Following ASLA’s letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy, which included 1,634 grassroots signatures, DOT policy staff met with ASLA Government Affairs to discuss bicycle infrastructure and the value of green infrastructure projects within federally managed rights-of-way. 

Robert Loftis, FASLA, and Managing Director Roxanne Blackwell, Hon. ASLA, led the meeting, presenting a range of landscape architecture projects, research, and reports that illustrate the many benefits of these initiatives, including ASLA’s report - Landscape Architecture: Maximizing the Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions Through Design. Loftis presented landscape architecture projects that demonstrated the importance of including green infrastructure in transportation projects to manage stormwater runoff and prevent flooding, stabilize projects, clean the surrounding air, and other benefits.   

Their presentation highlighted how well-designed bike/ped projects contribute to safer, more resilient, and more livable communities while supporting resilience and economic goals. Loftis emphasized how landscape architects should be allowed to make “on the ground” design decisions about when bicycle projects are appropriate and beneficial for the community.  

The meeting was an important step in ensuring that landscape architecture remains a key component of national transportation policy. ASLA thanks our grassroots advocates who added their voices to this effort, which is essential in advancing the profession and protecting the future of sustainable, people-focused infrastructure.