Profile: Alabama ASLA is a state-wide professional organization open to landscape architects and their associates including students in the graduate landscape program at Auburn University. Echoing the mission of our national organization, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Alabama ASLA aims to lead, educate and participate in the careful stewardship, planning and artful design of our environment. By way of professional and volunteer endeavors, our membership's goal is to advance Landscape Architecture in Alabama through advocacy, education and fellowship.

 

The Alabama chapter kicked the year off with our annual Twin States Conference in Huntsville, Alabama. For this conference, the Alabama and Mississippi chapters join forces to create an impactful 2 1/2 days for their membership. This year's conference theme was Creating Resilient Solutions, and speakers included ASLA President-Elect Wendy Miller, AIA National President-Elect Jane Frederick, and our Keynote speaker Thomas Rainer. Topics ranged from climate change and resiliency within our profession and in the Southern landscape, to pollinators, biodiversity and native landscape design. The conference was attended by 75 southeastern ASLA members and 28 vendors.

This fall, the Birmingham chapter celebrated Park(ing) Day 2019 by taking over an entire downtown block with a pop-up park featuring multiple attractions over a 3-day span. Special experiences were provided by Alabama Wildlife Foundation, Birmingham Zoo, local artist Amy Peterson and Chair Yoga. We had amazing partnerships for Park(ing) Day which made these days possible! Special thanks to Auburn University's Urban Studio, Alabama Outdoors, Freshwater Land Trust, and the City of Birmingham for their help making this event so impactful.

We rounded out the year with our bi-annual Alabama ASLA Awards banquet, a night celebrating the excellent landscapes of Alabama. Professional and student awards were presented to firms state-wide, and to students receiving their master's at Auburn University's School and Landscape Architecture. The event was hosted in Birmingham, AL but attendees included firms from the entire state. It was a great night with friends celebrating design in our state.

As seen in LASN magazine, December 2019.