From The Publisher Hi Dee Ho Neighbor . . . Ok, I'm not the Tool Man, Just the EarthMan, but this is the Neighborhoods Issue. . . . Anyways . . . . . Looks like the neighborhoods in California are going to be much worse off in a couple of years if the Department of Consumers Affairs (DCA) doesn't become convinced that the laws pertaining to Landscapes Architects are a benefit to the public. I recently attended a meeting, at which was the DCA, and at the meeting it became apparent that unless something miraculous happened before the legislative session ended in August, that the Board will be dissolved and the DCA will take over the Boards responsibilities on July 1st, 1997. Even if the miracle did happen, all that would happen is that the Board would be dissolved in '98 instead of '97. Either way the board will dissolve into the DCA. The fight now is to keep the laws intact and convince/force the DCA to keep the responsibility at the State level. Believe me, this will be a fight . . . The DCA has clearly stated their intention to push for deregulation and to get rid of the state laws affecting Landscape Architects. "We just haven't seen enough evidence" that Landscape Architects need to be regulated in order to protect the publics Health, Safety and . . . . ? Financial Well Being ? . . . Side Bar . . . I always thought that it was supposed to be the Health Safety and Welfare of the public, but somewhere along the way it has become the H, S & Financial Well Being of the public. Here is how the neighborhood takes shape: The Architects are against you . . . They want the Business! If you don't believe me, ask yourself why the AIA is holding "Open Space Awards" . . . I always thought that an Architect's responsibility was to make closed spaces, (i.e. - Buildings) . . . . The Politicians are against you . . . there are only two ways to get to a politician . . . get them money or get them votes. Money will buy a vote if the voters are not committed otherwise. The architects have more money so you can't buy the vote. The voters, however, are your saving grace . . . The Public is FOR YOU!!!: . . . They want the parks, the streetscapes, the environmental elements in development (and I don't mean saving the yellow jacketed, blue breast, elephant mouse). Why do you think the Architects are holding Open Space Awards?!? That's what sells the project. Even Donald Trump, is putting the landscape first, as anyone from Indiana will tell you about his new "Trump Tower". According to LASN's sources, the entire roadway (several miles long) between the main highway and the Building is landscaped to the hilt. Fifty years ago you could build a building as tall as you liked and the only requirement was to have a ten-foot sidewalk around the structure. Today even the most Downtown developments are pulling away from the curb . . . Not only won't the city let them build out to capacity, they couldn't sell/lease their space without that landscaped look and feel. Remember, before there was the Empire State Building, there was Central Park. Guess which one still is a primary icon in their respective arenas. That's right . . . Central Park continues to be renovated and improved . . . Except for its worth as a tourist attraction, the Empire State Building would soon be up for consideration for the wrecking ball. Buildings get old . . . Parks get better. In the words of Dennis Otsuji, ASLA past President, "Now is the time to stand up and be counted . . . to put a great effort forward". He is right . . . Now is the time! Get out to the public! Use the radio, use the TV, use the Internet . . . Start letting the public know that the politician, their very own local representative, is going to vote to take the landscape out of the development. Their very own local elected official is going to put an Architect or and Engineer in charge of designing the parks and green belts . . . This is no Joke. For whatever reasons the people in charge have been working the smoky backrooms of Capital Hill, while the environmental 80's & 90's, the age of mass communication, is slipping by. When I first started LASN I envisioned this profession as the fastest growing, most impactful profession on the planet. I surely thought that LA's would push aside the A's as the leader on the development team. It is not too late . . . but someday it will be. Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the public . . . Get to the Public . . . Get to the Public . . . They are on your side!! :-)