Profile: ASLA Illinois represents more than 500 members across the state of Illinois while promoting the advancement of knowledge, education and skill in the art and science of landscape architecture as an instrument of services in the public welfare. The chapter leads efforts in advocacy, education, communication and fellowship and educates on landscape architects' roles in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments.

 

2019 was a year that saw an incredible amount of efforts focused on Advocacy, as Illinois fights to elevate the current Title Act, set to sunset in 2020, to a Practice Act. Despite the hours that have gone into this effort, ASLA Illinois made sure to keep our members educated and entertained throughout the year such as hosting emerging professionals mixers and happy hours. In May, the Chapter curated Equity and Design, a panel discussion highlighting local designers, architects, community organizers, activists and other change-makers working to address the social, economic and political challenges faced while trying to create a more equitable built environment. In June, ASLA Illinois hosted Night Among the Trees, an educational event at the Morton Arboretum focusing on the interaction between trees and their urban and suburban environments with top tree scientists, landscape architects, and urban planners. Our annual awards gathering turned into a summer with the ceremony and reception held at Ignite Glass Studios in Chicago, and an afternoon of field sessions, exploring distinct, in progress, and award-winning projects in the Chicagoland area. As a part of our Advocacy efforts, ASLA Illinois treated state Representative Michelle Mussman and her assistant Kevin Bouchard to a tour of award-winning Bison's Bluff in Schaumburg, Illinois, and explained what it took to put together the beloved park and the critical role played by landscape architects. Members looked back on a productive and enjoyable 2019 at our annual State of the Chapter Oktoberfest.

As seen in LASN magazine, December 2019.