American Society of Landscape Architects

"Land has its own stories to tell. Restoration of ecosystem functions preserves the collective history of flora and fauna. Indeed, we endeavor to revive these habitats; we honor the intrinsic stories woven in the very fabric of the earth.” — Charles “Chuck” Sams III ASLA proudly recognizes Chuck Sams III with the 2025 LaGasse Medal for Non-Landscape Architect Professionals. A member of the Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Sams made history as the first Native American Director of the National Park Service. His career spans over three decades of environmental leadership, conservation, and public service dedicated to protecting lands and communities for future generations. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Opaque Ground: Reimagining Human–Soil Relations in the Lower Don This student project explores urban soils and the cultural and ecological stories they hold. The project proposes an urban soil survey and a series of experimental gardens along a 10-kilometer trail in Toronto’s Lower Don Valley. Each garden is shaped by one guiding principle: no new soil can be added. Plants become collaborators that reveal below-ground conditions. Across five potential sites, from dense business districts to former industrial landscapes, the gardens use ruderal species, low-impact installation, and successional processes to make the invisible visible. Together, they form living laboratories that build soil literacy and model more resilient, soil-conscious approaches to urban design. “I hope this project speaks to the future of landscape architecture because it looks at soil not just through a technical lens, but as a complex living system with social and ecological histories that plants respond to.” —Rebecca Martin, Student ASLA Explore the full project: https://bit.ly/3X7ZbIw Image credit: ASLA 2025 Student General Design Award of Excellence. Opaque Ground: Reimagining Human–Soil Relations in the Lower Don. Rebecca Martin, Student ASLA; Faculty Advisor: Alissa North; University of Toronto #aslaawards #thisislandscapearchitecture

Huckleberry Perch | Landscape architecture by Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Huckleberry Perch restores a landscape shaped by memory and family history. Rooted in the client’s childhood foraging trips, the design stitches successional plant communities, including shrub thickets, meadows, and fern-covered embankments, into steep, sandy slopes disturbed by construction. Rather than recreate the lost forest, the team introduced resilient, low-maintenance native plant assemblages that stabilize soil, invite habitat, and reconnect the home to the surrounding oak–pine woodland. Dry-laid stone walls, reclaimed granite paths, and hand-tooled stairs follow the contours of the land, grounding the architecture in place. With ongoing stewardship from the client, the landscape continues to mature and evolve, proving how beauty and ecological richness can emerge through thoughtful rehabilitation. “A beautiful and very well-crafted project… the interface between existing and new vegetation is very strong.” —2025 Awards Jury Explore the full project: https://bit.ly/484g7V9 Image credit: ASLA 2025 Professional Residential Design Honor Award. Huckleberry Perch. Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design / Matthew Cunningham #aslaawards #thisislandscapearchitecture

“We decided to focus on the role of beauty,” explained Maria Landoni, ASLA, PLA, founder of Sur Landscape Architecture and curator of an online discussion organized by the ASLA Climate & Biodiversity Action Committee. Beauty plays an important role — it helps people emotionally connect to landscapes. Through that connection, people are more likely to value the biodiversity that makes places beautiful and functional. And then they are more likely to invest in protecting and restoring landscapes. Read more in ASLA's THE DIRT: https://bit.ly/4plHC3N Image credit: Brooklyn Botanic Garden New Jersey Pinelands Garden, Brooklyn, NY / Uli Lorimer; Pollinator Garden at Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California / Craig Collins, courtesy of Studio-MLA; Complexity leads to emergence in this residential planting in the Middlebrook Agrihood, Cumming, Iowa / Kelly D. Norris

At the request of the Indigenous Collective Group (ICG), ASLA has formally adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), strengthening our commitment to partnership, respect, and shared purpose with Indigenous communities. Our adoption of the UNDRIP on Indigenous Peoples’ Day builds on a year of collaboration with the ICG, whose advocacy continues to guide ASLA’s work to co-create a future that heals land and culture. By aligning with UNDRIP, ASLA reaffirms its support for Indigenous rights, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and the protection and restoration of ecosystems. Explore Landscape Architecture 2040: Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan to learn more about ASLA’s goals for working with Indigenous landscape architects and communities. https://lnkd.in/ePJnxRXq We extend our gratitude to the entire ICG for their advocacy efforts and especially to the lead voices: • Aiman Duckworth, ASLA, Quechua (Runasimi) • Brenda Palacios Rodriguez, Assoc. ASLA, Qatanum (Awaketek) • Grant Fahlgren, CSLA, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation • José de Jesús Leal Loera, FASLA, Spanish, French, Nāhua • MaFe Gonzalez, Assoc. ASLA, Indigenous Ally • Nathaniel Willing, First Nation Annishinaabe / Ojibwe • Paul Fragua, Affil. ASLA, Pueblo of Jemez Image credit: ASLA 2024 Professional Communications Honor Award. Connecting to Our Indigenous Histories at Machicomoco State Park. Gloucester Point, Virginia. Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects / Nick Hubbard #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

In ARCHITECT Magazine, Meg Calkins, FASLA, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at NC State, talks about her new book, Details and Materials for Resilient Sites: A Climate Positive Approach. It provides landscape architects with strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and incorporating “resource-efficient materials” and mixes for stone, concrete, asphalt pavement, aggregates, brick, wood, metals, and plastics. “As more than 80% of the life-cycle emissions come from the production, transport, maintenance, and disposal of construction materials, we must radically shift the way we design and detail these sites and infrastructure,” Calkins said. Read more climate & biodiversity news in ASLA's THE DIRT: https://bit.ly/3X36RMe Image credit: ASLA 2025 Professional General Design Honor Award. Mill 19: A Catalytic Postindustrial Landscape. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. TEN x TEN, D.I.R.T. Studio / Gaffer Photography

A Floating Forest: Fish Tail Park in Nanchang City | Landscape architecture by Turenscape In Nanchang, along the Yangtze River floodplain, a 126-acre coal ash dump has been reborn as Fish Tail Park, an immersive floating forest that restores habitat, manages stormwater, and creates a vibrant public destination. Designed on a modest budget and fast timeline, the project transforms a degraded landscape into a dynamic urban ecosystem. More than 80 sculpted islets, a flood-adapted wetland forest, and woven boardwalks create a nature-based model for climate resilience in flood-prone regions. Today, Fish Tail Park is one of Nanchang’s most-visited public spaces and a catalyst for surrounding development. “Sublime! A visually stunning wetland project… a new paradigm for urban wetlands.” —2025 Awards Jury Image Credit: ASLA 2025 Professional General Design Award of Excellence. A Floating Forest: Fish Tail Park in Nanchang City. Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China. Turenscape Explore the full project: https://bit.ly/4o1uL5N #aslaawards #thisislandscapearchitecture

Think this is Manhattan? Nope, this is an American Society of Landscape Architects award-winning project in Kyiv, Ukraine. This recent honor is the first-ever for a Ukrainian project, awarded as the nation defends itself from the russian invasion. A true testament to fortitude and design excellence! Huge congratulations to Szymon Wojciechowski, UDP (Ukrainian Development Partners), and the entire team. #ukraine #landscapearchitecture #innovation #sustainability