President's Corner

National Landscape Architecture Month

The Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) celebrates April 2009 as National Landscape Architecture Month with several events within its five sections, most notably is the State Annual Conference held in Austin from April 15-17th.

At the conference we will honor the 2009 Professional, Student and Chapter Service Award recipients.  The accomplishments of our professional and student members in this era of CHANGE are noteworthy.  As our world evolves at an extraordinary pace, the practice of our profession has remained committed to our ASLA mission.  “The Society’s mission is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments.” (asla.org)

It is evident in the 2009 award submittals that landscape architects are focused on a holistic approach to design.  You have created places in the environment where man can coexist with nature, respect nature, enjoy nature and learn from nature.  As our world becomes more and more urban, the risk of being detached from our natural environment is becoming a greater possibility.  It is encouraging to see the creativity of our profession in response to this dilemma.  We offer hope to meet the physical challenges of a changing world.  Most importantly, we foster an attitude of cooperation with allied professionals to build a more sustainable place in which to live.

Our connection to the earth and range of work is unparalleled in the professional world.  It is an exciting time to be a landscape architect yet a very challenging time due to the economic crisis.  This is a time in which our creativity and efficient use of resources is especially vital.  We congratulate the winners of the 2009 Awards and thank all those who participated in the process for we each play an important role: to lead, educate and participate in our communities to make them a better place for all.

Thomas J. Alves, AICP, ASLA
President
ASLA Texas Chapter

Contact: Email alves4008@charter.net