Keven Graham

Aaron,
Visit our Chapter web site il-asla.org and I am sure any one of the chapter leaders will be more than willing to talk with you.  Also depending on when your in, should it align with one of our planned events we would be happy to have you attend. 
Keven Graham, ASLA
Illinois Trustee ASLA

She certainly got the conference off to a exciting start. One comment I over heard was “She Gets It”. And I would agree with that comment. She is very inspiring and her message is wonderful. I have to say I heard nothing but positive comments and the link to LA was good with other sessions being offered throughout the ed sessions. I am not sure…[Read more]

Good question and debate – How about recycled product. Recovering and recycling stone products can extend the life cycle. Of course it has to be the right application.

The lines are blurred and yet there are landscape designers doing very good work and yes some are using titles incorrectly. We now only have a very few states that are not practice act states and how and what we do will be legally dictated. There are many exemptions that allow designers and many others to continue doing work. I can not speak for…[Read more]

You really can’t answer this question based on type of work. You will have a never ending discussion (which is good) if you try and define “Architect” v “Designer” merely based on the work you do. I would say your answer comes down to, like many professions the education that has been recieved and based on that education the testing that you take…[Read more]

You are right in that CPTED is not a new theory or process, but it is something LA’s should pay attention to. Not because we are building communities that are not worth living in. And not because community design is so dreadful that it causes crime. LA’s should pay attention to CPTED because there are real good basic design principles that not all…[Read more]

There is one being done now on Jens Jensen I believe for PBS.

Jenny,

There are several good examples in the Chicago area. Alot of the projects are larger like the US Cellular Field (White Sox) parking lot, Buckingham fountain and othersdone by a variety of firms in Chicago. Our firm has done several for smaller parking lots at park districts. Not sure what type of info you are looking for we use Unilock and…[Read more]

Thanks for the input, these are good leads and we will be tracking them down. keep them coming if you all think of others or run across addition sources.

Permeable paving in the Chicago area is big. We have many installations and big high profile areas. It works and the cost is not as big a leap as some expect. There are good options available. It is our belief it it work in Chicago were we have great extreme in the freeze thaw cycle, alot of up and down it should work in alot of more consistent…[Read more]

Andrew,

Not saying LA’s are the only ones with the ability to do Green Infrastructure Design, but I would ask who is better suited? I would not say all LA’s can or should be going this type of work. But Green Infrastructure is built on the premiss that all the elements work together, the hydrology, soils, vegetation and human interaction of the…[Read more]

I don’t know if it is as much about advocating at this point, there are a number of programs be looked at that are considering requirements for “Green Infrastructure”, i.e. the EPA. As agencies look at requirements for infiltration, water quality and potentially stormwater utility taxes, green infrastructure is a cost effective, environmentally…[Read more]

HGTV is certainly focused on the smaller home improvements for the most part and the weekend type project, But I think they do represent the time it takes on many of their programs over the years. Groundbreakers for example cronicles months of work and tells the length it take to get the work done. Over the life of HGTV I think they have edone a…[Read more]

Mike, good stuff and like this there is good information being formed by various engineers, we need to do this as Landscape Architects. The nice part of your recommendation is the green infrastructure examples are or can be work LA’s do as well. Thanks for giving your input.

Thanks Chris, i will look that up. We are trying to build the economic case and pull together so we can use to showcase the profession to decission makers. This is for a chapter based initiative.

I think Chad is correct Practice Act game over, not really an argument. What you need to find out is what allowances there are for landscape designers in your practice act if any exist. I’ve seen some practice acts allow certain allied professionals to do landscape architecture work under certain circumstances. Why should we protect it and why do…[Read more]

In Illinois we had a bill in our state legislature las year that was to require green infrastructure and it also named LA’s as a resource. That bill was changed into a legislative directive to the EPA to further study the issue and come back with a report. Check out the Illinois EPA web sight and you will find more. There was a briefing today on…[Read more]

Phil perhaps you are only interested in decorating gardens, but for many of us we are far more involved in design services that do require law, have a significant impact of health and even protect and provide safety and security. Our profession is very diverse and yes DOES require and should require competency in the core areas of health, safety…[Read more]

Andrew,
You raise an interesting discuss here and I am glad you have. The threads of recent have been good for raising questions but as one who is proud to use ASLA behind my name, I must say disappointing. The profession of LA is long and rich in history and we have great opportunities in the future. I know the times right now are dreadful, I own…[Read more]