Speaker(s): Thomas Woltz, FASLA | E Timothy Marshall, FASLA | Shellye Arnold

All designed landscapes require maintenance, yet this crucial aspect is often neglected. This session considers contemporary cases where maintenance is recognized as integral to the design process and to a landscape’s long-term success. Alternative, practical, and implementable strategies for the maintenance and monitoring of public places will also be presented.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Hana Ishikawa, Affil. ASLA, AIA | Meg Kelly | Josina Morita | Brad McCauley, ASLA

Green schoolyards provide daily access to nature and are critical to supporting the wellness of kids and communities while providing important green space, particularly for under-invested communities. Using Chicago’s Space to Grow model, this session will highlight innovative partnerships and the benefits green schoolyards provide to schools, students, and communities.

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Speaker(s): Jennie Sumrell, M. Ed. | Bill Patterson

Research has found that children’s exposure to nature is beneficial to their academic, social, psychological, cognitive, and physical health. Explore evidence-based design best practices for outdoor play environments and trails that intentionally reconnect children with nature to support family fun, active lifestyles, and unique opportunities for learning. Case examples of playground naturalization and playful pathways will demonstrate innovative solutions to encourage multigenerational play and offer extended play value to visitors. A variety of tools and resources will be shared to assist with the planning and design process of creating innovative destinations that connect communities, encourage health promotion through play, and respond to our intuitive desire to engage with nature.

Hosted by ASLA's Children's Outdoor Environments Professional Practice Network (PPN)

Learning objectives:

• Outline the current research and benefits of naturalized play environments and playful pathway networks designed to engage children with nature.
• Describe at least three best practices/considerations when intentionally designing nature into the everyday spaces of childhood.
• Summarize two case study examples of naturalized play environments and playful pathways that have been designed to encourage active lifestyles for children, families, and communities.

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Speaker(s): Guy A. Michaelsen, ASLA | Charles Neer, ASLA | Allison Schapker

This session explores the creative fitting process of two resilient parks—FDR Park in Philadelphia, and Magnuson Park in Seattle—that leverage nature-based solutions to provide a network of benefits including public health, ecosystem functions, restoring economic value, and connecting individuals with nature.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore methods of finding the programmatic balance to create win-win resiliency solutions with diverse communities, public agencies, partners, and stakeholder groups with competing interests.
2. Recognize the interconnected nature of public and ecological health and how public open spaces contribute to overall community wellness and resiliency.
3. Discover how to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate—higher temperatures, more frequent flooding—using public open spaces.
4. Identify opportunities that generate revenue to offset operations and maintenance costs, encourage strong coalitions of park stewards, and impact the city-wide economy by attracting visitors and vendors.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Alexa Bush, ASLA | Carol Coletta | Mr. Kyle Kutuchief

In cities across the country, civic leaders and designers are reimagining public assets such as parks, libraries, and trails to promote more engaged, equitable, and resilient communities. Learn how practitioners in Akron, Detroit, and Memphis are advancing social outcomes through new approaches to the design and management of public spaces.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Rebecca Colbert, ASLA | Laurel Raines, ASLA | Tom Leader, FASLA

Communities increasingly seek creative opportunities for children and families to engage in meaningful play. As the status quo shifts, differing approaches have emerged, some emphasizing the use of natural elements, others iconic design features. This session explores ways in which these approaches support healthy human development.

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Speaker(s): Mary Margaret Jones, FASLA | Candace Damon | Gina Ford, FASLA

The economics of parks is ever more important: educating clients on the costs of creating public realm; developing funding strategies to build; balancing revenue generation with creating respite; planning for governance, operations, and maintenance to preserve investments for future generations; and valuing design.

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Speaker(s): Adrian Benepe, Hon. ASLA | Danielle M. Denk, ASLA | Jennifer L. Nitzky, PLA, ASLA, ISA

The 98,000 public schools across the United States represent the single greatest opportunity to improve public health, environmental health, and neighborhood quality of life for hundreds of millions of Americans. Learn how cities like Philadelphia and New York and nonprofits are transforming these low-performing, semi-public spaces into green public architecture.

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Speaker(s): Gretchen Wilson, ASLA, LEED AP | Cincere Eades

Stormwater management needs in urban environments become progressively more challenging as cities densify. By incorporating green infrastructure solutions that meaningfully increase open space and recreational opportunities for community residents, winning solutions are unfolding. Learn how interagency collaboration creates the opportunity to bring open space to a Denver neighborhood.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Inés Palacios, PhD

Music parks benefit every member of the community, but few communities have a music program available and affordable to everyone. A permanent installation of instruments changes that. A simplified system allows anyone to play, regardless of training or ability, and instruments can be designed for individual and ensemble play. Music transcends age, gender, ethnicity and mobility, and is a gathering force that builds better communities and helps make people kinder.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the many benefits of music on individuals, families, and communities.
• Plan, design, and maintain a successful music park for maximum years of use.
• Create the desired space utilization for a destination within a park.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.