Thirty-five of the 120 education sessions that took place during the 2017 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Los Angeles were recorded and are now available to view on the ASLA Online Learning website, learn.asla.org. Topics covered range from climate adaptation and habitat design to radical water conservation and residential design.
ASLA Online Learning presentations provide information on new and evolving practices and developments in design. These distance learning opportunities are also a convenient way to earn the professional development hours (PDH) needed to meet state licensure requirements. PDH are approved by the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System™ (LA CES™) and can be earned after viewing a presentation by completing and passing a self-study exam. Be sure to check state mandatory continuing education requirements to ensure that LA CES courses are compatible with your state requirements.
More than 175 recorded presentations are available for on-demand viewing, including:
- ASLA annual meeting education session recordings from 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013,
- The Professional Practice Network (PPN) Online Learning series,
- The Student & Emerging Professionals SPOTLIGHT mini-series,
- Sustainable SITES Initiative™ (SITES®) Education, and
- Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) Prep.
The ASLA Online Learning series also provides the opportunity to tune in live to ask experts questions, while earning PDH. Stay tuned for details on the next live presentations, organized by ASLA’s Professional Practice Networks (PPNs) throughout the year and recorded for later viewing.
ASLA members, Associate ASLA members, and Student ASLA members are discounted at least 75% below non-member prices. To see discounted prices, log in using your ASLA username and password.
The 2017 annual meeting sessions that have been added to the Online Learning library are:
Alt-Practice Outside the LA Studio: Exploring the Breadth of the Profession – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
Landscape architects are systems integrators in a world with ample specialization and deductive thinking. To unlock the strength beyond the private design firm and open space projects, we will focus on four careers demonstrating the real impact of landscape architects and explore how it can be applied “outside the studio.”
Speakers: Betsy Anderson, Associate ASLA, National Park Service; Sean Batty, ASLA, TriMet; Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, Landscape Architecture Foundation; Pamela Galera, ASLA, City of Anaheim
Aren’t We All Children? Considering Play in the Public Landscape – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Internationally renowned landscape design firm West 8 and German playground manufacturer Richter Spielgeräte have partnered to design some of the world’s most inventive and rewarding playscapes. This panel will engage in a conversation about the social necessity of play, childhood today, and designing public playscapes for all ages.
Speakers: Adriaan Geuze, International ASLA, West 8; Peter Heuken, ASLA, Richter Spielgeräte GmbH
Better Cities: Reclaiming Land for Cars into Space for People! – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
In the 20th century, our society gradually dedicated ever-increasing amounts of land to the exclusive use of automobiles. However, the pushback against this trend has begun. This session examines international, national, and regional methodologies to recapture land for recreation and ecological replenishment and to promote sustainable urban growth.
Speakers: Marieke Lacasse, ASLA, LEED AP, GGLO; Gerhard W. Mayer, AIA, LEED AP, GGLO; Woodie Tescher, PlaceWorks
Beyond Management: Stormwater as an Asset on the Urban Campus – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
As large landowners in cities, universities are uniquely positioned to be leaders in innovative stormwater practices and to leverage the regulatory environment for implementation. This panel explores the challenges and opportunities of stormwater management on three urban campuses: Tulane, Georgetown, and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.
Speakers: Laura G. Marett, ASLA, Sasaki; Christina T. Carlisle, ASLA, Tulane University; Zachary Chrisco, PE, Sasaki; Jason P. Soileau, ASLA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Brave New World—How Autonomous Vehicles Will Shape Our Built Environment – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Autonomous vehicles are coming. Will they bring utopia or a nightmare of zombie cars? How will they reshape our communities and roadside environments? Can we create policies to build Smart Cities and design our roadways to manage this new technology while providing active transportation and attractive streetscapes?
Speakers: Wendy Miller, FASLA, Wendy Miller Landscape Architecture PLLC; Adrian Pearmine, DKS Associates; Hermanus Steyn, PE, Kittelson & Associates, Inc.; Gerry Tierney, LEED AP, Perkins + Will
Capturing Value: Evolving Ideas on Sustainability and How to Measure the Benefits – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Demand for projects to deliver ecological, financial, and social benefits is peaking with clients looking for measurable results demonstrating the value of their investment. Case studies will highlight emerging methods and technology for data collection, analysis, and incorporating performance metrics to evaluate a project’s success in achieving its sustainability goals.
Speakers: Justin Winters, ASLA, LEED AP, SWA/Balsley; John Leys, LEED AP, PE, Sherwood Design Engineers; John F. Williams, ASLA, Impact Infrastructure, Inc
Climate Adaptation Through Landscape Architecture – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Climate change is a critical issue being addressed around the world. Landscape architects are playing a pivotal role in designing adaptations to its many impacts. This session first presents issues and adaptations from three U.S. climates: Northwest, Southwest, and Gulf Coast, followed by a panel discussion among the presenters.
Speakers: Dana Nunez Brown, ASLA, AICP, LEED AP, Dana Brown & Associates, Inc.; April Philips, FASLA, April Philips Design Works, Inc.; Margaret Robinson, ASLA, LEED AP, Asakura Robinson
Climate Change and the Quad: Resiliency as Catalysts to Building Campus Landscape – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Three campus landscape architects from major public institutions will share current guiding policy and sustainable design progress in response to climate change. In a moderated format, their stories will highlight successes, challenges, and the surprising opportunities that resiliency planning offers to the design and management of campus landscapes.
Speakers: John R. Gibbs, ASLA, LEED AP, WRT, LLC; Stephen ‘Skip’ Mezger, ASLA, University of California, Davis (UC Davis); Todd Pitman, ASLA, University of California, San Diego; Norman Yatabe, ASLA, LEED AP, Arizona State University
Communicate + Collaborate: Putting Words to Action for Better – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Metrics and methods are changing the direction of our work. However, no resulting actions are taken if communication is not effective. Using various focuses of the profession, this panel examines external (clients, community, consultants, etc.) and internal office experience and methodologies, putting collaboration to action.
Speakers: Ryan Sand, ASLA, LEED GA, Design Incite; Anna Cawrse, ASLA, Sasaki; Matthew McMahon, ASLA, Snohetta; Laura E. Stedenfeld, ASLA, DAVID RUBIN Land Collective; Jessica Pickul, LEED AP, JLA Public Involvement
Demystifying Technology: How Landscape Architects and Clients Are Making Smarter Parks – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Learn how new hardware and software technologies are helping landscape architects innovate in the planning, design, and post occupancy assessment of parks and public spaces. In this session you will see case studies from Sasaki, Soofa, a start-up from MIT’s Media Lab, and the Park District of Oak Park, IL.
Speakers: Eamonn Hutton, Associate ASLA, Sasaki; Edward Krafcik, ASLA, Soofa; Bobbi Nance, Recreation Results
Design Empathy: Reflecting Other Voices in Your Practice – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
This session will share methods to approach design with the core value of empathy. Empathy is the first step in design thinking and the basis for usercentric design. Learn how practitioners from multiple design disciplines bring multiple voices into the design process using empathy as their starting point.
Speakers: Lauren Schmitt, ASLA, AICP, MIG, Inc.; Steve Cancian, Shared Spaces; Scott Paterson, West; Janet Tam, AIA, Noll & Tam Architects
Designing Innovative Habitats: Urban Infrastructure and Aquatic Habitat – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
With the proliferation of urban development in coastal cities, landscape architects have an opportunity to design urban infrastructure in a way that can simultaneously bolster aquatic habitat and create great public space. This session compares three case studies: Chicago Riverwalk, Elliott Bay Seawall, and Rebuild by Design: Living Breakwaters.
Speakers: Jennifer Dowdell, ASLA, Biohabitats; Pippa Brashear, ASLA, SCAPE Landscape Architecture; Sara Cohen, ASLA, ASK; Andrew ten Brink, ASLA, James Corner Field Operations
Encompassing the Diverging Views on Design and Justice – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Over time landscape architects have engaged in justice movements at many scales. With continued threats to environmental and social issues, we face increased responsibility. How can we mobilize our practices and communities to address equity? Our panel will discuss the interplay of the profession, technology, and advocacy in these movements.
Speakers: Jonathon Geels, ASLA, Troyer Group; Magdalena A. Aravena, Associate ASLA, The HLA Group; Diana Fernandez, ASLA, Sasaki; Hana Ishikawa, Site Design Group, Ltd
Expanding the Field: Designing for Social Change – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
How can we as landscape architects be agents of positive social change? This discussion will consider the means by which landscape architects can become active participants in civic engagement, through professional practice as well as in alternative careers in government, social entrepreneurship, and more.
Speakers: Wileen Kao, ASLA, Bishop Land Design; Andrea L. Hansen Phillips, ASLA, Datum Digital Studio; Mia Scharphie, Associate ASLA, Founder, Build Yourself
Finding Design: Case Studies in the Creative Process – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Reaching beyond constraints of their sites, landscape architects often create works that are memorable in concept and realization. This session explores ways in which the creative spirit fuels the design process in the work of three landscape architects known for their inspired designs: James Burnett, Signe Nielsen, and Kongjian Yu.
Speakers: Susan Cohen, FASLA, Susan Cohen Landscape Architect; James Burnett, FASLA, OJB Landscape Architecture; Signe Nielsen, FASLA, MNLA; Kongjian Yu, FASLA, Turenscape
High Performing SITES and the Soils Beneath Them – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Soil is the living skin of our planet. As we’ve shaped it to our needs, we’ve often forgotten how essential it is for our survival. This session will review the complexity of soil ecosystems and frame the importance of soil in green infrastructure, urban landscapes, and the SITES Rating System.
Speakers: Micah Silvey, LEED AP, Green Business Certification Inc.; Chris Moyles, ASLA, Reed Hilderbrand; John Swallow, Affil. ASLA, Pine & Swallow Environmental
Homelessness and American Parks and Public Spaces – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Every major city in the United States, large and small, struggles with generating effective dialogues and solutions for homelessness. Through an exploration of national data, as well as successes and challenges from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, policies, programs and design solutions will be shared.
Speakers: Briana Hensold, Sasaki; Laura Crescimano, SITELAB urban studio; Scott Gilmore, City and County of Denver, CO; Joe Salaices, City of Los Angeles
Inside the LA Studio with Hocker Design Group – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
David Hocker ventured into business in late 2004 with a clear vision – beautiful articulation of the “spaces between” that exude meaningful connection to region and place for the people who inhabit them. In 13 short years Hocker Design Group (HDG) has grown into a focused design firm with a succinct point of view that responds to architecture, site ecology, and geographic features with appropriately scaled designs of exhibited restraint. A commitment to provide responsible and innovative solutions has earned the small firm 30-plus design awards and accolades in national and international publications.
Speakers: David Hocker, ASLA, Hocker Design Group; Ashlee Lehmann, ASLA, Hocker Design Group; Dylan Stewart, ASLA, Hocker Design Group; Biff Sturgess, ASLA, LEED AP, Hocker Design Group; Keith LeBlanc, FASLA, LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects, Inc.
Inside the LA Studio with SiteWorks – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
As a profession, landscape architecture often emphasizes aesthetics at the expense of the practicalities of construction or long-term stewardship. Meet SiteWorks, a specialty practice that helps translate visionary landscape ideas into reality. Hear how we integrate design with science, technology, and building craft to enable the realization of iconic projects.
Speakers: Andrew Lavalle, FASLA, SiteWorks Landscape; Annette P. Wilkus, FASLA, SiteWorks Landscape; Laura Solano, ASLA, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Inside the LA Studio with SWA Group – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
Forget everything you think you know about SWA Group. See how *design* DNA coupled with cultural diversity and organizational ingenuity enable the company to evolve and thrive through time. Through research, experimentation, and risk-taking, designers at SWA are proving this is an indelible profession for the curious and the passionate.
Speakers: Gerdo Aquino, FASLA, SWA Group; Thomas Balsley, FASLA, SWA/Balsley; René Bihan, FASLA, SWA Group; Ying-Yu Hung, ASLA, SWA Group; Thomas Oslund, FASLA
Investing Water during a Drought: Sustainable Green Infrastructure for Dry Climates – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Addressing demands for environmental justice usually requires “greening” of our cities. Desert cities face the contradiction of providing green infrastructure without increasing water consumption. This requires innovation and reconsideration of how we define, collect, clean, and store water, and where and how it is used.
Speakers: Lee-Anne Milburn, FASLA, California State Polytechnic University–Pomona; Joan Cardellino, Coastal Conservancy; Deborah Deets, ASLA, Watershed Protection Division, LA Sanitation
Leading the Charge for Change: The Landscape Architect’s Role in Climate Change – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
As humanity becomes increasingly aware of the reality of climate change, now is the time for landscape architects to unite, harness our unique expertise, and lead the charge for change. To make this contribution, we must state our position, ally with stakeholders, and begin implementing strategies that combat this challenge.
Speakers: Pamela Conrad, ASLA, LEED AP, CMG Landscape Architecture; Martha Schwartz, FASLA, Martha Schwartz Partners
Lessons from the Front Lines of Drought and Climate Change: Radical Water Conservation – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
California landscape architects are becoming experts in designing for drought conditions. As climate change increases the odds of drought in many regions of the United States and the world, lessons from California can be applied nationwide. This session presents state-of-the-art approaches from regulatory, scientific, and design perspectives.
Speakers: Jacob S. Tobias, ASLA, WRT, LLC; Nelda Matheny, HortScience, Inc.; Julie Saare-Edmonds, California Department of Water Resources
Museums Without Walls: Public Art and the Public Space – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Museums are understood as publicly significant spaces. But rarely are they thought of as public spaces. How do we move beyond museums as white cubes and understand them as active players in a discussion about art, community, culture, and politics? This panel will consider museum grounds as unique places where culture, public space, community, and private interests intersect.
Speakers: Astrid Sykes, ASLA, Mia Lehrer + Associates; Felicia Filer, City of Los Angeles; Walter Hood, ASLA, Hood Design Studio, Inc.; Paul Schimmel, Curator of Contemporary Art
Productive Ecology: Hybrid Approaches for Landscape Design and Conservation – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Building on the trend of appropriating agricultural patterns and techniques in contemporary design, landscape architects could go further toward more significant engagement with productive landscapes. This panel will discuss three case studies across the Americas that redefine design and conservation approaches by weaving altered ecosystems with traditional agricultural practices.
Speakers: Steven N. Handel, Honorary ASLA, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Courtney A. Goode, Associate ASLA, Sasaki; Flavio Sciaraffia, GeoAdaptive, LLC; Sonja Vangjeli, Associate ASLA, Sasaki
Residential Design: Blending Aesthetics, Personality, and Place – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
Residential garden design offers cultural, environmental, and aesthetic benefits, yet designers struggle with the interpersonal skills required to be truly successful. In this session, three geographically diverse landscape architects each explore three case studies that balance personalities, program, design, and site challenges to create gardens that are beautiful and sustainable.
Speakers: Mark Boyer, FASLA, Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU; Eric Groft, FASLA, Oehme, van Sweden & Associates; Keith LeBlanc, FASLA, LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects, Inc.; Susan Van Atta, FASLA, VAI Van Atta Associates, Inc.
Resilient by Design: Building Better in Response to Rising Waters – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
This panel session will demonstrate the role of landscape architecture in adaptively and equitably building resilience to flooding hazards to increase health, safety, and welfare for all. Panelists will discuss innovative strategies and techniques that address known and anticipated future issues across a range of social, environmental, and economic factors.
Speakers: Andrew Fox, ASLA, Coastal Dynamics Design Lab and North Carolina State University College of Design; Kofi Boone, ASLA, NSCU College of Design; Chuck Flink, FASLA, Greenways Incorporated; Gavin Smith, AICP, Coastal Resilience Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence
Rise Up! Taking Action to Prepare for Sea-level Rise – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Sea-level rise will be one of the most challenging issues of the coming century. This panel will present the science as well as some of the innovative work being done to engage communities and policy makers about sea-level rise impacts and adaptation strategies.
Speakers: Kristina Hill, Assoc. ASLA, University of California – Berkeley; Kevin Conger, FASLA, CMG Landscape Architecure; Dilip Trivedi, PE, Moffatt and Nichol
SITES: Devise a Truly Sustainable Maintenance Plan That Works for the Long Term – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
How often do you integrate maintenance planning into your projects? Is maintenance a significant concern for your clients? A maintenance plan is a prerequisite in the SITES v2 Rating System. Review actual SITES certified examples of maintenance plans and gain insight as to how to improve your own.
Speakers: Linette Straus, ASLA, SITES AP, Professional Practice Manager, American Society of Landscape Architects; Steven Spears, FASLA, AICP, Design Workshop, Inc.; Terry Guen, FASLA, Terry Guen Design Associates; Evan Mather, ASLA, AHBE Landscape Architects
SITES: Water Cycle Management and Resiliency in the Face of Climate Change – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
The SITES v2 Rating System – a performance-based process encourages projects to conserve water, maximize the use of precipitation, and protect water quality, with the goal always being to restore natural systems. Examine and integrate future hydrologic outcomes such as sea-level rise and create resilient designs that satisfy SITES credits.
Speakers: Linette Straus, ASLA, SITES AP, Professional Practice Manager, American Society of Landscape Architects; Chris Moyles, ASLA, Reed Hilderbrand; Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, ASLA, Principal, Catherine Seavitt Studio, April Philips, FASLA, April Philips Design Works, Inc.
Supernatural Shorelines: Innovative Models for Coastal Development, Adaptation, and Habitat Creation – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Professionals working on waterfront projects face unprecedented changing conditions and are charged with addressing uncertainty and widespread habitat loss through adaptive solutions. This session, presented using stimulating graphics and data, examines varied projects testing innovative solutions for adaptation, habitat creation, and resilience as a new model for coastal development.
Speakers: Sarah Moos Thompson, ASLA, Bionic; Marilyn Latta, California State Coastal Conservancy; Nicole Waguespack, Martin Ecosystems
The Process of Design: Making Meaning and Method. Where Do Ideas Come From? – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Three innovative designers discuss the importance of the iterative process in developing design ideas. Through case studies, the panelists share the inspirations that guide their work and discuss their design methods and the ecological systems and cultural meaning that emerge from their unique process.
Speakers: Mikyoung Kim, FASLA, Mikyoung Kim Design; Shane Coen, FASLA, Coen + Partners; Kathryn Gustafson, FASLA, GGN
The Public Landscape: A Vital constituent in the Human Quality of Life – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Is the scenic quality of the public landscapes we experience daily gradually eroding and are we simply powerless to do anything about it? Learn about the issues and what landscape architects working in land management are doing to preserve scenic landscapes on public lands.
Speakers: Curtis LaPierre, ASLA, AICP, LEED AP, Otak, Inc.; John H. McCarty, ASLA, Bureau of Land Management; Mark Meyer, ASLA, National Park Service; Ramiro Villalvazo, FASLA, Portland Parks & Recreation
Urban Forests: Maintaining a City of Trees Despite Changing Environments – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
This session explores the multifaceted strategies for urban forest management. Panelists will expand on the significant value of urban forests, including increased property values, energy conservation, stormwater treatment, air pollution reduction, and wildlife habitat. They will also discuss real-world solutions for preservation, planning, and maintenance to replenish aging urban forests.
Speakers: Jeremy Klemic, ASLA, SWA Group; Brian McKinnon, California State University Long Beach, Physical Planning / Facilities Management; Greg McPherson, United States Forest Service; Kevin Wilson, City of Thousand Oaks Public Works Department
Waterproofing: A Discussion of Evolving Climate Adaptive Design Policy and Practice – 1.5 PDH (LA CES/HSW)
Volatile weather patterns coupled with the specter of sea-level rise present new challenges for public policy-makers, landscape architects and planners. This session reviews planning and design proposals made immediately after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 (published in Waterproofing New York) and discusses new ideas, technologies, and opportunities that have emerged since.
Speakers: Denise Hoffman Brandt, ASLA, Principal of Hoffman Brandt Projects, LLC; Signe Nielsen, FASLA, MNLA; Kate Orff, ASLA, SCAPE / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PLLC; Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, ASLA, Principal, Catherine Seavitt Studio
Questions about ASLA Online Learning? Please email us at learn@asla.org.