PPN Live in San Diego: Professional Practice Network Events Preview

San Diego's Balboa Park

PPN Live at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in San Diego this month includes an array of events for attendees to network with colleagues and engage with ASLA’s 20 Professional Practice Networks (PPNs) in person, including PPN meetings, education sessions, and practice area-focused guided walks around the EXPO floor.

Want to make the most of your PPN experience at the conference? Set your own PPN agenda! Check out the schedule below and plan to earn professional development hours with a selection of meetings and sessions. Participate in a live session, network with your peers and product exhibitors in a guided walk around the show floor designed for your PPN, and make new connections within your practice area of landscape architecture.

Saturday, November 16

9:30 – 10:15 am

9:45 – 10:45 am

11:00 am – 12:15 pm

12:30 – 1:30 pm

1:00 – 1:45 pm

3:30 – 4:45 pm

Sunday, November 17

10:15 – 11:00 am

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

11:30 am – 12:15 pm

12:30 – 1:15 pm

12:45 – 1:45 pm

2:00 – 3:00 pm

Monday, November 18

8:00 – 10:00 am

See below for more information on what’s planned for each PPN event, or click the PPN name above to jump to that PPN’s event information. PPN education sessions take place in session rooms in the San Diego Convention Center; PPN meetings take place in PPN Live on the EXPO floor.

Ecology & Restoration PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 16, 9:30 – 10:15 am
PPN Live Meeting Room

We invite all those who are interested in ecological restoration planning, design, and related topics to participate in the Ecology & Restoration PPN Meeting. This year’s meeting will focus on the topic: integrating climate resilience in landscape planning and design. To start off the discussion, three experts on the topic—Vaughn Rinner, FASLA, SITES AP, Charles A. “Chuck” Flink, FASLA, and Keith Bowers, FASLA, all panelists on the session SAT-C03 – Greenways to Gene-Ways: A Call To Action—will provide a brief presentation on strategies for designing greenways and “gene-way” corridors to facilitate species migration in response to changing landscape conditions.

Join us for this discussion and to share your experiences on how climate change affects the goals and outcomes of ecological restoration projects.

Transportation PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 16, 9:30 – 10:15 am
PPN Live Meeting Room

Join the Transportation PPN for a facilitated discussion on the planning and design of our transportation systems in response to new mobility and emerging technology.

Diane Jones Allen, ASLA, presenting during a 2018 PPN Meeting / image: EPNAC

Campus Planning & Design PPN Meeting – 1.0 PDH
Saturday, November 16, 9:45 – 10:45 am
PPN Live Stage

Campus Resilience in San Diego, from Planning to Operations

Like many places around the globe, San Diego campuses are considering the potential future impacts of climate change and what it means to have resilient campuses in this region. Two perspectives will be explored to illustrate a range of approaches to location-specific considerations for these campus landscapes.

A 2018 PPN meeting on the PPN Live stage / image: EPNAC

International Practice PPN Education Session – 1.25 PDH
Saturday, November 16, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Room 22

Promoting International Landscape Practice Through the Shanghai Landscape Forum

In 2017, three leading ASLA firms with well-established practices in China instigated a new professional practice network in Shanghai to advance ASLA’s mission internationally. The Shanghai Landscape Forum leads the debate in landscape planning and design in China and engages, connects, and inspires members and professionals practicing globally.

Sustainable Design & Development PPN Meeting – 1.0 PDH
Saturday, November 16, 12:30 – 1:30 pm
PPN Live Stage

Marketing the Sustainable SITES Initiative & Return on Investment

The Sustainable SITES Initiative provides an excellent professional framework for landscape architecture design. One implementation stumbling block, however, is getting clients on board. This session presents a “SITES in 10” slideshow for practitioners focusing on the return on investment from the perspectives of the client and end user.

Community Design PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 – 1:45 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

Landscape architects serve a vital role in the creation of strong, vibrant, and sustainable communities, but all too often we are not at the table during the design process. Our voice and experience in context sensitive design during the community planning process is key to providing the link between our colleges in planning, architecture and engineering. Join us as we discuss our renewed focus on community design and the landscape architect’s role in the design of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. PPN Chair Bob Smith, ASLA, has invited three conference speakers for a discussion during the PPN meeting on the opportunities and barriers in the creation of great communities:

Planting Design PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 – 1:45 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

Join the Planting Design PPN for a panel discussion focused on how to build a strong specifier-grower relationship that will help you acquire high quality plants that will contribute to the success of your projects. Planning ahead, visiting nurseries, knowing your suppliers, understanding plant production cycles, and communicating clearly and often are key to procuring and successfully establishing the trees, shrubs, and plants that will bring your landscape designs to life.

The panelists will be:

  • Nancy Buley, Hon. ASLA, Communications Director, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. (OR)
  • Martin Hanni, General Manager, Northwest Shade Trees (OR)
  • Nicholas Staddon, Plantsman, Tree Town USA/Village Nurseries (CA)
  • Steven Wagner, Affiliate ASLA, Professional Horticultural Services LLC, (NJ)
  • Terry Ryan, FASLA, PLA, Partner, Landscape Architect, Jacobs/Ryan Associates (IL)

Women in Landscape Architecture PPN Education Session – 1.25 PDH
Saturday, November 16, 3:30 – 4:45 pm
Room 22

What We’re Getting Right: Working Toward Gender Parity in Landscape Architecture

Gender equity in the workplace is a hot topic these days. But that can mean different things to different people. Learn what firms—small to large—have successfully done to increase gender equity. Get inspired to refine your firm’s approach and share your stories.

Before the Women in Landscape Architecture PPN education session Saturday afternoon, stop by and kickstart the conversation on what we’re getting right about gender parity in landscape architecture with the WILA PPN education session speakers, moderated by PPN Co-Chair TJ Marston, ASLA. Kickstart the Conversation with the Women in Landscape Architecture PPN takes place Saturday, November 16, 12:30 – 1:15 pm in the Continue the Conversation space on the EXPO floor.

The 2018 WILA Walk in Philadelphia / image: EPNAC

And, don’t miss the Women in Landscape Architecture Walk on Monday, November 18, organized and led by the ASLA San Diego Host Chapter. Check out the WILA Walk storymap, created by walk organizer Kathleen Brand, ASLA, Senior Planner / Landscape Architect at Civic San Diego, for more information on the walk route through Downtown San Diego’s open spaces.

image: EPNAC

Landscape—Land Use Planning PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 10:15 – 11:00 am
PPN Live Meeting Room

Join us for a discussion on land use implications of autonomous technology with panelists from the education session MON-A08 – A Design Framework for Livable Streets in the Era of Autonomous Vehicles.

Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 10:15 – 11:00 am
PPN Live Meeting Room

Discuss and share your experience about creating stimulating, enjoyable, and sustainable healing spaces for enhancing the quality of health and well being for all.

Environmental Justice PPN Meeting – 1.0 PDH
Sunday, November 17, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
PPN Live Stage

State of Knowledge of EJ in Practice and Action Plans to Move Forward

Landscape architects play an important role in addressing environmental justice. How do practitioners perceive the connection of EJ with our daily practice? How can the EJ PPN assist in integrating EJ principles into the profession? This session examines recent survey results and introduces action plans for the coming year.

San Diego’s North Embarcadero / image: Jim Brady

Urban Design PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

Urban design is an endeavor with historic and contemporary significance to landscape architecture. The Urban Design PPN presentation addresses this focus by exemplifying what gives definition to urban design in practical and theoretical terms. Additionally, brief current issues talks will include how landscape architects continue to be a driving force in shaping urban form and new mobility challenges and opportunities in cities.

Water Conservation PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

The Water Conservation PPN welcomes all landscape architects with an interest in how water is dealt with on projects. Join us for focused discussions on:

  • “smart” controllers and efficient irrigation,
  • creating sustainable water features,
  • soil amendments for conserving water, and
  • water-harvesting.

Design-Build / Residential Landscape Architecture PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 12:30 – 1:15 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

Discuss project management best practices in the design-build landscape industry enabling smooth transition from concept to design to execution to close out. This session will focus on managing workflow from the studio to the job site; asset allocation, including labor, equipment, and materials; and post-installation management and documentation.

Parque CDT v2.0, Tijuana / image: Iñaki Echeverria

Parks & Recreation PPN Meeting
Sunday, November 17, 12:30 – 1:15 pm
PPN Live Meeting Room

Join us for an engaging conversation building on the topics and projects discussed on the field session Tijuana: The Past, Present, and Future of Design in a Border City.

Digital Technology / Education & Practice PPN Meeting – 1.0 PDH
Sunday, November 17, 12:45 – 1:45 pm
PPN Live Stage

Digital Technology and Impacts to Education: The Emerging Workforce

Technological advances in design software have opened exciting new avenues to design exploration. Can education keep up with these advances, providing the design industry with technologically savvy graduates who are also proficient design thinkers?

Living Laboratories: Exploring San Diego’s Nature-Based Outdoor Learning Environments / image: field session leaders Ilisa Goldman, ASLA, and Andrew Spurlock, FASLA

Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN Education Session – 1.0 PDH
Sunday, November 17, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Room 30ABC

The Transformation of Inclusive Design: Evidence-based Research Supporting Holistic Playground Design

Public parks and playgrounds have vital roles in promoting inclusion, physical activity, and health for all. This session will present evidence-based approaches that position landscape architects as critical contributors to enhanced holistic public park and play space design that meets the needs of a wide range of children.

Before the Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN education session Sunday afternoon, join the PPN’s leadership and session speakers on the EXPO floor for a lively discussion with colleagues about current child-centered design! Kickstart the Conversation with the Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN takes place Sunday, November 17, 11:15 am – 12:00 noon in the Continue the Conversation space on the EXPO floor.

Historic Preservation PPN Meeting & Education Session – 1.5 PDH
Monday, November 18, 8:00 – 10:00 am
Room 31ABC

The Historic Preservation PPN has a new format for their meeting this year that will give attendees more time together. From 8:00 to 8:30 am, the HP-PPN leadership team will share announcements, recognize PPN member accomplishments, and discuss plans for the upcoming year. This is also a great time to get to know each other better and hear about current work being done across the country.

Beginning at 8:30 am, a panel of three HP-PPN leadership team members will present emerging topics related to landscape preservation:

Leading Change: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for the Practice of Historic Preservation

New demands and emerging technologies are fundamentally altering the preservation and stewardship of cultural landscapes. With case studies, we will look at the ethics of adaptive reuse, approaches to achieving resiliency, the interpretive challenges of mixed-period sites, and strategies for respecting the cultural landscapes of marginalized communities.

And, the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) Subcommittee of the Historic Preservation PPN will also meet during the conference, on Saturday, November 16, 6:00 – 7:00 pm in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront (Headquarters Hotel), Room: Indigo 206.

East San Antonio Avenue, South El Paso Street Historic District, El Paso, TX / image: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS TEX,71-ELPA,4–98

The HP-PPN HALS Subcommittee meets quarterly and during the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture to advise ASLA on the implementation of the Historic American Landscapes Survey. All HALS Subcommittee members, HALS Chapter Liaisons, and any HP-PPN members interested in learning more about HALS are welcome to attend this meeting, during which the winners of the 2019 HALS Challenge, Historic Streetscapes, and the theme for the 2020 HALS Challenge will be announced!

PPN membership is not required to attend that PPN’s meeting—all are welcome! Already a member of one PPN, but curious about another? Or not sure which PPN to choose (all ASLA members receive one PPN membership for free)? You are welcome to attend as many PPN events as you like!

Keep an eye on The Field as we continue to highlight ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture events through the start of the meeting on November 15. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

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