by Paul Wessel

We are delighted and honored that Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center has announced its plans to achieve LEED v4 Platinum, SITES Silver, and International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Zero Energy certification.

The most pertinent to ASLA members is their commitment to the SITES certification, a comprehensive certification system for creating sustainable and resilient land development projects. SITES promotes sustainable and resilient landscape development and can be used for development projects located on sites with or without buildings to enhance their sustainability, implement green infrastructure strategies, and improve resilience.

The Center is a historic opportunity to build a world-class museum and public gathering space on the South Side of Chicago that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady. It will host the offices of the Obama Foundation, a library, collaborative space for residents of Chicago’s South Side, a renewed and reinvigorated park, and a children’s play area.

Continue reading →

by Paul Wessel

Land use in the U.S. is largely governed at the local level. Since infrastructure is on everyone’s lips right now, it’s a great opportunity to talk locally about green infrastructure, and interdisciplinary, integrated approaches to sustainable and resilient site development.

A great way to begin local discussion is by proposing landscape guidelines to be adopted by local town councils.

ASLA Sustainable Design and Development Professional Practice Network (PPN) Co-Chair Joshua Sloan, ASLA, who is also the Vice President and Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture at VIKA Maryland, has begun drafting a Model Sustainable SITES Landscape Ordinance to get the ball rolling. And he’s looking for your assistance.

The goals are to:

• Provide a framework for holistic landscape design guidelines to integrate into or augment existing landscape guidelines and ordinances
• Encourage sustainable and resilient landscape design
• Establish performance-based landscape design standards
• Foster an awareness of the Sustainable SITES Initiative and the elements that go into sustainable, resilient landscape design
• Allow SITES certification to substitute local landscape guidelines as a professionally-vetted, nationally adopted framework for sustainable site design

Continue reading →