ASLA Announces 2017 Honors

The winners, which were selected by the ASLA's Board of Trustees, will receive their awards at a dinner on 23 October 2017, during the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo in Los Angeles.

ASLA Medal: Charles Birnbaum
As CEO and founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), Charles Birnbaum tirelessly advocates for the preservation of designed landscapes through exhibitions, events, tours, publications, and other means of drawing attention to at-risk places.

ASLA Design Medal: Gary Hilderbrand
As partner with Doug Reed in the landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand, Gary Hilderbrand has designed projects that are "memorable and moving, fitting and unexpected," including the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal: Elizabeth K. Meyer
Since 1993 Elizabeth Meyer has been teaching at the University of Virginia, where she "has not only demonstrated a tireless commitment to advancing pedagogy but also served as chair of Landscape Architecture three times and as Dean of the School of Architecture."

LaGasse Medal – Landscape Professional: Kenneth Bahlinger
Landscape architect Kenneth Bahlinger has been working for the state of Louisiana restoring coastal wetlands for over 25 years. He is receiving the LaGasse Medal "for contributions to the management and conservation of natural resources and public landscapes."

LaGasse Medal – Non-Landscape Professional: Janette Sadik-Khan
As commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation from 2007 to 2013, Janette Sadik-Khan transformed some of the city's busiest streets into pedestrian refuges. She continues to advocate for prioritizing bicycles and pedestrians over automobiles.

Olmsted Medal: Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and Atlanta BeltLine Partnership
​The Olmsted Medal recognizes "individuals, organizations, agencies or programs outside the profession of landscape architecture for environmental leadership, vision and stewardship." The joint honor commends the largest public project in the US: 22 miles of streetcars, 33 miles of multi-use trails, and 2,000 acres of parks on old rail corrdidors.

Medal of Excellence: Central Park Conservancy
The Medal of Excellence "recognizes significant contributions to landscape architecture policy, research, education, project planning and design, or a combination of these items," and is being given to a non-profit that manages and restores what is arguably the greatest urban landscape.

The Landscape Architecture Firm Award: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
The Seattle-based firm headed by Jennifer Guthrie, Shannon Nichol, and Kathryn Gustafson is receiving the highest honor the ASLA bestows upon a firm "in recognition of distinguished work that influences the profession." The Lurie Garden (top) is just one of many influential landscapes GGN has created since its founding in 1999.

Community Service Award – Organization: John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies
​The Lyle Center is a facility on the Pomona campus of California State Polytechnic University that focuses on community change, education and action. Built in 1994 under professor of landscape architecture John T. Lyle, the Lyle Center is receiving the award for "providing sustained, pro bono service demonstrating the sound principles or values of landscape architecture."