September 14, 2011 Edit
08.17.11 in Oregon RECAP
08.17.11 - PORTLAND
A hardy band of landscape architects hit downtown plazas during lunchtime. Clothed in spiffy “The Understory” shirts and carrying brochures that explained the profession, they connected directly to the public in public spaces. This approach had mixed reviews; some thought it was successful, some not so much. The successful tended to approach folks not already talking to their friends and just were sitting there, enjoying their lunch. Dave Walters from MIG suggested that next time a central station could be set up in a space without competing events, so that the public could approach us, instead of us advancing on them. People are wary of strangers approaching them while holding out a piece of paper; both Dave and Emily Hull, of Parsons Brinckerhoff, suggested we need to think up a showier way to convey our message and intrigue the public. The general feeling was that they had a fun experience and would certainly do it again, especially knowing the things that could be improved. (via Rebecca Wahlstrom & ASLA Oregon LANDbytes)
08.17.11 - BEND
Robin Gyorgyfalvy from the US Forest Services & Scenic Byways Program and Chelsea Schneider of WH Pacific organized the charrette for Alford Acres, a Habitat for Humanity urban farm project that not only grows food for the residents, but also gives the surplus to Common Table, a charitable café in Bend. As Robin said, they wanted to do an event that would be ongoing and show people that landscape architects can take the lead in substantial projects. The event brought permaculturists, planners, master gardeners, students, LEED designers, landscape architects and public artists all together at one table; allowing them an opportunity to make some powerful connections which will benefit the community in the future. Robin noted that during the work session there was a lot of talking and not much being put to paper; it took the LA’s in the group to translate the words into graphics. The executives from Habitat for Humanity were part of the design team and were amazed by the level of energy and creativity being generated in the room. Robin said that Bend’s main goal was to have an event that was demonstrative of what landscape architects did best; be collaborators and connectors for the community. All evidence points to a successful Understory launch in Bend –we’re looking forward to seeing what comes next! (via Rebecca Wahlstrom & ASLA Oregon LANDbytes)
08.17.11 - SPRINGFIELD
Nicole Ankeney and Jake Risley, from the Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield, knew that since there was just the two of them they were not able to field a big event, so they used technology to their advantage. A catchy and informative email was sent to the Parks and Recreation employee email list that explained the profession and gave some local examples of what their department of landscape architects did. Nicole reports that the response to the email was very positive, with people asking more questions and thanking them for their work. Springfield is a great example of bringing awareness not only to the public at large, but also to the people we work with everyday in a multi-disciplinary environment. (via Rebecca Wahlstrom & ASLA Oregon LANDbytes)
Hi user, you are logged in.