The Calm Before The Storm
With Congress on recess, and a mid-term election looming, there is little action on the Federal front—time to look forward to landscape architecture in the public realm sessions at the 2006 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO and 43rd IFLA World Congress.

August in Washington, DC means summer recess for the Congress, and while it can’t be said that much has been accomplished during the recent Congressional session, both houses wrapped up work last week and headed home for the month, without final passage of any one of the thirteen major appropriations bills that they are charged with sending along to the President for signature. The war in Iraq and the crisis in Lebanon are driving the headlines, and both parties have their vision trained squarely on late summer primaries and on election day—Tuesday, November 7—now only three months away.

For the first time in over a decade, there is the genuine potential that at least one of the chambers—likely the House of Representatives—may change hands, switching from Republican to Democratic control. The uncertainty over who will be in charge in Congress, coupled with the President’s low approval ratings, have conspired to provide political disincentives for any substantial legislative action during the remainder of the Congress. The climate may change by the time members return from recess, depending on what they hear from their constituents back home, but it is likely that the country will remain in a holding pattern until mid-November.

Government Affairs sessions at the Annual Meeting
A number of continuing education sessions at the 2006 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO and 43rd IFLA World Congress in Minneapolis highlight the importance of landscape architecture in the public realm, and the profession’s impact on public policy and planning. For those with an specific interest in the direct intersection between landscape architecture and government process, there are three education sessions that have been organized with ASLA Government Affairs that attendees may want to consider.

Call to Action – Saturday, October 7, 12:45pm
During the past year, ASLA has taken a number of steps to sustain and advance its advocacy efforts, and to empower landscape architects to have a greater role, and more influence in the policy making process. This session will carry that effort forward as panelists discuss the importance of getting involved in the process from a legislator’s perspective, the importance of licensure and advocacy for protecting the interests of the profession, and it will also highlight some of new tools and other resources that will be available to ASLA and its members to increase our effectiveness.

Green Solutions/Government Planet – Saturday, October 7, 4:00pm
 ASLA has also been working for the last twelve months to reinvigorate our relationships with members in federal practice. The opportunities for private sector landscape architects to work with the government are vast, and greatly untapped. In this education session, landscape architects from federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, The Forest Service, and the Park Service, are teaming with private sector counterparts to highlight projects that illustrate changing missions, new demands, green solutions and growing business opportunities. Participants will address the political and organizational factors that are central to public-private partnerships driving green innovation in government today.

Transforming Perimeter Security Around Federal Buildings – Monday, October 9, 8:30am
The U.S. General Services Administration is home to the largest public real estate organization in the country, with an inventory of over 342 million square feet of workspace for 1.1 million federal employees nationwide. By virtue of that sheer volume the agency has to be attuned to myriad concerns involving security—and needs to exert leadership from the public sector. GSA is currently heading an effort to educate its employees and design professions about diverse options for perimeter security. To this end the agency has produced a perimeter security design guide for a range of security options that can be utilized to meet a specific threat. This education session will highlight the GSA design guide, and discuss how both public and private sector landscape architects can use the guide to help both public and private property managers understand that effective perimeter security, good design, and freedom of movement go hand in hand.

 For more information, contact Scott Kovarovics, Manager Federal Government Affairs, at mailto:skovarovics@asla.org.