2020 in Review: Professional Practice Networks Highlights
https://vimeo.com/486002026/02d0b2548b
Even during this wild rollercoaster ride of a year, ASLA's Professional Practice Network (PPN) leaders and members continued to share their experiences and expertise as authors for The Field blog and as presenters for ASLA's Online Learning webinars.
We would like to thank all of you who contributed to this shared body of knowledge in 2020. We hope that you have found new ways to stay connected, learned to adapt to rapid changes in practice, and felt inspired by your peers in landscape architecture.
Check out the PPNs' 2020 in Review to see what the PPNs have accomplished this year. Below, we highlight the top 10 Field posts of the year, PPN-hosted Online Learning presentations, and the PPN leaders who took part in reVISION ASLA 2020.
Year in Review: The Field
The Field was established to give members in the field of landscape architecture a place to exchange information, learn about recent work and research, and share thoughts about emerging developments. Contributions are by members, for members, and we encourage all ASLA members with an idea or an experience to share to contribute to The Field.
Fresh content appears twice a week; and 103 posts were published in 2020.
Here are The Field’s top 10 most-read posts published this year, including two posts by Student ASLA members and two posts each from the Children's Outdoor Environments, Environmental Justice, and Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPNs:
1. Performance-Based Plant Selection for Bioretention by Jeremy Person, PLA, ASLA, Brian Wethington, Donna Evans, and Irene Ogata, ASLA Ecology & Restoration PPN
2. Urban Villages, Town Design, New Urbanism: Where Does Landscape Architecture Stand? by Thomas Schurch, ASLA, PLA Urban Design PPN
3. Naturescape: A Vision for Open Space at the University of California, Irvine by Dawn Dyer, RLA, ASLA, Kaleen Juarez, and Mia Lehrer, FASLA Campus Planning & Design PPN
4. A Brief History of Playground Design by Naomi Heller Children's Outdoor Environments PPN
5. What Does the Doctrine of Discovery Have to Do With Environmental Justice? by Zoé Edgecomb, ASLA Environmental Justice PPN
6. Green Schoolyards: An Interview with Sharon Danks by Lauren Iversen, Student ASLA Children's Outdoor Environments PPN
7. Nurture the Palette for Your Own Murals by Chih-Wei G.V. Chang, ASLA International Practice PPN
8. Therapeutic Garden Design in Chile by Kat Shiffler, Student ASLA Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPN
9. Healing from Harvest: Community Gardens as Healing Gardens by Siyi He, Associate ASLA Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPN
10. Landscape Architecture Tackles Homelessness and Shelter in the Pandemic by Yekang Ko, PhD, and Cory Parker, PhD, PLA Environmental Justice PPN
Year in Review: Online Learning
ASLA offers live and on-demand Online Learning webinars, many of which are hosted by the PPNs on a topic of special relevance to their members. Here are the 5 PPN-hosted webinars by registration numbers that you can now watch the recordings of:
1. Adapting College and University Campus Outdoor Spaces in Response to COVID-19 Hosted by the Campus Planning & Design PPN Presented by Cathy Deino Blake, FASLA, SAPM, LEED AP, Kevin Petersen, AIA, LEED AP, Byron Sampson, and Stanley Szwalek, ASLA, PLA
2. A Conversation with Virginia Burt, FCSLA, FASLA Hosted by the Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPN
3. Higher Education Reflections and Planning for Fall 2020 Hosted by the Education & Practice PPN Presented by Bill Estes, ASLA, Robert Hewitt, FASLA, Patsy Eubanks Owens, ASLA, Ming-Han Li, FASLA, Mark Hoversten, FASLA, Gabriel Díaz Montemayor, ASLA
4. Finishing Construction Safely with COVID-19: Control, Resilience, and Recovery Planning Hosted by the Transportation PPN Presented by Sean Batty, ASLA, RLA
5. Transformative Ecological Restoration: Farms to Wetlands 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW) Hosted by the Ecology & Restoration PPN Presented by Anthony Fettes, ASLA, PLA, SITES AP, and Nick Nelson, CERP
In addition to the webinars listed above with recordings available, a number of other PPNs also hosted virtual events this year, including the Children's Outdoor Environments, Environmental Justice, Parks & Recreation, and Women in Landscape Architecture PPNs.
ASLA's Professional Practice, Public Practice Advisory, and Climate Action Committees also hosted several webinars this year:
Out of Office: Tools, Team, and Togetherness for Working from HomeHosted by the Professional Practice Committee
QuickBooks for Project Management: A Deeper DiveHosted by the Professional Practice Committee
COVID-19 and Contract PerformanceHosted by the Professional Practice Committee
ASLA Construction Contract Administration and Experiences in the Time of COVID-19Hosted by the Professional Practice Committee
Navigating Community Engagement During COVID-19: Perspective, Practice, Prospect1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW) / 1.0 AICP and FREE for ASLA members Hosted by the Professional Practice and Public Practice Advisory Committees
ASLA Climate Action with President Wendy Miller, FASLA Climate Positive Design’s Pathfinder 2.0Hosted by the Climate Action Committee
Southeast Coast Regional Climate Action EventHosted by the Climate Action Committee
The PPNs at reVISION ASLA 2020
This November's virtual conference, reVISION ASLA 2020, was like no other. We would like to thank all the PPN leaders who took part as discussion leaders for reVISION's virtual networking sessions:

Best wishes from the Professional Practice team for a safe, warm, and joyous celebration of the holidays. We look forward to continuing our work together in the new year—here's to a successful and productive 2021!