2010 Success Stories

A lot of the negative and politically charged discussions here lately have been less than captivating, so I thought I'd share some success stories from the last year.

Clearly times are tough, but please don't let the self-proclaimed experts tell you that just because they've never participated in certain types of projects or experiences, that landscape architecture is stagnant or relegated to the backyards of newly built homes.

Here is a brief list of successes that landscape architects at the firm I work with experienced in 2010:

Internally managed projects, leading teams of engineers and scientists.
Managed projects as a prime with engineering, architecture, other landscape architecture, or planning firms as subs.
Participated in projects as a sub, with a landscape architecture firm as a prime.
Participated in projects as a sub, with ecologists as a prime.
Participated in projects and submitted proposals for the siting and design of facilities for wind and wave energy generation.
Worked with traditional energy generation plants to reduce impacts on the environment.
Participated in projects analyzing watersheds.
Participated in projects investigating the effects of nontraditional stormwater management practices on watersheds.
Participated in projects designing wetland protection, enhancement, and restoration measures.
Designed nontraditional riverbank and shoreline protection and restoration measures.
Investigated and planned for the long term effects of climate change.
Focused on walkability, transit, and bike accommodations at projects that would traditionally only receive parking lots.
Worked for and with municipalities, government agencies, private land owners, charitable trusts, and developers- with no projects involving single family housing.
Worked on brownfield and contaminated site remediation projects.
Designed projects with the exclusive mandate of habitat creation, restoration, or enhancement.
Heard from multiple clients that sustainability was a major factor driving their projects.
Completed pro bono work in our local communities.
Stayed busy

There are undoubtedly many more. Happy New Year!

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Permalink Reply by henry cohen on January 13, 2011 at 12:34pm

Would you mind telling us where the projects are located. Are they in the states or scattered worldwide? It looks like the firm that you work for has a specialty niche. How many of the projects came on line in the last two years and how many have been in the pipe line for a while?

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Permalink Reply by Ben Yahr on January 13, 2011 at 12:54pm

Worldwide, though primarily in the Great Lakes region. And being a small niche firm is key.

Essentially all of the projects listed above came online in the last two years, ie not backlog from before 2008.

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Permalink Reply by marty on January 13, 2011 at 1:34pm

how many LA's did you hire this year?

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Permalink Reply by henry cohen on January 13, 2011 at 7:28pm

Marty, you'll make a fine Dr. you got to the crux of it.

Go Iggles-- whoops!

Go Phils!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Garulay, RLA on January 14, 2011 at 5:51am

Flyers? ooops.

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Permalink Reply by henry cohen on January 14, 2011 at 6:20am

Andrew, what happened in the playoffs last year?

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Garulay, RLA on January 14, 2011 at 2:41pm

The better team won. I just happened to catch the end of the game last night and could not resist.

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Permalink Reply by henry cohen on January 14, 2011 at 4:53pm

It's fine I'd do the same thing. The defense went away. I think the Sox and the Phils will be meeting in the fall classic, so I'm sure we'll be yelling at each other then.

Happy new year.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Garulay, RLA on January 14, 2011 at 7:35pm

Flyers are an officially documented 2010 success story and belong in this thread!

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Permalink Reply by Thomas J. Johnson on January 14, 2011 at 8:37am

Hi Ben,

I see that you're based in Madison. I'm down in Chicago. I love mad-town (grandfather, father, brother all attended U Madison) and I would definitely enjoy living up there. Any chance that Baird is hiring? I see a few positions on your website but they are all for engineers...

Nice thread by the way. It's good to hear people talking the talk and shining some light on an otherwise dim situation. And sweet canoe... I've got a 1939 trapper canoe hanging in the garage, awaiting restoration... but first I need a job so I can afford the materials :)

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Permalink Reply by Ben Yahr on January 14, 2011 at 11:43am

I didn't mean for the thread to sound pretentious or self serving in any way. It just seems important to remember once and awhile that the world and the profession is not all doom, gloom, and servitude toward developers.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on January 16, 2011 at 9:24pm

Thank you for posting this. It's also good to see that these kind of projects are getting done.

I am not working right now and I know how easy it is to feel isolated from the larger picture. That's one reason I like Land8. It gives me perspective.