Speaker(s): Carol Coletta | Alexa Bush, ASLA | Shawn McCaney, ASLA | Meg Johnson, ASLA

In five U.S. cities, landscape architects are collaborating with civic leaders and local communities to create places that encourage shared experience among people of all backgrounds. Learn about strategies for designing public places that promote unity and diversity from practitioners working on the ground in Akron, Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia.

Learning Objectives:

• Find out how practitioners in cities across the United States are designing public places to promote diversity and bridge socioeconomic divides.
• Discover how designing for diversity is changing perceptions of and expectations for public assets in Akron, Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia.
• Learn about design techniques and planning strategies being employed to attract a diverse mix of people to public places and generate diverse constituencies for public assets.
• Consider how this ambition may be relevant to projects and initiatives in other cities.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Lane Addonizio, Affil. ASLA, AICP | Christopher J. Nolan, FASLA | Victor Calise | Tim Fendley

Equal access to the public realm regardless of disability is the law; but neither the ADA nor accessibility standards and guidelines resolve the challenges of making the complex public environment universally accessible. Panelists will share their insights based on involvement in accessibility projects in Central Park and other relevant experience.

Learning Objectives: 

• Understand the purpose of the ADA--an ongoing obligation under civil rights law to make public program/services universally available—and the implications for planning, design, and stewardship of the public environment.
• Examine some fundamental challenges of improving accessibility of complex public places, and corresponding strategies.
• Learn how standards and guidelines not specifically address the entirety of the environments we design for can be interpreted/adapted to provide accessibility improvements consistent with the intent of the ADA.
• Gain insight into the perspectives and experiences of people across a wide range of abilities and how they support the concept of an inclusive approach to planning, design, and wayfinding.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Briana Hensold | Laura Crescimano | Scott Gilmore | Joe Salaices

Every major city in the United States, large and small, struggles with generating effective dialogues and solutions for homelessness. Through an exploration of national data, as well as successes and challenges from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, policies, programs and design solutions will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• Examine an overview of nationwide data about homeless populations, to support better understanding.
• Discover stories of how homelessness is a consideration for parks professionals and designers, and what factors are at play for management, operations, design, and programming.
• Take a deeper dive into successful case studies from multiple cities, ranging from policy to programs to design.
• Learn sources to research for additional data, case studies, and resources.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Jonathon Geels, ASLA | Magdalena A. Aravena, ASLA | Diana Fernandez, ASLA | Hana Ishikawa, Affil. ASLA, AIA

Over time landscape architects have engaged in justice movements at many scales. With continued threats to environmental and social issues, we face increased responsibility. How can we mobilize our practices and communities to address equity? Our panel will discuss the interplay of the profession, technology, and advocacy in these movements.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how landscape architects can adapt to contemporary social and environmental realities with increased sensitivity and success.
• Learn how the global discourse on equity—social, racial, environmental, and economic—is driving advocacy patterns.
• Discuss more inclusive and objective sources of information for justice issues.
• Assess how unique perspectives can lead to successful, innovative, and fulfilling practice endeavors.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.

Speaker(s): Vernice Miller-Travis | Alisa Hefner, ASLA

Contemporary planning may often require landscape architects to engage diverse and underrepresented communities during the design process to build consensus and positive change. Communities that are under-resourced or politically marginalized have long struggled to have a seat at the table for planning and development projects in their neighborhood. Design teams may face challenges in building trust and creating productive working relationships across real and perceived divides between community residents, local government, and community partners. This session will offer designers a menu of tools to develop trust between non-traditional partners, deepen historical and cultural understanding, and elevate community voices resulting in a richer, more robust and meaningful design outcome.

Learning Objectives:

• Select from a menu of tools to effectively engage underrepresented communities.
• Elevate community voices in the design process and outcome.
• Identify community priorities for cultural and historical themes to deepen the design outcome.

Please complete a brief evaluation of this Online Learning presentation.