News

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is pleased to announce the launch of The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Washington, D.C. This online, mobile-friendly guide will help visitors and locals discover more than 75 historic, modern and contemporary landscapes in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Va. Expert commentary and more than 800 photos are provided by 20 landscape architects. It is located at www.asla.org/guide. 

According to Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, the guide is the first of its kind devoted to Washington, D.C. It highlights historic monuments and parks—including the National Mall and Memorial Parks and Capitol Hill—and examples of new sustainable works—including Constitution Square, a cutting-edge green street that is one block long, and Diamond Teague Waterfront Park, which incorporates man-made, water-cleansing wetlands on the Anacostia River.

“The guide will provide the 19 million tourists who visit D.C. annually, along with locals, a fresh perspective on both iconic and brand-new landscapes within the nation’s capital,” says Somerville. “D.C.’s vibrant public realm didn’t just magically appear but was carefully designed over the years, and is continually evolving, through interactions among elected leaders, communities and landscape architects.”

The guide is divided into 16 distinct tours in all four quadrants of the District—as well as a tour of the new D.C. bicycle network. Each tour covers multiple neighborhoods, and includes a printable walking or biking map.

The guide was created by ASLA in partnership with 20 nationally recognized landscape architects, all of whom are designers of the public realm and leaders in sustainable design. The guides were asked to explain the sites from a landscape architect’s point of view and show how the design of these sites influences how people interact with or even feel about these places.

The guides are:

• Claire Bedat, ASLA, Associate, RTKL Associates Inc.
• Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, Founder and President, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF).
• Hallie Boyce, ASLA, Partner, OLIN
• Dennis Carmichael, FASLA, Principal, Parker Rodriguez, and Past President of the American Society of Landscape Architects (2006)
• Beth Carton, ASLA, Park Planner for the City of Alexandria's Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities
• Jonathan Fitch, ASLA, Principal, Landscape Architecture Bureau
• Skip Graffam, ASLA, Partner and Director of Research, OLIN
• Liz Guthrie, ASLA, Manager of Professional Practice Programs and Staff Liaison to the Sustainable Sites Initiative™, ASLA
• Joan Honeyman, ASLA, Owner, Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture LLC
• Glenn LaRue Smith, ASLA, Principal, Smith + Murray studios, Inc.
• Adrienne McCray, ASLA, Senior Associate, Lee and Associates
• Ron Kagawa, ASLA, Division Chief of Park Planning and Capital Development with the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
• Dena Kennett, ASLA, Manager of Professional Practice Programs, ASLA
• Elizabeth Miller, ASLA, Acting Director, Physical Planning Division, National Capital Planning Commission
• Radhika Mohan, ASLA, Senior Program Manager, Mayors’ Institute on City Design/National Endowment of the Arts
• Jane Padelford, ASLA, Dumbarton Oaks Research Institute, Harvard University
• Amanda Shull, Project Assistant, The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
• Susan Spain, ASLA, Project Executive, National Park Service
• Jennifer L. Toole, ASLA, President of Toole Design Group
• Michael Vergason, FASLA, Founder, Michael Vergason Landscape Architects

Media wishing to interview the guides or learn more about the website should contact Karen Trimbath, public relations manager, at ktrimbath@asla.org or (202) 216-2371.

List of Sites Featured in the Guide

 About ASLA

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing nearly 16,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 76 student chapters. The Society's mission is to lead, to educate and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. Members of the Society use their “ASLA” suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Learn more about landscape architecture online at www.asla.org.