2025 ASLA Professional Awards

Coastal parks and nearshore restoration are key in Washington State, requiring holistic, forward-thinking design strategies. Addressing ecological degradation, sea level rise, and stormwater runoff, the design team for The Beach at Elliott Bay restored a publicly accessible, 40-acre waterfront site and corporate campus north of downtown Seattle. Soil remediation and stormwater management revitalize the site, creating an equitable, active landscape rooted in social and ecological resilience of

Addressing urban-rural public resource disparities, the project regenerates abandoned wetland into a resilient and inclusive public space for South China’s Yao-Hakka communities. Flood-adaptive boardwalks and basins boost biodiversity as ecological classrooms. Locals restore craft traditions like river-stone masonry through self-built infrastructure, generating income and fostering self-sustaining governance via community covenants. Seamlessly woven into local routines, the design enables ful

The loss of biodiversity caused by climate change and urbanization is expected to lead to the extinction of over one million species. The critically-endangered mountain gorilla of Rwanda is particularly susceptible to these threats.

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Fund, situated at the foot of the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa, is designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for gorilla research, educate and inspire visitors, and test ecologically driven techniqu

The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge of Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio is the first land bridge of its kind, for both human and wildlife passage, in the United States. At a monumental environmental scale, the bridge reconnects a once bisected, mile-wide tract of natural area and public park. It restores a major ecological sanctuary for wildlife along the longest creek corridor in Bexar county, prioritizing wildlife passage alongside people. More than infrastructure, it is a continuatio

The Shepherd Art Park revitalizes a once-vacant 3.5-acre site in a historically depopulated Detroit neighborhood, transforming it into a dynamic cultural hub. Today, more than ever, our communities need a place for people of all ages to come together, break the cycle of isolation and loneliness, and replace it with connection, creativity, and inspiration. The newly reimagined site honors a church that once anchored the community, transforming it into a new kind of hub that facilitates the bes

The Design Building at the University of Massachusetts is the new home of the Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP), and Building and Construction Technology Departments. As the second oldest Landscape Architecture Department in the United States, the site was the original location of LARP’s test plots in the early 1900’s. The need to restore a functioning ecosystem and the expression of horticultural experimentation guided the design process. With exposed timber f

Waterloo Park is the first phase of the public-private joint venture to ambitiously transform the blighted Waller Creek into a 1.5-mile-long greenway and chain of parks that connect East Austin and the downtown. Waterloo Park was originally prone to severe flooding and overuse during community events before being identified as the site for a floodwater bypass tunnel inlet —infrastructure that removes 28 acres from the floodplain downstream. The redevelopment of the park is the

Mill 19 is a living emblem of Pittsburgh’s transformation from its industrial steel-making past to a future of sustainable advanced manufacturing. Through a bold approach to adaptive reuse, the project viscerally interweaves new spaces for the Hazelwood Green community and the city’s robotics industry within the ruins of a decommissioned steel mill. The project welcomes the public through a series of linked exterior experiences framed between the 1,360-foot-long superstructure and three multi

Envisioned as "a station in nature," the project has transformed the congested street level of declining urban core into a lush, vibrant park, while relocating multi-modal transit system underground. By integrating green infrastructure atop transport infrastructure, the park has established a new model for creating future Transit Oriented Districts (TODs) to promote innovative urban revitalization.

Shanghai Underpass Hubs has transformed underutilized spaces beneath overpasses along the Suzhou River into vibrant public areas, addressing the urgent need for high-quality open spaces in one of the world's largest and most populous cities. The project, encompassing the recently established Sports Hub and Gathering Hub, is shaped through extensive community engagement, integrating public input to create multifunctional spaces for recreation, sports, and cultural activities. By repurposi

China Basin Park is a 5-acre waterfront park and cultural centerpiece of San Francisco’s new Mission Rock neighborhood. Urban design concepts drove the form of the park: a sculpted lawn frames views of the bay to the east, a Central Plaza greets pedestrians from the south, a shady grove meets the intimate scale of the basin, and an amphitheater faces the San Francisco Giants ballpark. China Basin Park magnifies local environs—the region’s headlands, coastal edges, and wetland ecologies are ec

A series of fragmented blocks in downtown Tampa, Florida became a proving ground for city-building centered on human comfort and wellbeing. The developer appointed the landscape architect at their project’s inception, seeking a public realm master plan to articulate strong civic values and to enact a holistic vision for wellness. The landscape architect defined Water Street Tampa through mature live oaks set within sidewalks dimensioned to permit 1,200 cubic feet of soil per tree, to sustain

Haikou City, long plagued by monsoon flooding and urban water pollution, saw its concrete-lined waterways bereft of life and ecological resilience. Addressing this, the landscape architect led the charge in implementing nature-based solutions, revitalizing these waterways into thriving green, social-ecological systems. This transformation brought back clean water, rich biodiversity, and lush landscapes, injecting social vibrancy into the community. Eco-friendly, flood-resilient waterways and

UNIT.City transforms a post-industrial site into an innovation district where education, work, and public life seamlessly intersect. The redevelopment reclaims a once-restricted area, establishing a walkable, climate-responsive urban environment that enhances connectivity with the city. A landscape-first approach defines key public spaces — including Event Plaza, pedestrian streets, an education hub, and rain gardens — that foster social interaction, biodiversity, and urban resilience. By pri

The Little Project is a pilot initiative demonstrating the transformative power of small-scale urban residential design. Situated on a 40x150-foot lot in St. Paul’s historic neighborhood, this full-site redesign reimagines a traditional lawn-covered front and backyard into a dynamic, nature-rich sanctuary. Blending sustainability, nature play, edible gardening, and outdoor education, the project maximizes every square foot within a modest budget. Designed for year-round beauty and enjoyment,

From a bare hilltop, a client’s desire to revive sentimental connections to Martha’s Vineyard invited the submitting firm to undertake an experiment: weaving an ecologically rich garden into the steep sandy slopes of a disturbed site. Rather than replant a lost forest, successional plant communities—shrub thickets, meadows, and fern-covered embankments—root the home to ever-evolving surroundings while creating diverse habitat. Dry-laid stone walls and reclaimed granite paths navigate terrain,

Decades of human activity have altered freshwater lakes of our American West, diminishing ecological health and scenic quality. The rehabilitation of this ecologically sensitive, forested landscape ensures the long-term legacy of a family retreat while protecting the distinctive natural character of a glacial mountain lake.

Modest in scale yet visually and environmentally impactful, the design balances conservation, stewardship, and adaptation. Embodying restraint, interventions are qui

Springy Banks, a former 1960s summer camp, was transformed into a 13-acre residence that honors its history while restoring its formerly degraded landscape. Once dominated by asphalt roads and mowed lawns, the site suffered from polluted runoff draining into the bay. The Landscape Architect led an extensive ecological restoration, removing impervious roadways and contaminated sediment, and implementing natural drainage swales and rain gardens to improve water quality. More than 50,000 native

Sendero Verde serves over 700 households in a sustainable, fully affordable development that is the world’s largest Passive House-certified project. The heart of the complex is the publicly accessible elevated courtyard, a shared green space intentionally positioned above street level to offer a peaceful, protected environment. The courtyard features intimate pods for quiet conversation, interactive zones for exercise and play, and a spacious plaza with a performance podium, which hosts commu

Norweta is an urban infill project in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Designed with an emphasis on resident wellness and green living, the 74-unit development uses landscape as its defining element. A series of shared courtyards and lush gardens provide spaces for gathering and respite amid fast-paced city life. These interconnected “secret gardens” each have a unique character and program, while maintaining a cohesive design language. Nearly all the landscape sits over structure, e

The Somerville Pollinator Action Plan is a first-of-its-kind urban pollinator research and policy framework, envisioning a city where biodiversity grows alongside community. Pollinator decline—projected at 30% insect loss over the next 20 years—demands urgent attention. iNaturalist and community observation data was mapped to create a baseline of known local pollinators. The plan details pollinator support strategies with both science and aesthetics in mind, including original ecolog

The Chaobai River Basin, a historically vibrant agrarian landscape, faced ecological, cultural, and economic fragmentation after 20th-century channelization disrupted its human-river symbiosis. This rural regeneration initiative integrates ecological restoration, cultural reanimation, and economic revitalization into a cohesive framework. Collaborating with 28 partner villages, the plan restores riparian habitats, revives cultural traditions, and transitions monoculture farming to diverse agr

Grounded in the city of Vancouver B.C.’s commitment to truth and reconciliation, this nature-based climate adaptation approach envisions a return to the historic False Creek shoreline. A precedent-setting process prompted ongoing, continuous learning between city and province agencies, a youth adaptation lab, cultural artists, designers, the public, and Host Nation cultural advisors. With reconciliation and reciprocity as the foundation, design outcomes represent a future in which Host Nation

Coalescing community narrative power around a dynamic communications framework may fall outside of traditional landscape architecture scope of services, but it was exactly what Green Dot Coalition needed to propel their climate justice movement in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. The Greening Five Points communications strategy spans social and traditional media, events, and demonstration projects. It amplifies voices from the climate frontlines and calls for equitable green infrastruc

2024 marked a critical turning point, as the planet exceeded an annual temperature average of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This milestone coupled with devastating biodiversity loss highlights the urgent need for action to mitigate and adapt to these threats. In response, landscape architects have led innovative collaboration with the United Nations.

This effort culminated in the publication of WORKS with Nature: Low-Carbon Adaptation Techniques for a Changing World, a guide developed under the leadership of ASLA Climate Action Plan founding Chair Pamela Conrad and UN-award-winning landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom. The guide aims to elevate the role of landscape architects in global climate and biodiversity solutions.

Wildfires are among today’s most urgent landscape challenges, yet a critical knowledge gap persists: while home hardening and regional land use planning strategies are well-documented, accessible community-scale design approaches remain scarce. Playbook for the Pyrocene bridges this gap, synthesizing years of research and collaboration with agencies across California into an open-access guide. Designed for those without deep fire science expertise, it distills key insights from ecolo

Landscape narratives can harm. Landscape narratives can heal. In Empty Pedestals: Countering Confederate Narratives Through Public Design (LSU Press, 2024), editors Kofi Boone and M. Elen Deming bring together 14 contributors who present design, planning, and other strategies aimed at building community resilience by confronting and transforming spaces marked by endemic prejudice. The book focuses on the legacies and futures of Confederate monuments and the spaces they inhabit. The book offers a groundbreaking compilation of historical context, spatial analysis, compelling regional case studies, and recommendations for design action to promote social equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Designing for local landscape-scale change amid global climate change is a significant challenge for landscape architects. It requires integrating Earth system science tools, such as satellite data and sea level rise projections, with on-site surveying techniques. While surveying has historically been part of landscape practice, the discipline often outsources this work or relies on limited off-the-shelf data products. By creating custom in situ remotely sensed data, designers can re

The Charles River Floating Wetland Pilot Project investigates the application of Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) as an innovative solution to improve degraded urban waters. This research addresses the linked challenges of missing habitat, degraded water quality, and impoverished public perception of urban waters. By combining scientific research, design experimentation, and public outreach, the project demonstrates how FTWs can enhance water quality, support biodiversity, and provide educa

This study explores the integration of earthquake early warning and radon monitoring systems within mountain parks to enhance disaster resilience. Focusing on the Longquan Mountain fault zone, it examines how seismic risk assessment and response strategies can be combined with ecological landscape design.

Through a research-driven design approach for Longquan Mountain Park, three key strategies—Mountain Geological Restoration(GRM), Radon Gas Mapping (RGM), and Earthquake Monitor