ASLA reveals the winning landscape projects of the 2023 Professional Awards

Today, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced thirty-four projects as winners of the 2023 Professional Awards.

“These award-winning projects showcase how landscape architecture transforms the daily experiences of local communities,” ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen said. “Cutting-edge design solutions help address increasing climate impacts, capture more carbon, and contribute to the health and well-being of neighborhoods.”

Winners were chosen by the jury from a pool of 435 total entries. This year also saw the introduction of the ASLA/International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Global Impact Award, which was given to a superlative climate mitigation project taken from the Analysis and Planning category that aligned with both the ASLA’s and IFLA climate action commitments.

Each project will now go on to receive in-person recognition via a presentation ceremony held during the ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture in Minneapolis from October 27–30. The full list of winning projects can be viewed below in their respective categories.

ASLA/International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Global Impact Award: Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan by OLIN (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 

Jury citation: "The Jury stated it's a 'resiliency-oriented development.' This plan integrates climate mitigation and flood protection with new belts of greenspace, community connectors, housing, and power to form a possibility of multivalence. It is a plan in which specific landscape design strategies can positively impact the environment and, therefore, quality of life while promoting resilience. The analysis is thorough and addresses the intent of ecological improvements. Cultural understanding is also prevalent in the narrative and exhibits."

THE LANDMARK AWARD

Vista Hermosa Natural Park by Studio-MLA (Los Angeles, CA)

Jury citation: "The first park to open in downtown Los Angeles in over 100 years, this park is a testament to the great social and health equity that a public landscape can consistently deliver to communities over many years. What's important is the availability of space for people, especially those underserved, and careful design and planning considerations that weave together human and ecological elements, deploy appropriate design expressions, create memorable places, and plan for longevity in accordance with its operational context. The diversity and richness of natural plantings, balanced with spaces for running, playing, and socializing, exemplify sustainable design principles and create lasting memories rooted in an ecological setting. Serving as a cultural staple in the Los Angeles community, this park has held deep importance to the community it serves."

URBAN DESIGN

Award of Excellence: Heart of the City: Art and Equity in Process and Place by Coen+Partners (Rochester, MN)

Jury citation: "An outstanding urban public space design for all to express and enjoy themselves is remarkable. It’s an amazing example of how to reimagine a traditional street into a place for people, with an incredible mix of uses that support community. The impressive use of community engagement to inform the design sets a fabulous precedent for activating a street that prioritizes people. The jury loved that the designers prioritized the people's experience in this timeless design; it's not about gimmicks or novel details. The project goes beyond creating a place; but a sensitive, inspirational urban heart that minds its people and pumps energy into the surroundings."

Honor Awards

• St Pete Pier, Revitalization of Waterfront and Historic Pier Site by Ken Smith Workshop (New York, NY)
• Town Branch Commons: An Urban Transformation in Lexington, Kentucky by SCAPE and Gresham Smith (New York, NY)
• PopCourts! - A Small Plaza That Turned into a Movement by The Lamar Johnson Collaborative (Chicago, IL)

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN

Award of Excellence: The Rain Gardens at 900 Block by Gresham Smith (Lexington, KY)

Jury citation: "This project is a model for how to powerfully impact our communities with modest budgets and elegant design. Small but powerful!"

Honor Awards

• Andesite Ridge by Design Workshop, Inc. (Aspen, CO) 
• Dry Garden Poetry by Arterra Landscape Architects (San Francisco, CA)
• Collected Works, Restored Land: Northeast Ohio Residence by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture (Cambridge, MA)
• Black Fox Ranch: Extending the Legacy of the West to a New Generation by Design Workshop, Inc. (Aspen, CO)
• Sister Lillian Murphy Community by GLS Landscape | Architecture (San Francisco, CA)

ANALYSIS & PLANNING 

Award of Excellence: Re-investing in a Legacy Landscape: The Franklin Park Action Plan by Reed Hilderbrand, Agency Landscape, Planning, and MASS Design (Cambridge, MA)

Jury citation: "The applicant recognized and embraced the park’s greatest resources: its people, landscape, and history, to develop a plan that rejuvenates the park while respecting and protecting its value to adjacent communities. This thoughtful plan honors the park’s design heritage while engaging and expanding its users without reinvention. The design renews ecological systems and heightens the unique ways adjacent communities have adapted the park to meet their needs. It also represents a respectful intervention considering the integration of natural systems and adaptation to climate change."

Honor Awards

• The New Orleans Reforestation Plan: Equity in the Urban Forest by Spackman Mossop Michaels (New Orleans, LA)
• Reimagine Middle Branch Plan by James Corner Field Operations (New York, NY)
• Iona Beach / xwəyeyət Regional Park and WWTP by space2place design inc. (Richmond, BC)
• Joe Louis Greenway Framework Plan by SmithGroup (Ann Arbor, MI)
• The Chattahoochee RiverLands by SCAPE (Atlanta, GA)
• Nature, Culture + Justice: The Greenwood Park Master Plan by SASAKI (Watertown, MA)
• Nicks Creek Longleaf Reserve Conservation & Management Plan by North Carolina State University Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (Raleigh, NC)

GENERAL DESIGN

Honor Awards

• Qianhai's Guiwan Park by James Corner Field Operations (New York, NY)
• Grand Junction Park and Plaza by David Rubin Land Collective (Philadelphia, PA)
• Hood Bike Park: Pollution Purging Plants by Offshoots, Inc. (Charleston, MA)
• Remaking a 1970’s Downtown Park into a New Public Realm by OJB Landscape Architecture (Houston, TX)
• Peavey Plaza: Preserving History, Expanding Access by Coen+Partners (Minneapolis, MN)
• The Meadow at the Old Chicago Post Office  by Hoerr Schaudt (Chicago, IL)
• University of Arizona Environment + Natural Resource II by Coldwell Shelor Landscape Architecture (Phoenix, AZ)
• Cloud Song: SCC Business School + Indigenous Cultural Center by Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture (Phoenix, AZ)
• The University of Texas at El Paso Transformation by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Inc. (Austin, TX)

COMMUNICATIONS

Honor Awards

• Sakura Orihon by Ron Henderson / LIRIO Landscape Architecture (Newport, RI)
• The Historic Bruce Street School: A Community-Centered Design Approach by Martin Rickles Studio (Atlanta, GA)
• Landslide: Race and Space by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
• Los Angeles River Master Plan Update by OLIN (Philadelphia, PA)

RESEARCH 

Honor Awards

The Cobble Bell: Research through Geology-Inspired Coastal Management by Proof Projects LLC (Charlottesville, VA)