ASLA Executive Vice President Issues 2005 Year in Review Report
ASLA continues strong growth, topping 16,500 members.

Executive Vice President Nancy C. Somerville nsomerville@asla.org American Society of Landscape Architects Washington, DC

I am happy to report that the American Society of Landscape Architects and the profession of landscape architecture thrived in 2005. Over the course of the year, ASLA strove to move critical issues forward, to develop new services for the growing membership—now 16,500 members strong—and to strengthen the voice of the profession with key decision makers. In doing so, ASLA remained committed to advancing its top priority areas of public relations, government affairs advocacy, and technical information resources.

Media coverage of the profession has increased by more than 25 percent in the last three years, and landscape architecture has piqued the interest of big-name news sources including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and National Public Radio. The media not only acknowledged the landscape architect's role in the traditional markets of residential, commercial, and public design, but also recognized the profession's leadership in security design, green roofs, stormwater management, and therapeutic design.

The Society was consistent in focusing on security design, sustainability, and green roof projects in 2005, all areas in which the profession is clearly leading the way.

ASLA chapter leadership contributed to the momentum with nearly half of the 49 chapters sponsoring public outreach activities during National Landscape Architecture Month in April. This coupled with ASLA's first video news release, broadcast more than 100 times by television stations nationwide, and two public service announcements, which reached over 32 million listeners, helped to inform Americans of all ages about the profession.

Additionally, ASLA continued to add resources to its online repertoire with the debut of the revamped LAND Online and The Dirt, featuring podcasts and streaming video from ASLA's very successful 2005 Annual Meeting and EXPO in Fort Lauderdale.

The Society was consistent in focusing on security design, sustainability, and green roof projects in 2005, all areas in which the profession is clearly leading the way. On the security design front, ASLA is partnering with the U.S. General Services Administration to ensure that security design for federal facilities is done appropriately and preserves our civic values. The unveiling of the high-profile public projects at the White House and on the National Mall designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh, FASLA, and Laurie Olin, FASLA, respectively, served as powerful examples establishing landscape architects as the source for fitting security design into the public realm elegantly.

To further the reach of sustainability, ASLA organized a summit on sustainable sites in Austin, Texas, in partnership with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The summit brought together participants from GSA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, and the Congress of New Urbanism. Work will continue into 2006 and beyond to achieve site-focused sustainability standards.

And finally to the green roof. Landscape architects have led the way on green roof projects across the United States and abroad, and I am proud to report that at the close of 2005, ASLA embarked on the installation of our very own green roof and monitoring system on the headquarters building in Washington, D.C. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates collaborated with Conservation Design Forum to develop the design and specifications for 3,300 square feet of roof surface. The roof is scheduled for unveiling on Earth Day and will serve as a demonstration project encouraging green roof development in Washington and beyond. ASLA Online and LAND Online will continue to provide updated coverage of the green roof as construction proceeds, and a fund-raising campaign is underway to support the project.

All that said, the year did not pass without great tragedy. The devastation wreaked by the powerful hurricanes that hit the United States last fall affected many of our friends and colleagues along the Gulf Coast and beyond. The generous offers of assistance from the profession to help colleagues in the wake of the hurricanes were truly inspiring. The hurricanes were also a powerful reminder of the expertise landscape architects have to help mitigate the devastation of future natural disasters. At the close of 2005, ASLA began working with local and national landscape architects with expertise and experience to gather specific land use and design recommendations. There is no profession better positioned to engage the public in this process. It will be a long one, but ASLA is dedicated to staying the course.

ASLA Remains on Strong Financial Footing
The Society's financial picture remained bright in 2005. As expected for a nonprofit organization, ASLA has total assets and liabilities that continue to offset each other, balancing at $7,556,536 each. For the year ending September 30, 2005, ASLA's net assets grew by $624,358. Combined with assets at the beginning of the year—$513,010—the total end-of-year assts for the society came to $1,137,368. For more information click the links to the charts below.

2005 Financial Overview [pdf]

2005 Expenses [pdf]

2005 Revenue [pdf]