LAF Olmsted Scholars: Ready to Act on the New Landscape Declaration, Part 2
Inspired by LAF’s 2016 Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future and the New Landscape Declaration, a group of ten Olmsted Scholars developed their own response focused on moving forward with deliberate actions to meet the ambitions set forth in the Declaration’s four calls to action.
Through a series of blog posts, we are showcasing their action plans. Earlier this month we introduced Action 1 and this week we present Action 2:
We will word to cultivate a bold culture of inclusive leadership, activism, and advocacy within our ranks.
ACT NOW
- Join local and global advocacy boards, governmental committees, and allied professional organizations.
- Encourage students and emerging professionals to seek out alternative career paths in government, non-profit, advocacy, activism, research, health industries, technology, agribusiness, etc.
- Pursue work or build relationships with clients who focus attention on marginalized communities, endangered ecosystems, and neglected places.
PLAN NOW
- Seek funding sources and structures for design activism and advocacy projects.
- Make community engagement and public service a requirement for ASLA membership and/or CEUs for licensure.
- Expand local and state advocacy programs to encourage ecological development and reuse opportunities in urban areas while also protecting vital ecosystems and supporting underserved rural landscapes
- Support local and national policies and programs that strengthen landscape architecture’s professional value.
You can download a PDF copy of the full The Olmsted Scholar Agenda: from Declaration to Action, which includes all four action plans and corresponding precedents for reference and inspiration. The document is a framework for a more detailed action strategy that can be used to inspire, direct, and hold us all accountable. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to be the beginning of a larger dialogue to address the concerns and hopes stated in the New Landscape Declaration.
Stay tuned next week for a post on Action 3: “We will work to raise awareness of landscape architecture’s vital contribution.”
