
accrediting body for landscape architecture degree programs. Enrolling
in an LAAB-accredited program is the starting point in your landscape
architecture career and the fastest path to licensure.”
~ Lynn Ewanow, LAAB Chair
Learn more about LAAB at asla.org/LAAB.
Degree Programs by State Looking to get your master’s degree?
101 accredited landscape architecture degree Flip the page for details on some
programs to choose from across the United LAAB-accredited programs.
States.
American University of Beirut Oklahoma State University University of Illinois
Arizona State University Pennsylvania State University University of Kentucky
Auburn University Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, flip University of Maryland
Ball State University for more info University of Massachusetts
Boston Architectural College, flip for more Purdue University University of Michigan
info Rhode Island School of Design University of Minnesota
California Polytechnic State University Rutgers University University of Nebraska
California State Polytechnic University South Dakota State University University of Nevada, Las Vegas
City College of New York State University of New York University of New Mexico
Clemson University Temple University University of Oklahoma
Colorado State University Texas A & M University, flip for more info University of Oregon, flip for more info
Cornell University Texas Tech University University of Pennsylvania
Delaware Valley University Thomas Jefferson University University of Rhode Island
Florida International University Universidad Ana G. Mendez University of Southern California
Harvard University University of Arizona University of Tennessee
Illinois Institute of Technology University of Arkansas University of Texas at Arlington
Iowa State University, flip for more info University of California, Berkeley, flip for University of Texas at Austin
Kansas State University more info University of Virginia
Kent State University University of California, Davis University of Washington
Louisiana State University University of Cincinnati University of Wisconsin
Michigan State University University of Colorado Denver Utah State University
Mississippi State University University of Connecticut Virginia Tech
Morgan State University University of Delaware Washington State University
North Carolina A & T State University University of Florida Washington University in St. Louis, flip for
North Carolina State University University of Georgia, flip for more info more info
North Dakota State University University of Hawaii West Virginia University
Ohio State University University of Idaho
Scan the QR code to learn more about landscape architecture education and career development.
Creating diversity
through design.
Aerial view of proposed redevelopment, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA, incorporating landscape
urbanism strategies prioritizing climate resiliency within a commercial development addressing the
needs of local residential communities.
Student work by Kun An Master of Landscape Architecture

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Riveting, Compelling,
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The Cultural Landscape Foundation‘s
Oberlander Prize Forums examine
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pressing issues. The first two
Forums, now online, are inspired
by the inaugural Oberlander Prize
laureate, Julie Bargmann.
Julie Bargmann. Photo by Barrett Doherty, 2021.
OBERLANDER PRIZE FORUM I: COURAGEOUS BY DESIGN

Who knew that the leaders in addressing the climate crisis in New York City
were all women landscape architects? Hear from the practitioners who are
inventing and deploying new tools, techniques, and technologies to meet
the challenges of the current climate crisis in New York City and beyond.
Watch: tclf.org/courageous
OBERLANDER PRIZE FORUM II: LANDSCAPE ACTIVISM

Race, gender, equity, sexuality … how do landscape architects design
to address these and other issues? From Jane Edmonds’ engrossing and
moving keynote address, to provocative and insightful presentations by
practitioners, community organizers, and others, the Landscape Activism
symposium offers exciting doses of inspiration and motivation.
Watch: tclf.org/activism
OBERLANDER PRIZE: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

On October 17, 2023, the next recipient of the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
International Landscape Architecture Prize will be announced. A call
for nominations is currently open and there is particular emphasis on
expanding the pool of nominators and nominees from Africa, South and
South East Asia, and South America.
Contact Oberlander Prize Curator John Beardsley for additional information:

john@tclf.org
Learn More: tclf.org/prize
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EDUCATION Berliner 864-627-1092 45, 126 Huntco Supply, LLC 503-224-8700 111
ASLA LAAB/Institutes of Higher Education 202-898-2444 103 Columbia Cascade Company 800-547-1940 123, C4 Landscape Forms 800-430-6205 3, 15
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Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico 787-622-8000 108 PAVING/SURFACING/MASONRY STONE/METALS Sunbolt 267-419-8496 33
University of Georgia College 706-542-4704 107 Hanover Architectural Products, Inc. 717-637-0500 20 Thomas Steele 800-448-7931 127
of Environment & Design Invisible Structures, Inc. 303-395-1803 49 Via Seating 800-433-6614 115
University of Oregon 541-510-1490 109 Kafka Granite LLC 715-316-2792 13, 128 Victor Stanley, Inc. 301-855-8300 124, C3
Nitterhouse Masonry Products, LLC 717-267-4500 18
FENCES/GATES/WALLS Pine Hall Brick Co., Inc. 800-334-8689 27, 126 STRUCTURES
LEGI/Outerspace Landscape Furnishings 858-729-3888 128 Progress Profiles America, Inc. 973-584-2650 77 Easi-Set Buildings 800-547-4045 114
LOCINOX USA 877-562-4669 110 Soil Retention Products 760-966-6090 114 Gothic Arch Greenhouses 251-471-5238 116
Versa-Lok Retaining Wall System 800-770-4525 112, 127 Solistone 800-758-2119 126 MODSTREET 970-422-8400 113
Wallace Perimeter Security 866-300-1110 116 Stepstone, Inc. 800-572-9029 99 Shade Systems, Inc. 800-609-6066 17
Techo-Bloc Corp. 877-832-4625 37, 126 Walpole Outdoors LLC 800-343-6948 46
GREEN ROOFS/LIVING WALLS Unilock, Ltd. 416-646-3452 31
greenscreen 800-450-3494 76, 126 WATER MANAGEMENT AND AMENITIES
PLANTERS/SCULPTURES/GARDEN ACCESSORIES Atomizing Systems, Inc. 888-265-3364 112
LUMBER/DECKING/EDGING Campania International, Inc. 215-541-4627 C2-1, 123
Bison Innovative Products by UCP 888-412-4766 110 David Harber Ltd. 312-895-1586 74
Permaloc Aluminum Edging 800-356-9660 95 Form and Fiber 888-314-8852 113
Sure-Loc Aluminum Edging 800-787-3562 126 Green Theory Design Inc. 604-475-7002 41, 125
HADDONSTONE 866-733-8225 77
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ASLA
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For ASLA Members
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This companion to the ASLA Climate Action
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Executive Summary
▶ The Climate Action Plan is a The plan (found at www.asla.org/climateactionplan. the world over, steadfastly works to reduce the
business opportunity for the aspx) was written by ASLA’s Climate Action Plan embodied carbon of his projects. But because
Task Force and Advisory Group to provide a most manufacturers have yet to do a full life cycle
profession and industry.
framework for how this is to be achieved. Included analysis (LCA) and provide an environmental
in it are key points that hit home with landscape product declaration (EPD), he and his colleagues
▶ Low- and zero-carbon sourcing, architecture’s industry partners: devise other solutions as best they can.
manufacturing, and shipping
• The goal is a drawdown of carbon, achieving Regardless of company size, progress can be
are key.
zero embodied and operational emissions and made
increased carbon sequestration by the year
▶ ASLA is helping industry partners 2040; this requires full participation across Hardy provides an example of a project near
navigate this transformational the entire supply chain. Athens, Greece, where a decommissioned airport is
• The plan envisions greater economic success being redeveloped into the Ellinikon Metropolitan
process.
for landscape architecture firms and product Park. There, solutions include upcycling old
manufacturers, with increased demand for runway pavement into a crushed aggregate road
W
hen the Climate Action Plan (CAP) was zero-emissions products. base. They also source stone and plants from nearby
unveiled at the ASLA 2022 Conference on • The CAP puts equity at the center of climate quarries and nurseries. But he hopes that standards
Landscape Architecture in San Francisco, action and builds on the ASLA Racial Equity – such as ISO 12020 and ISO 14044 – will soon be
it wasn’t simply something a handful of people Plan of Action. commonplace among product providers across
devised in a vacuum. It came after a survey of 563 • The Biden-Harris Administration recently the board.
landscape architects in 2021 – and an “Open Letter announced $25 billion to advance nature-
on Climate Action” signed by scores of activist based solutions to climate change. Already two companies have invested considerable
landscape architecture students in 2019 – sent a resources to assess their embodied carbon.
strong message that climate is front and center Landscape architect Chris Hardy, ASLA, RLA, CA, Norway-based Vestre, as previously reported here
in their work. It matters to their clients as much LEED AP+ND, a senior associate landscape architect (March 2022), has met several standards (including
as them. at Sasaki (Boston), like landscape architects ASTM E1991-05) that are more commonly required
ASLA SPONSORED CONTENT
Torey Carter-Conneen: 65 percent of landscape

architects recommend integrating climate
solutions to all or most of their clients.
A third of them say the value of their
climate-related projects exceeds $10 million.
Photo by ASLA/Korey Davis Photography
It’s a process: ASLA offers several ways to get

started
Industry suppliers have many resources to lean on

to begin aligning with the CAP. As Syverson-Shaffer
advises, your landscape architect customers can
tell you what they’re looking for. Many are already
using the Climate Positive Design Pathfinder App,
and/or the Carbon Conscience App (developed by
Sasaki) – both of which depend on generic product
carbon numbers until manufacturers provide their
own EPDs or other data.
ASLA provides multiple learning opportunities as

well. One is to participate in local ASLA chapter
activities, meetings, and conferences, in addition
to attending the national Annual ASLA Conference
and EXPO. Also, company representatives who are
ASLA members can join a Professional Practice
Network (PPN), the Climate Action Committee
(CAC), and other national committees. Importantly,
the Corporate Membership program (advertise.
asla.org/corporate-membership/) – designed for
companies of all sizes to access enhanced resources
in European projects. Michigan-based Landscape “Identifying our LCAs and EPDs enables an to industry partners (with dues priced on a sliding
Forms is undergoing an analysis of their most objective measurement,” says Blum. “It’s not scale)– includes free participation in PPNs for a
widely used products, making them the first- just about earning points. It helps clarify and designated number of representatives and the
known American company in this industry to do so. standardize the language around sustainability.” ability to join any number of local ASLA chapters.
But do smaller companies that are nonetheless
Landscape Forms formed an internal sustainability vital to the landscape architecture industry, many Syverson-Shaffer is a member of the CAC, while
committee in 2019 because staffers including of them regional suppliers, have the resources other Landscape Forms business development
Amy Syverson-Shaffer, ASLA, RLA, SITES AP, required to do these analyses? specialists participate in ASLA chapters in their local
a landscape architect who works in business markets. “ASLA is very important to us,” she says.
development for the site furnishings company, Probably not as comprehensively – yet. “Start “It helps us see where the profession is going.” ■
h e a r d f r o m c u s t o m e r s t h a t a va r i e t y o f by providing an approximation,” says Hardy. He
sustainability issues are important to them. But suggests scrutinizing such things as shipping
they wanted to “make things more actionable,” she methods. For example, use rail in place of trucks
says, initiating a process that engaged about ten when possible, while goods arriving by ship can
people over two months who conducted research be greener still. Other ideas are to partner with
up and down their supply chain and of their own an academic institution or trade association, or
manufacturing and shipping processes. Overseeing write a white paper on product input sourcing and
the process is a third-party consultant, SCS Global manufacturing processes – whatever can inform
Services. landscape architects of the processes and materials
that go into products.
Syverson-Shaffer and her colleagues – Michael
Blum, chief strategy officer and president, and Hardy says upcycled materials and recycled
James Bucholtz, who manages the company’s content, with less use of plastic and local
product engineering team – indicate this process sourcing where possible, are beneficial product
serves as a 360-degree conversation between them, characteristics he would like to see. No endoresement of products or suppliers mentioned is
their suppliers, and their customers. intended or implied.
THE BACK /
BACKSTORY
“It’s a very complicated project, but because of the
PUBLIC CITY’S 3D-PRINTED
MODELS ILLUMINATE way we’ve been able to explore it and show people
WHAT DRAWINGS CAN’T. exactly what we mean, I think we’ve been able to
take the conversation a lot farther a lot more
quickly than we would have been
able to in traditional drawings.”
—LIZ WREFORD
thunderhead brings. The memorial was the outcome of

a settlement from the Canadian government as amends
T he Winnipeg, Canada-based firm Public City

has its office’s 3D printers humming for all its
projects, says Liz Wreford, the firm’s cofounder
to LGBTQ+ employees who had been harassed, abused,
and discriminated against under federal policy for
decades. The team included the Two-Spirit advocate
TAYLOR LAROCQUE, PUBLIC CITY
and principal landscape architect. For Thunder- Albert McLeod and the performance artists Shawna
head, the winning competition design for the Dempsey and Lorri Millan, who collaborated over many
2SLGBTQI+ National Monument in Ottawa, the iterations to develop a series of thunderhead forms.
concept was rooted in the prairie landscape and The 30-foot-high cylinder with disco ball–clad interior
the experience of both dread and celebration that a space will glitter and fragment the light.

US Patent D904,712 S.
Connecting since 1962.

T H E S T E L L A O F S U N N E™ C O L L E C T I O N .
Celebrating 60 years, Victor Stanley designs, engineers and manufactures timeless site furnishings so you can bring
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