Finding nature south of Chicago

http://dirt.asla.org/2013/05/08/chicagos-wilderness-beauty-amid-industry/

Fantastic couple of articles from ASLA

http://dirt.asla.org/2013/05/28/civic-horticulture-productive-gardens/ 

Bipartisan Community Parks Revitalization Act Introduced in U.S. House

FROM ASLA's WEBSITE

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) commends Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), and nine others for introducing H.R. 2424, the Community Parks Revitalization Act, which would help communities to rehabilitate existing and develop new community parks and outdoor recreational facilities.

Today, many communities are suffering from deteriorating infrastructure, chronic stormwater management issues, lagging economies, limited green spaces, poor health, and chronic disease. Community parks and other outdoor recreation facilities have a proven record for revitalizing communities by increasing economic development, improving public health, increasing daily physical activity, reconnecting children with nature, reducing crime, and providing safe, healthy alternatives for youth.

The Community Parks Revitalization Act will stimulate neighborhood economic growth by leveraging limited public resources to generate community reinvestment. Specifically, the bill will authorize grants for park and recreation agencies, which must be matched with local funds. Grants could be used to rehabilitate existing and develop new community parks and recreational infrastructure. In addition the bill now includes an innovative financing mechanism that would establish a program for secured loans and loan guarantees for the development of parks and recreation infrastructure. Notably, this program, modeled after the popular Transportation Infrastructure Innovative Financing Act, would allow either large-scale projects such as trail systems or multiple communities to bundle multiple projects together, allowing eligible entities to take advantage of low-cost financing.

According to Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, the Community Parks Revitalization Act is a crucial opportunity to strengthen American communities. 

“ASLA supports legislation that will assist with the rehabilitation and construction of urban parks and recreational facilities across the country,” said Somerville. “Parks provide significant economic, social, and environmental benefits to everyone in the community. Parks are not just pretty places, but critical to the fabric of our daily lives.”

Somerville also noted that landscape architects, many of whom are part of small businesses, plan and design community parks and other outdoor recreational spaces. They help encourage physical activity by making spaces more accessible, attractive, and sustainable. Exposure to nature reduces stress and improves mood. These spaces also absorb stormwater runoff, saving cities millions of dollars and, more important, promoting healthier, happier lifestyles.

For more information on ASLA federal advocacy efforts, please visit ASLA’s I Advocatewebpage. 

Peavey Plaza, Minnesota, Listed on National Register

Peavey Plaza Listed on National Register of Historic Places

Peavey Plaza, a Modernist urban plaza in downtown Minneapolis designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg, FASLA, that opened in 1975, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The designation was made official on January 14, 2013 and will be published January 25. The plaza, which is currently threatened with demolition by the city, is widely considered the finest surviving example of Friedberg’s work from the period. Friedberg, a recipient of theAmerican Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Design Medal in 2004, the organization’s highest award, is one of the nation’s leading landscape architects. Peavey joins an elite group of works on the National Register – of the more than 88,000 sites on the Register, some 2,300 have significance in landscape architecture.  Email Print Copyright Keri Pickett, courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation. “Peavey Plaza’s National Register designation is a victory of Paul Friedberg’s brilliant design, for Modernist landscape architecture and further undermines the City of Minneapolis’ ill-advised demolition plans,” says Charles A. Birnbaum, founder and president of the Cultural Landscapes Foundation, which fought to protect the plaza. Click here to read the TCLF press release. The other big news is that Seattle's Gas Works Park, by Richard Haag, FASLA, has also been listed in the National Register.T hat make two Post War projects listed in the first two weeks of January. Of the 2,300 or so National Register listings with significance in landscape architecture, only 208 are less than 50 years old.

Interior Sec Ken Salazar, Hon. ALSA Steps Down

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Hon. ASLA, announced that he will return to his home state of Colorado, having fulfilled his promise to President Barack Obama to serve four years as secretary. Salazar has informed President Obama that he intends to leave the department by the end of March. Email Print Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Hon. ASLA Salazar “helped usher in a new era of conservation for our nation’s land, water, and wildlife,” President Obama said in a written statement. The president also praised Salazar’s efforts to resolve disputes between the federal government and Native American tribes, and said the secretary ensured that decisions on energy production “are driven by the best science and promote the highest safety standards.” During his tenure, Salazar was responsible for the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO), which started a national dialogue about conservation and reconnecting Americans with the outdoors. Salazar’s vision for AGO was to create the next generation of great urban parks, to encourage young people to spend more time in the outdoors, and to protect treasured landscapes across the country. As part of Obama’s Great Outdoors program, Interior established 10 national wildlife refuges and seven national parks since 2009. AGO also established forward-thinking protections for wildlife and preserved millions of acres of land, and implemented community-driven, science-based conservation strategies that take into account entire ecosystems and working landscapes. In 2010, Secretary Salazar attended the ASLA President’s Dinner to accept the Olmsted Medal for his commitment and continued efforts in protecting and preserving our nation’s lands and waters as well as its cultural resources. Previously, Salazar served Colorado as a U.S. Senator, and as Attorney General. ASLA Executive Vice President and CEO Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, commends Salazar for “his vision in creating and implementing the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, which can serve as a model for future secretaries. We are all the richer for his many years of public service and stewardship over our nation’s natural resources.” Former North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hays, and former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire have been mentioned as possible replacements. ASLA will continue to monitor candidates to replace Secretary Salazar.