aslautah.org

We are getting closer by the minute to our Student Mentor Program kick off on Sept 17th at USU LAEP and are still actively seeking applications from possible mentors.  We introduced the student mentoring program to the LAEP students in the spring of 2010. While there I spoke with Professor Mike Timmons and asked if there had ever been a student mentoring program at USU for LAEP. He said that it had been talked about often but never implemented to this level and that he was very excited to see it’s successful launch.
Right now we have 11 apps and need 32.  I hope this note can address some of your thoughts and fears about joining this exciting and ground breaking program, if you have not already done so, and convince you that joining this program will be one of the most fulfilling things you will get the opportunity to do thruout your career!
Concern #1: *I just don’t have time to do one more “thing”….*
Who hasn’t had that thought cross their mind….I know that with cut backs in most offices that our work loads may be bigger then ever, especially for those of us that are trying to keep our business afloat…however, ideally taking on a mentor shouldn’t interfere with your billable work time.  We hope to design this program to allow the student to primarily “shadow you” while you work.  Think back to when you were that student and how you would have taken ANY opportunity you were given to increase your exposure to the profession. You can give THAT opportunity.  This program has been uniquely designed to be simple and easy for both the mentor and the student with flexible rules and expectations. Feel free to set your own rules about your time and interaction level.  Specifically the program asks that you offer two types of mentoring totally 4-6 hrs a month and you are free to design time and interacting however you wish using these two types of Interactions:
Direction Interactions:
2-3hr/month -These activities will include time spent in a focused manner, in a one-on-one or group fashion.  They may be in person or on the phone. Examples: discussing portfolio, touring through your office, providing feedback on the phone.
Observation/Shadowing
2-3hr/month - These activities will include the student in existing time uses the mentor is involved in.  The mentee is an observer but is present in person.  Examples: attending a city council mtg, sitting in on a monthly office brownbag, following mentor on a site inspection.
Concern #2: *I work too far away from Logan…there is no way a student will want to come out to work with me and I’ll end up having to find time to go to them…*
The program requirements will place the interaction responsibility on the student and not the mentor.  It will be up to the student to come to you.  Sometimes a simple phone call may cover your interaction for the month…and for most students, just knowing that they have a professional to call on when they need help will be a great asset.  If you are in or near Logan, that is even better, but not required.  We will do our best to match students with the mentors that will best fit their travel situation.
Concern #3: *The program is new and I don’t want to join until the bugs have been worked out…*
New is always a little scary, but it can also be exciting and fulfilling!  I want to assure you that we have tried to design this program to be very flexible and as bug free as possible from the start.  No, I can’t promise you we won’t encounter some bumps in the system, but that is the beauty of being involved from the onset.  You can make it what you envision it to be and take pride in saying you built the program to be more perfect next year then it was this year.
Concern #4: *I want to offer help but how can I when I am scraping for work myself…*
What better experience could you offer a potential student than the opportunity to watch you bid or interview for work in the real world - your shared experience could be very helpful to them.  And your knowledge of how to be a great LA doesn’t go away because you don’t have an active project or job.  Regardless of your work situation, you have a lot to offer a student and being a mentor shouldn’t take too much time away from your search for work. Plus, mentioning or listing that you are an active mentor would look great on a resume.  Being a mentor means that you are a trusted professional and are willing to share.  That garners respect in the workplace.
Those are just a few ideas that came to my mind.  I hope I addressed what might be holding you back and convince you to jump in and give a student a chance that you didn’t have.  Or, you may be hesitating for other reasons…whatever your reasons are, feel free to contact myself, Russ Holly - rholley@loganutah.org or Sean Michael - Sean.michael@usu.edu.  Any one of us us would be happy to address your concerns.
To sum it up, we need you and you will benefit from this experience!  You won’t regret it!  I sure wish I had this opportunity when I was in school.  Take the opportunity to be what you wanted or, if you were lucky enough to have had a great mentor in your early days, why wouldn’t you want to share that experience and give back!!  Either way, join in!  We will be actively taking applications thru Sept 3rd and if you do decide to join, I ask that you do all you can to join us for the Kick Off event on Sept 17th at USU.
Thanks so much and I hope that you will take my challenge and get involved in a student’s future.
 
Jeremy Fillmore, President
Utah ASLA

The ASLA Advocacy Summit was held July 30-August 1.  This event took the place of the annual Licensure Summit and focused on assisting chapters in building and improving their advocacy program.  This year, we were unable to invite all chapters to attend due to budget considerations.  However, we are able to make much of the information available to all of you through the Advocacy Summit website http://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=28128.  

In addition to the Summit powerpoint presentation, there are several new or revised tools available on the website, including:
·         Advocacy Day 101 – planning your advocacy event
·         Coalition building toolkit – ideas and strategies for building relationships with other organizations
·         Tips on hiring and working with a state lobbyist
·         Handy links to the state bill tracking system; the Advocacy Network; and the ASLA Public Policies.
 
On another front, the crisis resulting from the oil spill is a timely reminder for chapters to utilize the Disaster Preparedness Handbook.  This system was created in response to the hurricanes of 2005.  If your chapter is not already using this manual, please take a few minutes to look through the handbook and discuss with your chapter ExCom.

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If you have any questions about the Summit or any of these tools, please contact me.
Julia
 
Julia M. Lent
Government Affairs Director
American Society of Landscape Architects
Phone: 202-216-2330
jlent@asla.org

Urban Design Academy

Practical, Skills-Oriented Studio Training

www.urbandesignacademy.com

Urban Design Academy (UDA), founded by Steve McCutchan, AICP, offers continuing education for design professionals including urban planners, landscape architects, architects and civil engineers.  The year long, ten (10) course urban design curriculum covers a range of topics including master planning, computer graphics, civil engineering fundamentals, site planning, sustainable development design, TND and TOD design, transportation and transit design, architectural fundamentals, landscape design fundamentals and practicing urban design.

UDA’s urban design classes are the shared, practical knowledge of experienced professionals who have practiced urban design in their respective fields.  UDA’s faculty are owners of their own consulting firms with more than twenty (20) years of experience designing development and construction projects.  The professionals teaching the UDA’s courses share their day-to-day, practical skills of evaluation, design and presentation.  To learn more about UDA faculty, click here.

Through participation in Urban Design Academy’s classes, a design professional can take advantage of one of the few exceptions to experience, being trained by someone with experience.  UDA students will obtain the practical, skills-oriented training to advance their professional knowledge and career goals.

Salt Lake City Area classes begin Friday, June 25, 2010.  To enroll online, click here. 

Classes will continue monthly (except for November and December) through May 2011.  Enrollment is expected to fill quickly. Class size is limited to 30 participants to maintain a high level of individual instruction.

For those of you who are also AICP members, Urban Design Academy is a registered AICP CM provider.  CM credits will be offered with classes.

Urban Design Academy also provides a range of continuing education classes and seminars.  To stay informed of new classes and seminars by joining UDA’s email subscriber list, click here.

For more information, contact Steve McCutchan, AICP by email at stevem@urbandesignacademy.com or call (801) 557-6945.

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Want to get your marketing message out to those that want your products and want to hire you?  Click on the link above to participate in the Intermountain Contractor Utah ASLA Special Section.  Need more info:  Contact Don Fulton at 4tonz@xmission.com.

Planning Work Shop

Save the Date:  PlaceMaking with Transit:  A Form-Based Code Approach.  See the attachment below for more information on date, time and location or visit envisionutah.org for more information.

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The Wasatch Rock Garden Society and Red Butte Garden welcome Panayoti Kelaidis to SLC. 

January 16 at 6:30 pm

We created a pdf and jpg to help spread the news of the event (attached).

See the link below for more information and to sign up:

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New Sustainable Development tool
Recently, the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FLASLA) put out a press release concerning their new publication about Sustainable Development.  This book 150-page-plus publication is available as a free download from the FLASLA website (http://www.flasla.org/publications.htm).  For more information contact Sue Fern,   FLASLA Association Manager, at [assocmanager@flasla.org]; 321-663-8357.
 
Visions of Smart Growth and Sustainability was conceived to assist the implementation of Central Florida’s groundbreaking regional planning effort (“How Shall We Grow”), led by the Congress of Regional Leaders; but the final product is useful for regional and community planning efforts in any locale.  As an adjunct to the process, 50-plus landscape architects from throughout Florida joined together to charette and create images and narrative about how sustainable development techniques might be applied throughout and state and beyond.  The “Visions” book is organized into nine chapters covering typical development types, such as commercial “Marketplace”, residential “Neighborhoods”, transportation “Corridors”, “Natural Environments and ”Open Space”.   The resulting book contains an extensive array of ideas in support of urban livability and environmental stewardship.
 
The book is the result of an extensive volunteer effort by landscape architects from throughout the State with leadership by FLASLA’s Committee on Sustainable Environment. The book is the culmination of hundreds of hours of pro-bono work by 50-plus landscape architects who participated in the charrette process, authored and compiled the publication. With all the time, talent and energies that were invested in this work, I simply want to make sure this effort does not fall through the cracks or gather dust.  I urge you to take advantage to the work that has been done.

The Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah will host an informational session on its new Ph.D. in Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design.
It will be held Thursday, May 21, 6-7 pm, in Room 127 of the Architecture Building.  Directions:    http://www.map.utah.edu/index.jsp
The doctoral program is expected to be approved by the Board of Regents this summer, and we are already recruiting students for the Fall. As many as six students will be admitted in the first year with several research assistantships available that include tuition and a modest stipend.
The informational session will introduce prospective students to the faculty of the doctoral program, review course offerings and requirements, and describe the kinds of research projects students may become engaged in. A description of the program and requirements is found at http://cmpweb.arch.utah.edu/programs/planning-phd.
Refreshments will be served, and brief presentations will be followed by questions and answers.
Please RSVP by 5 pm Tuesday, May 19, to Jeannette Benson 1-801-585-0970 or plan@arch.utah.edu

Fellow Planners (and LA’s)
 
If you use any of the 7 Salt Lake County canyons, now is your chance to participate in planning for their future. The State of Utah, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, and the U.S. Forest Service have teamed up with Envision Utah to revise the Salt Lake County Wasatch Canyons Master Plan.  Please take a moment to participate by filling out the survey. It can be found at http://planning.utah.gov
 
Thanks!
 
Evan Curtis
Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget
 
The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process
is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the public to help guide the policies which will form the basis of a revision of the 1989 Salt Lake County Wasatch Canyons Master Plan for City Creek, Emigration, Red Butte, Parley’s, Millcreek, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood Canyons.  The Master Plan is the basis for the County’s land use planning policies and ordinances.

The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process seeks to engage the public in setting priorities and identifying long-term strategies to enhance the value of the canyons for current residents and future generations.  Among other things, the process will explore the impacts of increased canyon use and address issues such as land use and development, watershed protection and water quality, recreation, natural resource management, transportation, and public safety. This process is sponsored by the State of Utah, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City.  The U.S. Forest Service is a supportive partner, supplying technical expertise

Utah Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects 2009 Awards Program Call for Entries

The Utah Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects is pleased to issue a formal call for entries for the 2009 Utah ASLA Awards Program. Participation in the awards program will help broaden professional boundaries, increase public awareness of the role of landscape architects, raise the standards of the discipline, and bring recognition to organizations and individuals who demonstrate superior skill in the practice and/or study of landscape architecture. A jury of qualified out-of-state professionals will review each submittal and determine winners in each award category.

Winners will receive their awards and will be honored by having their work presented April 24, 2009 at the Utah ASLA 2009 Annual Meeting at the Yarrow Resort in Park City. Award winning projects will also be featured in upcoming ASLA chapter newsletters, and will be used for displays promoting the profession.

Nomination Categories

You may submit entries under one or more of the following categories. The jury reserves the right to change the category of an entry in the judging process.

Communication

Communication Awards recognize original documents or tools of communication, which clearly convey information, technology, theory, or aspects of practice to those inside and/or outside the profession. This category may include text publication, exhibits, video, or other multi-media presentation. The landscape architect must have been directly involved in the preparation of the communication document or tool.

Design

Design Awards recognize site-specific constructed works of landscape architecture where physical design, functional success, and aesthetic quality were the primary considerations. The landscape architect must have provided a full range of design and construction-related services on the project.

Paper Landscape Architecture

Paper Landscape Architecture Awards recognize unrealized projects that propose innovative, visionary, or thought-provoking solutions to landscape architectural problems. Projects in this category may include real projects that remain un-built due to circumstances beyond the control of the landscape architect or speculative or polemical projects that explore alternative ways of thinking about landscape architecture.

Planning and Analysis

Planning and Analysis Awards recognize large-scale town, community, or regional plans that may lead to or guide subsequent site-specific design work, but do not include such work themselves. The landscape architect must have provided services central to process of the submitted project.

Research

Research Awards recognize original findings or solutions to problems of value to the profession. Submittals must provide evidence of an acceptable methodology that identifies, examines, researches, and provides a conclusion in the subject matter. The landscape architect must have been the sole researcher, the director of a research team, or a partner in a research team to be eligible to submit work in this category.

Student Work

Student Work Awards recognize original student work completed in the pursuit of a degree in landscape architecture from an accredited university program. Individual and team projects may be submitted. Team projects require the permission and sponsorship of all team members.

Award Categories

The Awards Jury may grant the following awards:

Award of Excellence

The jury may grant one Award of Excellence to an entry from any awards category that represents unparalleled advancement of the profession of landscape architecture.

Honor Award

The jury may grant a maximum of two Honor Awards per category to entries that representoutstanding accomplishment in the profession of landscape architecture.

Merit Award

The jury may grant any number of Merit Awards per category to entries that represent superior accomplishment in the profession of landscape architecture.

Evaluation Criteria

Entries in each category will be evaluated on the clarity of the submittal, the significance of the work to the profession of landscape architecture, and the overall quality of the work. The clarity of each submittal will be evaluated based on the success of the submittal in communicating the objectives of the project and the success of the project in meeting those objectives. The significance of the work to the profession will be evaluated based on the importance of the project in advancing the reputation, standards, and/or boundaries of landscape architecture. The quality of the work will be evaluated on the highest standards of professional practice within each category and in comparison to other entries in the same category.

Eligibility

Any individual, firm, agency, or academic institution located, residing, or practicing within the state of Utah at the time the project was executed is eligible to enter. Projects that have received an award from previous Utah Chapter ASLA Awards Programs are not eligible for submittal. Projects previously entered that have not yet received awards may be resubmitted.

Click here to download Official Entry Form:

download-awards-2009-entry-form

The Deadline has been Extended!

Entries are now due by 2:00 pm Monday, March 30, 2009, at the location stated on the official entry form.

Questions??

Cory Shupe, 2009 Awards Chair, Utah Chapter VP of Member Services

Phone: 801.913.7994 E-mail: cshupe@blulinedesigns.com

Laura Taylor, Park Planning Manager for the City of St. George, is looking for presenters for the upcoming UPRA Conference, “More Green, Less Screen.”

Topics we are considering for sessions that we don’t have proposals on are:
Resilient play surfacing – an unbiased discussion of the pros and cons of each type: engineered wood chips, poured in place rubber, rubber tiles
Splash pads – application of the building, electrical and health codes to the design and installation of these structures
Splash pad round table – discuss experience with existing splash pads
Accessibility issues from a liability and code requirement point of view – perhaps a discussion about lawsuits that have been WON because a site was determined not to be in compliance
Green building, site sustainability and energy conservation applied to parks and recreation facilities
Tools for land acquisition and open space preservation in periods of rapidly increasing land costs

This year’s theme is “More Green, Less Screen” -  getting people away from tv’s computers gameboys and outside doing activities.

The form can be returned to me via e-mail or fax.  The URPA planning group is hoping to evaluate all presenter proposals next week.  If any of the membership is interested in making a presentation, it would be helpful to at least get an e-mail by Tuesday at noon that indicating their interest and their topic.  The filled out form can come later if need be.

Please contact Laura by Tuesday, December 16 for the form to submit a proposal: laura.taylor@sgcity.org