ASLA is now accepting submissions for its 2025 Professional Awards Program.

ASLA bestows Professional Awards in the following categories:

• General Design
• Residential Design
• Urban Design
• Analysis & Planning, which includes the ASLA/IFLA Global Impact Award
• Communications
• Research

In each of these categories, juries select a number of Honor Awards and may select one Award of Excellence. One Landmark Award is also presented each year.

Registration must be received no later than 11:59 PM PST on Friday, January 31, 2025. Submissions are due no later than 11:59 PM PST on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Award recipients receive featured coverage in Landscape Architecture Magazine and will be honored at a special Awards Presentation ceremony at the ASLA 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture, held October 10-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Important Update:

In January, ASLA will launch an upgraded membership system to better serve you and make managing your account smoother and more efficient. To make these changes, we anticipate some scheduled system downtime in January. All systems will be back to normal before the January 31 awards registration deadline.

However, we encourage everyone to register before December 31, 2024, to ensure your registration is confirmed without delay.

FAQs:

Do I need to be a member of ASLA? Yes, individuals must be a member to submit for an ASLA Award.

What is the entry fee? The fee is $400 for each submission. $125 for each ASLA Landmark Award submission.

By Pamela Conrad

Last month, global leaders convened in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). Dubbed the “Finance COP,” this year’s summit focused on increasing access to climate finance. The most significant milestone was the adoption of the New Collective Quantified Goal, a historic commitment to channel $300 billion in financing to developing countries by 2035. These funds will help these countries build low-emission economies and adapt to the intensifying impacts of climate change.

Another key takeaway: the increasing global recognition of nature-based solutions as critical tools for addressing climate challenges. The U.S. government underscored this by endorsing the COP29 Declaration on Multisectoral Actions Pathways to Resilient and Healthy Cities. This declaration promotes urban climate action by integrating these solutions with disaster resilience, sustainable buildings, green jobs, and clean technologies.

These outcomes point to a growing international consensus on the importance of advancing nature-based solution policies, resources, and approaches to combat the climate crisis. But much more financing is needed to scale up these solutions worldwide. The World Bank estimates that $2.4 trillion is needed per year by 2030 to meet climate goals, approximately four times what is currently invested.

Why We Still Need to Communicate the Value of Nature-Based Solutions

As someone who has attended several COP conferences over the years, I’ve seen more buzz about nature-based solutions. But there’s a disconnect: while people talk about these solutions enthusiastically, few truly understand what they are. Many will point to mangroves as an example—and they’re not wrong—but these solutions are so much more.

Nature-based solutions work with natural ecosystems to address pressing challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequities. They can be implemented in urban and rural areas and at any scale of development.

These solutions include strategies such as restoring wetlands to manage flooding, integrating green roofs in cities to reduce heat, and creating sustainable urban forests to improve air quality. The brilliance of these solutions lies in their multifaceted benefits: they deliver environmental, economic, and social advantages simultaneously.

When people see these strategies in action, it’s often a revelation. Suddenly, the abstract concept becomes tangible, and a lightbulb moment occurs. For instance, when attendees at past COP events saw how these solutions could transform landscapes, enhance community resilience, and reduce costs, their enthusiasm shifted into action.

This was the inspiration for launching WORKS with NATURE: Low Carbon Adaptation Techniques for a Changing World at the conference. It serves as a supplement to the UN National Adaptation Plan Technical Guidelines. Developing the guide was a major focus of my ASLA Biodiversity and Climate Fellowship.

The Urgent Need for New Kinds of Infrastructure

The stakes could not be higher. By 2050, 75 percent of the infrastructure we’ll rely on has yet to be built. Meanwhile, without adaptation measures, an estimated 800 million people will be vulnerable to coastal flooding by mid-century. Traditional infrastructure, built primarily with concrete and steel, is not only costly but also carbon-intensive, contributing to the climate crisis we’re trying to solve.

Fortunately, we can shift from traditional gray infrastructure to nature-based solutions, which often cost significantly less and emits a fraction of the greenhouse gases. For every dollar spent on these solutions, the return on investment is roughly fourfold, thanks to benefits like flood mitigation, cleaner air, and increased biodiversity. According to estimates by The Nature Conservancy, these solutions could account for up to 30 percent of the carbon sequestration needed by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

These solutions make economic, environmental, and social sense. At COP29, this vision inspired a landscape architect-led workshop aimed at helping nations embrace nature-based solutions through practical guidance, shared experiences, and collaborative problem-solving.

How We Can Integrate Nature-Based Solutions into National Adaptation Plans

The COP29 workshop on nature-based solutions was crafted with a participatory design approach, emphasizing inclusion and collaboration. Leaders from Ethiopia, Thailand, Zambia, Bangladesh, Malawi, Timor-Leste, and the Netherlands joined global experts from organizations like the UN National Adaptation Planning group, UN Habitat, ASLA, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), Architecture 2030, and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) to share their experiences.

Representatives highlighted their countries’ efforts to integrate nature-based solutions into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). To date, 60 NAPs have been developed globally, with the rest of UN nations to launch their plans by the end of 2025. Each developing country receives $3 million to support the creation of their plans, which guide adaptation priorities tailored to local needs and challenges.

The workshop included a collaborative activity where leaders reflected on pressing challenges, potential solutions, and support needed to implement nature-based solutions effectively. They told us that their countries face a set of pressing challenges:

• Food security and agriculture vulnerabilities
• Increasing heat in urban areas
• Water and sanitation crises
• Flooding and sea-level rise
• Livelihood disruptions and cultural heritage preservation
• Urban climate resilience

Their countries also experience many barriers to implementing nature-based solutions:

• Coordination difficulties and conflicting interests among stakeholders
• Lack of landscape-based systematic solutions
• Limited technical capacity to design and implement nature-based solutions
• Absence of validation and valuation frameworks
• Conflicts with existing regulations and compliance mandates
• Insufficient political support and unclear governance

The leaders identified ways to overcome these barriers:

• Building capacity to develop adaptation plans and projects featuring nature-based solutions
• Creating interdisciplinary advisory boards with unified goals
• Developing policies that integrate these solutions into broader national strategies
• Facilitating workshops to engage stakeholders and align priorities\
• Enhancing coordination across sectors to break down silos

And they stated that more support is needed in key areas:

• Technical training and capacity building for implementing agencies
• Awareness campaigns targeting policymakers and communities
• Tools and technologies for monitoring and evaluation
• De-risking nature-based solutions investments through validation studies
• Political commitment and willingness to adopt these solutions

Adao Soares Barbosa, the Vice Chair of the UN NAP / Least Developed Countries Technical Expert Group closed the event, saying: “I hope this guide and workshop inspires nations with technical guidance for implementing nature-based solutions. Sharing lessons learned between developed and developing countries is essential.”

Moving Forward

The momentum generated at COP29 is just the beginning of what must become a sustained global effort. The public and private sectors are projected to invest $90 trillion in major infrastructure projects by 2030, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to integrate nature-based solutions into the foundation of future development. However, less than 10 percent of current adaptation funding goes to green infrastructure, despite its lower costs—around 70 percent less than traditional gray infrastructure.

To bridge this gap, we need robust policies, innovative financing mechanisms, and consistent performance evaluations to demonstrate these solutions’ effectiveness and economic benefits. ASLA’s recent research on the economic benefits of nature-based solutions is just the start of an ambitious economic research agenda that will support increased investment. Collaboration between policymakers, landscape architects, and communities will be key to scaling up these solutions and ensuring that nature plays a central role in building a sustainable future.

The path forward is clear: let’s invest in nature to secure a resilient, equitable, and thriving world for generations to come. COP29 may have concluded, but its outcomes will guide us as we tackle the challenges and embrace the opportunities ahead.

Pamela Conrad, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP is a licensed landscape architect, the founder of Climate Positive Design, faculty at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and ASLA’s inaugural Biodiversity and Climate Fellow. She was the chair and lead author of ASLA’s Climate Action Plan, 2019 LAF Fellow, 2023 Harvard Loeb Fellow and currently serves as IFLA’s Climate and Biodiversity Working Group Vice-Chair, World Economic Forum’s Nature-Positive Cities Task Force Expert, Carbon Leadership Forum ECHO Steering Committee, and is an Architecture 2030 Senior Fellow.

By Pamela Conrad

The world has lost 60 percent of animal populations since 1970. This staggering decline reflects the growing pressures on ecosystems, from habitat destruction to climate change. And 1 million species now face threats of extinction. As these problems continue to escalate, the importance of preserving biodiversity and restoring ecosystems becomes clearer.

The term biodiversity – which means the variety of all life on Earth – is new to many. But it has been present in the work of landscape architects for decades.

There are key ways we can increase biodiversity:

Preserve

The simple importance of preserving biological life cannot be overstated. Much of the developed world’s historic response to impacting ecosystems has been mitigation. Yes, before it was a term used in reference to climate change.

It means that if you impact an ecosystem for whatever you want, all you need to do is relocate and recreate it in another location. No big deal, right?! Wrong.

Ecologists and biologists know that this is not as simple as it sounds. There are many difficulties, resulting in a low success rate for ecosystem regeneration.

The preservation of Sacred Groves around the world can serve as inspiration for our efforts. They are areas of natural forest that contain rare collections of plants and animals. They are preserved by local communities due to their religious beliefs. Focusing on them holds great potential for the preservation of biological diversity and ecological functions and maintaining cultural ritual and belief systems.

Sacred Groves have historically been a shared resource connected to culturally-based conservation strategies. They are where people engage in practices combining botanicals, ritual, music, and dance that call upon natural energies, cultivating awareness.

As cities densify, the preservation of these places is increasingly threatened. But urban nature is at the root of many spiritual traditions so they must be protected.

Restore

Preservation is best, but we should take every opportunity to restore ecosystems where we can.

Working with ecologists and biologists is key to understanding the nuanced details — from soil regeneration to species selection, and planting arrangements that support habitable conditions.

We can apply some key strategies, like incorporating native plants, flower- and food-producing species, and structural diversity in terms of plant arrangement. These are outlined in ASLA’s Climate Action Field Guide and the Climate Positive Design Toolkit.

These approaches are evident in Tract’s project, Penguin Parade Visitor Center. After acquiring the Summerland Estate in Phillip Island, Victoria, a landmark conservation decision in Australia, the historic peninsula was carefully planned to enhance and restore native wildlife habitat. Home to the renowned Penguin Parade, the project applied a “first principles” approach to design, significantly expanding habitats and adding new penguin viewing facilities. (See image above)

The focus was on creating a memorable experience when penguins return from the sea to their burrows. From specially designed viewing platforms, guests can get a closer look at the penguins without interfering with their natural routines. The boardwalks are thoughtfully integrated into the natural surroundings and incorporate a lighting design that provides a safe viewing experience.

Connect and Create

Harkening back to Richard Foreman’s Land Mosaics, a book still on my shelf since landscape architecture grad school, I am reminded of the simple terms that outline the interconnection of habitats.

Habitat “patches” are areas of suitable habitat for species, while a “corridor” is a narrow strip of habitat that connects isolated habitat patches. Continuity and connectivity of corridors are critical to maintain, create, or restore healthy and resilient ecosystems.

Freeways, highways, and roads fragment and disrupt wildlife habitats, damage natural systems, and endanger both people and animals. In the U.S., 1 to 2 million wildlife-vehicle collisions occur each year, which has resulted in $8 billion in damages and around 200 human deaths from deer-related accidents.

To address these issues and reconnect fragmented habitats affordably, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation introduced the Animal Road Crossing (ARC) International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition.

The ‘Hypar-nature’ Wildlife Bridge by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is a unique single-span habitat bridge that uses prefabricated concrete modules. This connection extends the existing habitat across the bridge and over the traffic below by creating a vaulted structure with distinct habitat bands that create multiple zones to safely guide a variety of animals across.

The design includes forms that are easy to replicate and produce in a cost-effective way, minimize site disruption, and adapt to changing migration patterns.

These strategies are already part of many landscape architects’ practices. But we are now more aware of the need to measure, monitor, and track our impacts.

Measure

In 2020, the Montreal COP15 paved the way for adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, setting four goals, including protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.

Other initiatives have emerged, including supporting the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration through biodiversity-positive projects that achieve at least 10 percent biodiversity net gain (BNG). This is, in line with the UK’s mandate for a 10 percent increase from pre-development biodiversity levels. All of these are targets in ASLA’s Climate Action Plan.

The recently launched Pathfinder 3.0 now guides landscape designs on biodiversity. Projects can have positive or negative impacts.

We must prioritize these goals in our designs:

• Protect existing ecosystems
• Restore native and ecologically appropriate ecosystems
• Design planting based upon the plant communities and habitats of the local eco-region

Project teams should include ecologists to make field observations of a pre-construction site and provide nuanced information and guidance. To encourage biodiversity-positive planning, design, and engineering, the new Pathfinder 3.0 includes some basic biodiversity impact calculations outlined in a Methodology Report and User Guide.

As always, this is a work in progress, and there is much more to be done. But one step forward is the first step in making positive change.

Pamela Conrad, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP is a licensed landscape architect, the founder of Climate Positive Design, faculty at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and ASLA’s inaugural Biodiversity and Climate Fellow. She was the chair and lead author of ASLA’s Climate Action Plan, 2019 LAF Fellow, 2023 Harvard Loeb Fellow and currently serves as IFLA’s Climate and Biodiversity Working Group Vice-Chair, World Economic Forum’s Nature-Positive Cities Task Force Expert, Carbon Leadership Forum ECHO Steering Committee, and is an Architecture 2030 Senior Fellow.