LAF Releases Findings from 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Surveys
During the summer of 2019, LAF conducted two surveys focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the discipline of landscape architecture. The individual survey, completed by 551 participants, asked about experiences in the workplace, personal feelings about equity and inclusion, and any DEI issues that respondents thought needed to be addressed. 49 firms participated in the organizational survey which focused on policies and organizational commitments related to diversity. The data was analyzed to produce a short document with summary findings and key takeaways.
LAF's 2019 DEI Surveys are the first discipline-wide survey addressing these issues. Respondents recognized the importance of the topic in both design and business with 87% of individuals and 100% of firms responding "yes" when asked whether DEI were important. Yet, according to responses, diversity, equity, and inclusion are sometimes hard to understand and therefore hard to support through policy and practice.
Capacity organizations within landscape architecture began a collective effort to address diversity within the discipline in 2015. LAF, along with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Bureau, and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards signed onto a joint statement that set bold goals for achieving demographic diversity among landscape architects.
While these organizations' efforts have made some progress in moving the conversation forward on DEI, LAF's 2019 DEI surveys revealed there remains more work to be done. Firm and individual respondents each cited ways in which their offices are making strides and flagged opportunities for growth within their organizations and landscape architecture as a whole. Download the findings to learn about the insights offered by survey participants.
THANK YOU
Thank you to those who aided in the development and distribution of LAF's 2019 DEI surveys, including the LAF DEI Task Force, the LAF Board of Directors, LAF Board Emeritus members, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Members of the LAF DEI Task Force include: Kona Gray, EDSA; Kofi Boone, North Carolina State University; Elen Deming, North Carolina State University; Debra Guenther, Mithun; Kendra Hyson, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Diane Jones Allen, University of Texas at Arlington; and Rachel Booher and Rory Doehring, Landscape Architecture Foundation.
