ASLA Climate Action

Katie Riddle, ASLA, is the Director of Professional Practice at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In this role, she works closely with ASLA members to advance the profession, foster business growth, and lead ASLA’s climate action efforts, including the implementation of the ASLA Climate Action Plan. Katie oversees professional development programming for ASLA, such as the SKILL ED Practice Management Institute and the annual ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture. The Landscape Performance Series projects below are also featured in the ASLA Climate Action Plan Exhibition and in Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes in recognition of their climate-forward design and performance. Explore these nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises that provide economic, equity, and public health co-benefits.

1. Case Study Brief

   

   Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Phase 1

   Houston, Texas

   “This large arboretum in downtown Houston represents a range of climate solutions including enhanced natural vegetative buffers, plantings that support biodiversity, wildlands preservation, and healthy soil management. By 2012, more than half of the tree canopy on-site had been lost; the redesign equipped the arboretum to withstand future climate shocks and provide a unique spatial experience not common in arboreta. ”

2. Case Study Brief

   

   High Line

   New York, New York

   “This well-known “green roof” atop an elevated railroad track integrates key climate solutions including infrastructure reuse, water reuse, and drought-resistant native plantings. Plant species chosen for their hardiness and sustainability provide biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and stormwater management co-benefits.”

3. Case Study Brief

   

   Buffalo Bayou Promenade

   Houston, Texas

   “This linear park was designed to contain and convey floodwater with minimal damage, a feature tested to a significant degree by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Climate solutions include restoration of natural systems along the waterway, preserving tree canopy, and limiting building in floodplains. ”

4. Case Study Brief

   

   Kresge Foundation Headquarters

   Troy, Michigan

   “The Foundation’s mission to create a sustainable future is reflected in the climate solutions incorporated across this campus, which include restoration of the native prairie that once spanned this region of southern Michigan to support biodiversity and green roofs that extend the native grassland into the built environment. ”

5. Case Study Brief

   

   Underwood Family Sonoran Landscape Laboratory

   Tucson, Arizona

   “University campuses have an essential role in climate adaptation. This transformed parking lot reduces paved areas and maximizes tree cover, adds permeable pavement to support natural hydrology, and conserves water across the landscape. ”

6. Case Study Brief

   

   Gary Comer Youth Center

   Chicago, Illinois

   “This rooftop urban farm addresses food insecurity by growing food for over 175 students each day. The green roof also supports building resilience by insulating the rooms below, reducing energy for heat and cooling. ”

7. Case Study Brief

   

   Sherbourne Common

   Toronto, Ontario, Canada

   “This Toronto waterfront park represents the necessary transition from industrial brownfields into functional spaces. Climate solutions include large-scale stormwater management using ultraviolet technology and biofiltration, locally available materials to reduce carbon impacts, and light-colored permeable surfaces to reduce urban heat island effect. ”

8. Case Study Brief

   

   Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse Landscape Retrofit

   Albuquerque, New Mexico

   “Serving as a model for the U.S. General Services Administration that demonstrates how a federal site can efficiently use natural and public resources, this courthouse demonstrates key climate solutions. Concrete blocks formerly on-site were repurposed to maximize materials reuse, and the former lawn was replaced with native, drought-tolerant plantings. The Pete V. Domenici Courthouse is one of the first projects to achieve certification from the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES).”