As practitioners and advocates of environmental justice, we know that many communities across the country fall short of achieving equity and justice in terms of access to quality green spaces and being overburdened with negative environmental exposures. In this collaborative Field post, we highlight a few voices around the profession on why and how landscape architects should remain committed towards integrating environmental justice in our respective practices.
– Michelle Lin-Luse, ASLA, PLA, and Tom Martin, ASLA, on behalf of the Environmental Justice Professional Practice Network (PPN) Leadership Team
Cher Wong, Associate ASLA
Landscape Architect at SmithGroup
Why are you interested in the intersection of environmental justice and landscape architecture?
From many landscape architects’ training processes, including mine, we didn’t pay enough attention to learning how our work is closely tied with social, economic, political implications and how every design language has a historical context behind it. Now, when I stand at the intersection of environmental justice and landscape architecture as a designer, I see contradictions between our traditional definition of ‘design excellence’ and the implications of many landscape architecture work in environmental justice.
But I also see opportunities on how much we need to develop new design languages that break the contradiction and better support environmental justice.
What can we do as landscape architects to better integrate justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion into our practice?
I think it would be helpful for landscape architects to acknowledge that we should include landscape architects from more diverse backgrounds that integrate different views and life experiences. For example, if we have physically challenged landscape architects to be part of the design team, we might have come up with a universal design approach that is not only code compliant but creatively integrate better with our design intent and meet closer to the needs.
Therefore, if we want to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive public space, we need to be able to create an industry environment that has the diversity that is closer to the user group of the public space.
That is to say that we should try to put more resources on environmental education and supporting marginalized students to become landscape architects or part of the environmental design professions.
christin hu
Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt SoA; Adjunct Lecturer at Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York; Core Organizer, Design as Protest
Why are you interested in the intersection of environmental justice and landscape architecture?
My question is, why aren’t people interested? The two can not be separated, just as professions can not be siloed. Landscape architects are complicit in environmental atrocities, such as doing close to nothing to aid frontline communities most impacted by climate change and prevent damaging infrastructure projects (e.g. pipelines, highways), and yet we call ourselves “Environmental Justice Advocates.” What did landscape architects do when Indigenous organizers called to stop Line 3? Many probably aren’t even aware enough to know what that is, but they should be, especially since our profession works with the Army Corps of Engineers and has connections in the federal government, who have the power to make statements and environmental impact assessments that could’ve prevented its construction. Environmental justice is social justice, which manifests itself in the design of our shared landscapes. We can not call ourselves landscape architects if we do not care enough to be in solidarity with those most impacted by the landscapes we design.
How can landscape architects better center environmental justice into our practices?
We must define what environmental justice means to us and our practices in an intersectional and local way, and understand our privilege. Listen and be aware of frontline struggles in the climate/environmental justice movement both locally and internationally. Include concrete commitments to environmental justice in every client contract and RFP. State our values and our mission right off the bat, and build coalitions with other designers to hold ourselves accountable to these commitments. Use our power and relationships with agencies, such as the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, news outlets, grant foundations, and POTUS, to center and support (both subversively and publicly) actions by Black, Indigenous, and frontline communities most impacted by climate change and damaging infrastructure projects. Finally, in pursuit of justice in an unjust world, there is always risk—we must risk our power, privilege, and reputation to do what is right, and trust in our neighbors more than our bosses to support us.
Janelle Johnson, ASLA
Associate, OLIN
Why are you interested in the intersection of environmental justice and landscape architecture?
To me, environmental justice and landscape architecture can be synonymous. The practice of landscape architecture has the responsibility to do no harm and the power to transform lives. With that, at the intersection of environmental justice and landscape architecture is the opportunity to ensure that our work positively impacts the lives of those that have historically been put in harm’s way and to seek to reverse or mitigate society’s past sins against these communities. That is the legacy that landscape architecture should leave.
How can landscape architects better center environmental justice into our practices?
We need to open up the frame and look through different lenses. We need to elevate the voices of the people impacted. One of the most important questions a design team can ask of themselves and of the intended users is, “What may be the unintended consequences of our work?”
Kiki Cooper, ASLA
Graduate Student at Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Master of Design Studies and Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design); Core Organizer, Design As Protest
What can we do as landscape architects to better integrate justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion into our practice?
Listen. Keep listening to designers of color. Many people feel like because 2020 and the protests are over, we can go “back to normal.” The truth is that there is no “back to normal.” You have the opportunity to change your practice for the better; why would you revert back to your practice’s old ways?
How can landscape architects better center environmental justice into our practices?
Landscape architects can better center environmental justice in their practices by doing a better job at researching the ecological needs of the area from a political standpoint. It would also be more meaningful to speak to local community activists to learn the needs of the community and try to implement design solutions around those needs.
Want to learn more about ASLA’s Environmental Justice Professional Practice Network (EJ PPN)?
Or, not sure if you’re already a member? You can check by logging in to the ASLA website and seeing what’s listed for your PPN(s), located under the Activities / Orders tab. If you are not currently in any PPN, or would like to switch PPNs, you may do so by completing this form.
If you are new to the EJ PPN, we encourage you to explore our webpage, check out our case studies, join our LinkedIn group, and read through our most recent posts for The Field. A reminder for any writers or aspiring thought leaders out there: all ASLA members are welcome to write for The Field—submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
If you would like to be more involved with the EJ PPN on an ongoing basis, any member of the PPN may volunteer to join the PPN’s leadership team. The commitment would be a monthly Zoom meeting with like-minded professionals and volunteering to support one of the PPN’s resources. Learn more and sign up to be a PPN leader.