Wisconsin is pushing again for their registration, Florida is being tested by designers, and California has it own new test. The UNE is now the L.A.R.E. (Landscape Architect Registration Examination), public sector landscape architects are asking more of the ASLA, and the profession needs to find room for another 1,300 graduates. The US landscape architects' international presence is under question, as is the need for continuing education, the ability to affect the environment, and the ability and desire to hold specs.

Even if it is not probable that landscape architects will be considered Registered Professionals at the national level, it must be a primary objective of the ASLA to settle the licensing issue in all 50 states. To make room for the growing profession, all states will need to push for practice act legislation and then crack down on violators. Landscape Architects need to enforce their registration and work to corner the potentially lucrative small residential market.

Currently, landscape design is a big market for the landscape contractors and cooperation is desired, but LA's can and should be very competitive from the knowledge and artistic angles of this $1/4 billion revenue source. With computer imaging and cadd applications, LAs must find a way to produce plans for the consumer and still make a profit.

The Council for a Green Environment says a well developed landscape adds from "7.4 to 14% to the value" of a property. Even a $500 to $1,000 set of plans, from a registered landscape architect, can assure the property owner that the landscape investment will provide the optimum impact. This huge market can and should be the spring board for a large percentage of the newly registered and interns. If LAs don't enforce the codes at the lower end they will remain under attack from those who stand to profit by providing landscape plans and limit the overall growth of the profession.

Holding Specs

Vendor support will be a critical item in the years to come. Exhibit revenue, sponsorships, and donations are all down in the LA profession. Vendors can be the oil that turns the wheels to professional growth. It is extremely important for the Landscape Architectural Profession to prove its ability to dictate product selection and installation. As a group, Landscape Architects need to attract and keep the eye of manufacturing America. Greater interaction with vendors, whether in the exhibit hall or on the project site, will help to generate funds otherwise allocated for the Architects and landscape contractors.

Even at the public level the intricacies of product elements needs to be specific. We all know about the low bid, but the public relies on the LA to make specific and well researched product requirements. It's just a matter of reputation.

Continuing Education

The Continuing Education issue, while passionately advocated at the state registration level, seems to have little vocal support, but strong overall support among the ASLA population. Two separate LASN surveys show overwhelming support for the ASLA / CE Proposal. Interesting, though that the main written concern is a loss of membership and not the conflict of interest in requiring and also charging for continuing education. If CE is required for membership, a principal concern must be in establishing the ASLA's accreditation program and avoiding monopolistic temptations that could hinder the growth of the profession.

Water

Water will continue to be an issue as California reported it driest November since 1959. Organizations like the National Water Features Association and the Council for a Green Environment will be called upon to support the use of water for landscape, and efforts must be made to increase the amount of water retained and reused. Xeriscape, as a trade mark is out . . Sustainable Landscape as the concept, is in. No matter how you slice it, the word Xeriscape means "Dry Landscape" and that ideal is outdated. Landscape Architects will be called upon to provide sustainable landscape that offer wide varieties of plant materials and design elements that will be irrigated efficiently and offer such benefits as heat reduction, surface water retention, limited waste (both water and landfill) and public interaction.

Public Works

With the Democratic Administration, the public sector should be a strong growth arena for the profession. With the proper ASLA lobby and a nationwide campaign, landscape architects should be in a prime position to strongly influence the public development of land.

The National Park Service appears to have an active group of Landscape Architects and are looking to the ASLA to provide more benefits to the public sector LAs. According to Arizona Chapter President Jeff Engelmann, ASLA has "established a liaison" between the two groups. Although public sector LAs don't usually get the high profile projects, like Vegas's Mirage Hotel, their work affects everyone who drives a highway, hikes the forest, or strolls the city park. LASN will feature National Parks in its September issue, and hopes to show that some of the finest work in the profession comes from the public sector. Remember, the public sector can provide growth for the profession in both numbers and national prestige.

In the cause to benefit the publics Health Safety & Welfare, the ADA guidelines should become a specialty for every landscape architect interested in public works. This is another high profile, and billable element that can communicate the prestige and benefit of the landscape architect to the publics HS&W.

In any event, the profession needs a leader or two from the public sector and now is an opportune time for those individuals to emerge.

Communication

Communication is another key to the success of the ASLA, but reemphasizing ASLAs role as a publisher will continue to promote isolationism. The ASLA must develop a perpetual system to use the hundreds of publications, newsletters and outside media to reach this and related professions rather than compete against them and thus limiting the potential for exposure. Advertisements in the LA File, and LAM, are terribly underpriced, almost to the point that the vendors consider Landscape Architects as a cheap date. This is not the impression the ASLA should be building in the vendor arena. I know it sounds self serving, but if the ASLA were to reallocate the dues spent on the publications to research, membership benefits, and public relations, both the profession and ASLA membership would benefit and grow.

So the mandates for the year(s) to come are; to promote the growth of the profession at both the public and the private sectors; reassert the validity of national registration; and produce benefit for the public health safety and welfare though educated planning and the enforcement of ordinance and code. If history repeats itself, this recession will be followed by several years of, at least steady, growth. Nominal growth of the profession is expected but cannot be the goal. The true litmus for the profession is to be able to exceed the national rate of growth in numbers and prestige.

Computers

Virtual Reality will become a virtual reality and as prices drop (the first sets are in the high 5 figures) it will not only be the new way to design and plan your project it will probably replace TV in some form or another by the turn of the century. Is this the first step toward holgramistic design? In any event 3 of every 4 professionals surveyed indicated that they use computers for word processing, accounting, proposal development, communications, project design, and blueprinting, in that order, and were going to expand their use of computers in 1993.

All in All

1993 promises to be a solid year for the profession with real opportunities for both the public and private sector LAs to grow. How you deal with the influx of new members and how landscape architects react to the coming administration will be key elements to next years success. LASN