Landscape Architecture Foundation

Nature-based infrastructure in cities is 42% less expensive on average than grey infrastructure and provides 36% more value when accounting for avoided costs and co-benefits like increased biodiversity, reduced air pollution, and improved well-being. This is according to a life-cycle study of the costs, benefits, and risks of 40 projects including urban green spaces, wetlands, green roofs, street trees, and stormwater infrastructure. For the full citation and link to access the study, visit: https://lnkd.in/eH7UwvhD This is just one of 200 entries in our Landscape Performance Series Fast Fact Library, a searchable collection of landscape benefits derived from published research. Browse the entire library at: https://lnkd.in/e4WDkUpB #NatureBasedSolutions #GreenInfrastructure #SustainableCities #LandcapePerformance

Here's another clip from February when the 2024-25 LAF Fellows came to Washington, DC, for their second program residency. We asked each about their project and their fellowship experience. This clip features Anya Domlesky discussing her focus on adapting existing infrastructure that is no longer used or fully used, as well as the value of being part of a cohort of Fellows. Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 5 when Anya and the other five Fellows will present the culmination of their work at LAF's Innovation + Leadership Symposium. The LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership is a unique opportunity for mid-career and senior-level landscape architects to pursue big ideas that bring about impactful change. Over the course of a year, Fellows receive $25,000 and dedicate approximately 3-months' time to a proposed project that drives positive change beyond the traditional scope of landscape architecture practice. In June, LAF will begin accepting applications for the next fellowship cohort, which starts in late spring 2026. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/emnwPRaR and start thinking about your big idea!

We're thrilled to start sharing the winners of the scholarships LAF offered this year. Juries are still convening for most awards, and we'll be rolling out announcements throughout the spring as winners are decided. Congratulations to Kat Chavez, one of three winners of the 2025 The Garden Club of America Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design! Kat Chavez is a multidisciplinary artist-researcher, collaborative designer, and cultural worker. Raised on Tongva and Chumash land, Kat enjoys caring for local landscapes and engaging with the multispecies community throughout her home. She is currently pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. (CPP LA) Kat has worked in education, curatorial, and public programming roles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Self-Help Graphics and Art, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Whitney Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She is currently an educator at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, California. Kat's creative work has been exhibited at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA; SoLA Contemporary in Los Angeles, CA; Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT; the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art in San Luis Obispo, CA; and the David Winton Bell Gallery in Providence, RI.

Can bird biodiversity in urban green spaces actually make people happier? Increased bird biodiversity and greater habitat diversity in urban green spaces were associated with increased human happiness according to a study of visitors to 945 green spaces in Sheffield, United Kingdom. For the full citation and link to access the study, visit: https://lnkd.in/eCQFfDv8 This is just one of 200 entries in our Landscape Performance Series Fast Fact Library, a searchable collection of landscape benefits derived from published research. Browse the entire library at: https://lnkd.in/e4WDkUpB #Biodiversity #UrbanEcology #NearbyNature #BirdHabitat

We're excited for next week's Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (The CELA) conference March 27-29 in Portland, Oregon! LAF's Megan Barnes will present during two Concurrent Sessions and participate in a special lunch panel discussion about CELA's and LAF's shared goals to connect research and practice. We've put together a round-up of the sessions featuring LAF and our research program participants: https://lnkd.in/eVfgzvrU Can't wait to see everyone and learn about all the new research and happenings in academia.

Last month, the 2024-25 LAF Fellows came together in Washington, DC, for the second of the three program residencies. We asked each about their project and their experience in the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. This clip features David Buckley Borden discussing the fellowship and his work exploring the communication gap between scientists and designers and how they can better collaborate to communicate environmental issues and ultimately inform decision making. Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 5 when David and the other five Fellows will present the culmination of their work at LAF's Innovation + Leadership Symposium. The LAF Fellowship is a unique opportunity for mid-career and senior-level landscape architects to pursue big ideas that bring about impactful change. Over the course of a year, Fellows receive $25,000 and dedicate approximately 3-months' time to a proposed project that drives positive change beyond the traditional scope of landscape architecture practice. In June, LAF will begin accepting applications for the next fellowship cohort, which starts in late spring 2026. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/emnwPRaR and start thinking about your big idea!

Transmission corridors, which cross political and ecological boundaries, can serve as spaces for much more than energy transmission, providing significant value for the communities and environments they pass through and serve. In this free webinar, panelists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, SWA Group, and the University of Oregon will share share new thinking and case study examples of multifunctional transmission line corridors from three distinct but integrated perspectives: recreational use, wildfire resilience, and ecosystem restoration and management. The panel will also discuss emerging areas for future enterprise and new cross-disciplinary efforts to enable multi-functional transmission with a particular focus on existing and potential roles for landscape architects and planners. Register to join us Apr 9, 1-2pm EDT. This webinar is pending approval for 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW), which may be earned upon completion of a short quiz following the webinar. https://lnkd.in/eHikMDne

Can turning streets for traffic into "streets for people" have an impact on health and well-being? Designing streets to be more people-friendly has positive impacts on physical activity, active transportation, safety, social interaction, and social capital. These benefits were identified through a literature review of 25 articles describing experiments using design techniques like street re-marking, repurposing of car parking, and repurposing of partial or full streets. For the full citation and link to access the study, visit: https://lnkd.in/eRfH2G4Q This is just one of 200 entries in our Landscape Performance Series Fast Fact Library, a searchable collection of landscape benefits derived from published research. Browse the entire library at: https://lnkd.in/e4WDkUpB #PublicSpace #TacticalUrbanism #HumanScaleDesign #LandscapePerformance

Save the date! The 2025 LAF Innovation + Leadership Symposium will be Thursday, June 5. Mark your calendar to join us in Washington, DC, or tune in for the livestream as the 2024-25 LAF Fellows present their year-long explorations of rewilding agriculture, landscapes as learning labs, closing the science-communication gap, infrastructure adaptation, and more. The event will start in the late afternoon and be followed by a reception where guests can mingle and meet the Fellows. The livestream can be watched from any device with an internet connection. More details coming soon! The symposium is the culmination of the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. The 2024-25 LAF Fellows who will present are: - David Buckley Borden, Oregon State University | University of Oregon - Anya Domlesky, SWA Group - Aaron Hernandez, Reed Hilderbrand - Forbes Lipschitz, The Ohio State University - Amy Whitesides, Harvard University Graduate School of Design - Brad Howe, SCAPE

Earlier today, LAF CEO Barbara Deutsch was at the MKSK studio in Washington, DC, talking about the future and how LAF supports individual landscape architects and the discipline to reach their highest goals. Thank you MKSK for hosting and for a great conversation!