• • Senate Recognizes Landscape Architecture To Address Climate Change

• • Licensing in Illinois
• • National Complete Streets Coalition Releases "Dangerous by Design" Report
• • Biden Administration's Thriving Communities Initiative
• • House Passes Water Resources Development Act
• • House Appropriations Committee Passes Environmental Bills
• • Advocating for Park Equity in Congress & White House
• • Update: Tracking State Licensure

• • Landscape Architects Take Action for Urban Heat Mitigation
• • Support the Preservation of African-American Burial Grounds

• • Responding to Dangerous Licensing Survey in Montana

• • ASLA Comments on Licensure in Colorado
• • Climate Letter to the U.S. Senate

• • State Board Vacancies

• • Register for the ASLA Annual Conference in November
• • ASLA Founders Club

On Sunday, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, making bold investments in climate action in nearly all sectors of the American economy.  ASLA applauds the Senate for recognizing landscape architecture as a critical tool to address the climate crisis. Specifically, the measure would provide funding for: 

• Planning and designing improved complete streets, multi-use trails, regional greenways, and active transportation networks; 
• Deploying nature-based solutions to address stormwater management; 
• Protecting coastal communities;
• Creating climate-smart rural communities; 
• Addressing public lands conservation and ecosystem restoration;
• Implementing unprecedented investments in community tree planting; and more. 

Landscape architects are poised to lead and implement projects from all these provisions of the measure, with a particular emphasis on working with underserved communities. In all, the Senate-passed bill, when signed into law, will provide tremendous opportunities for landscape architects to apply their unique skills to help all communities mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

ASLA will continue to urge Congress to pass this measure into law so that we can take real action to address the climate crisis. Landscape architects may take action now to help get this message to the House of Representatives HERE.

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The State Government Affairs team continued engagement with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's (DFPR) on their proposed rules-68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275-Implementing Public Act 102-0284 Landscape Architecture Registration Act. DFPR staff was receptive to ASLA's recommended rule language, which would align Illinois regulations with the newly adopted Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) Uniform Licensure Standard for Landscape Architecture ("Uniform Standard").  

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The National Complete Street Coalition, of which ASLA is a founding member, seeks to ensure that persons and communities are safely integrated into multimodal transportation planning nationwide. In July 2022, the Coalition released the Dangerous by Design 2022 report. The report documents how our nation's streets remain dangerous and contribute to pedestrian fatalities, with underserved community members being the most at risk. The report's resource dashboard provides tools including statistical overviews, an interactive, searchable map of "dangerous streets" within the United States, and metropolitan and state rankings of pedestrian fatalities. 

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Federal Government Affairs Director Roxanne Blackwell, Hon. ASLA, participated in a listening session with staff at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) where she provided input and feedback on the Biden Administration's Thriving Communities Initiative. The program is designed to provide technical assistance and capacity building resources to improve and foster thriving communities through transportation improvements.  

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The House of Representatives passed H.R. 7776, legislation to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) by a vote of 384-37. The measure would authorize an estimated $40 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to implement critical infrastructure projects, studies, and policies related to our nation's waterways. Do you work on Corps projects? Tell us about your experiences working with the Army Corps of Engineers.  

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The U.S. House Appropriations Committee passed two funding bills relevant to landscape architects - Energy and Water Development as well as Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. These bills will fund projects related to climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem restoration. In recent surveys, ASLA members have identified their increasing work on projects utilizing investments outlined in both these appropriations bills. ASLA will continue to monitor this important legislation. 

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ASLA continues to work to secure parks and recreation funding and policies that increase the profession's opportunities, including the Outdoors for All Act. Related to this act, the Biden administration relaunched the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR) to advance the administration's America the Beautiful Initiative. This initiative seeks to improve opportunities for outdoor recreation and access to nature. 

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As of July 22, 11 states remain in legislative session. The team continues to track nearly 200 occupational licensing bills, including bills that threaten to weaken or undermine licensure, reduce barriers to licensure, and/or have a direct impact on the profession. 

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ASLA is working with the office of Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ) on passing H.R. 7534, the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act of 2022. This measure would establish a grant program to provide communities with access to solutions that help mitigate some of the impacts of climate-induced high temperatures, including landscape architecture solutions like green roofs, tree planting, bus and transit shelters, and other cooling techniques. Under the bill, specific consideration would be given for projects in underserved communities. 

Contact your representatives today!
 

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This year, Representative Alma Adams (NC) and Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) announced the introduction of the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act (H.R. 6805, S.3667). This act would authorize the National Parks Service to coordinate initiatives designed to identify, preserve, and record African American burial grounds that have been left unmarked, previously abandoned, or underserved. ASLA is working with both offices to pass this legislation and to give landscape architects the opportunity to help steward these culturally significant sites. 

Contact your representatives today!

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In June, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) released a survey, which asked licensees alarming questions about the future of landscape architecture licensing in the state. Due to the questions and design of the survey, ASLA activated the iAdvocate Network urging landscape architects licensed in Montana to express the profession's serious concerns with the survey and advocate for remaining licensed under a practice act and continuing to be regulated by the Montana Board of Architects and Landscape Architects. Thirty-one percent of the campaign recipients took action in contacting the DLI. The State Government Affairs team is working closely with ARPL to strategize on a coalition-wide response to the DLI's occupational licensure interests.  

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In July, State Government Affairs submitted written comments and provided oral testimony on Colorado proposed Rule 1.7. ASLA supports improving the mobility of the profession and shared our concerns that the proposed rule would create a barrier to obtaining endorsement/reciprocity in Colorado for emerging professionals. We also recommended removing all references to federal licensure in order to avoid confusion and asked that the board consider aligning their education and experience requirements with the Uniform Licensure Standard for Landscape Architecture.  

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ASLA joined with allied organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council, in sending a letter to the Senate urging them to take action to address climate change. The letter emphasizes the need to take immediate action to halt this crisis before it is too late.  

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Delaware

• Public Member (1) - Information to serve on the board is provided by the Division of Professional Regulation.

Indiana

• Public Member (1) - Please contact Board staff for information on the vacancy.

Iowa

• Public Member (1) - Interested in applying to become a part of the board? Submit an application here.

New Hampshire

• Public Member (1) - If you are interested in becoming an OPLC Board Member, please contact Customer Support at customersupport@oplc.nh.gov.

Pennsylvania

• Professional Member (1) & Public Member (1) - Please contact Board staff for information on filling the vacancies.

Rhode Island

• Public Member (1) - Please submit your "Letter of Interest" and "Resume" to Donna.Costantino@dbr.ri.gov.

Utah

• Professional Member (1) - Contact Board Secretary Nicole Herrera at nherrera@utah.gov.

Wisconsin

• Professional Member (3) & Public Member (1) - If you are interested in applying to serve, an application can be submitted to the office of Gov. Evers.

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The ASLA 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture offers over 120 courses, allowing attendees to fulfill their professional development hours (PDH) over four days. Additionally, the ASLA EXPO will provide hands-on access to products from over 300 manufacturers and suppliers. 

Register here: https://registration.experientevent.com/ShowASL221/ 

8 Education Tracks

• Changing the Culture in Practice
• Design and the Creative Process
• Design Implementation
• Leadership, Career Development, and Business
• Olmsted & Beyond: Practice in Progress
• Planning, Urban Design, and Infrastructure
• Resilience and Stewardship
• Technology: Trends and Workflows

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In honor of ASLA's founding in 1899 and Olmsted's birthday, join us in the celebration by continuing the legacy of the Olmsted family and ASLA's commitment to the profession by joining the Founders Club - a new monthly giving program that allows the ASLA Fund to continue our mission of investing in global, social, and environmental change through the art and science of landscape architecture.   

Join the Founders Club today with any of the following gifts: 

• $18.99 per month  
• $200 per quarter  
• $1899 annually 

For more information or questions about the ASLA Fund, contact Judy Mehlman, 202.216.2366

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