The Rosa Barba Casanovas International Landscape Architecture Prize seeks to honor the “best and most innovative practices in landscape architecture.” The 2025 prize will be awarded to a landscape that was built between 2019 to 2024. The winner will take home €15,000 (US $16,885) and a signed lithograph by Spanish artist Perico Pastor.
All projects submitted for the prize will be published in the biennial’s book catalogue and featured in an exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, and a website. And 7-11 finalists will be invited by the prize jury to go to Barcelona and lecture at the biennial symposium, which will be held November 17-21, 2025.
This year’s prize jury includes:
The organizers state that since the first biennial in 1999, the prize has been a “barometer” of “trends, social concerns,” and achievement in the field of landscape architecture.
Submit projects by May 30, 2025. The submission fee is €90 (US$101). Each landscape architecture firm can submit a maximum of five projects.
In 2023, the prize went to Tangshan Quarry Park in Tangshan, China, designed by Z+T Studio. The park transformed an abandoned limestone quarry into a “dynamic public space where citizens can experience the recovery of flora and fauna.”
And in 2021, the prize was won by Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.
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Hawaii Lawmakers Raise Hotel Tax to Help the State Cope with Climate Change, CNN, May 3
Hawaii lawmakers passed legislation that adds a 0.75 percent tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, and other short-term accommodations, along with a 11 percent tax on cruise ship bills. The levy is expected to raise $100 million for environmental protection and climate resilience projects.
Illegal Wood from Colombia’s Rainforests Enters US and EU Supply Chains, Mongabay, May 6
The Environmental Investigation Agency found that 94 percent of flooring and decking wood exported by Colombia between 2020 and 2023 lacked certification. Approximately 20 percent of the wood was imported by the U.S., Canada, and European Union.
Before He Was Pope, Leo XIV Said It’s Time for Action on Climate Change, Earthbeat – National Catholic Reporter, May 9
“Dominion over nature — the task which God gave humanity — should not become ‘tyrannical.’ It must be a ‘relationship of reciprocity’ with the environment,” Pope Leo XIV said at a Vatican environmental event last year.
How Natural Solutions Can Help Islands Survive Sea Level Rise, Yale Environment 360, May 9
New research has found that the future of atoll islands depends on the health of their ecosystems and level of urbanization. To improve their ability to withstand sea level rise, scientists recommend nature-based solutions, such as restoring island forests and reefs.
How Redefining Just One Word Could Strip the Endangered Species Act’s Ability to Protect Vital Habitat, The Conversation, May 13
The Trump administration has proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act and is accepting public comments. They seek to update the definition of “harm” to species — now excluding habitat destruction.
Germany on Track for 2030 Climate Goal, Future Targets at Risk, Government Advisers Say, Reuters, May 15
Germany’s Expert Council on Climate Issues expects the country to achieve its 2030 goal of cutting emissions by 65 percent from 1990 levels. Less clear is whether the European Union’s largest economy can meet its ambitious carbon-neutrality goals for 2045.
After major floods devastated Glendale, California in the 1930s, much of the Verdugo Wash became a concrete channel — a boundary dividing communities. Now, landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is leading the development of a new Verdugo Wash master plan, which will re-envision the 9.4-mile-long tributary of the Los Angeles River as a new linear park or trail system.
The three-year planning process will result in a toolkit of project options for the city to explore. The new plan will enable community connections to the wash and offer ways to restore its ecosystems while preserving its ability to protect Glendale from floods. The effort is being funded by a California Department of Transportation grant.
“Bringing stormwater infrastructure, flood control, ecological restoration, urban connectivity, and park making together, the Verdugo Wash Master Plan is an incredible opportunity for the region,” said Paul Seck, PLA, partner and chief operating officer at MVVA.
MVVA has assembled a multidisciplinary team to “study the complex technical issues that would be associated with any changes to the wash,” said Ryoma Tominaga, PLA, project manager with MVVA. “We look forward to working with oversight agencies and local stakeholders, such as the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation, to craft feasible approaches.”
The diversity of the team MVVA has assembled speaks to the complexity of the work. Landscape architects will be working with Kimley-Horn, Inter-Fluve, and Limnotech on hydrology and stream morphology; HR&A on market research, Gardiner & Theobald on cost estimates; Dyson and Womack on public art; and Chief Strategies on community engagement. Schlaich Bergermann Partner will consult on walkways and bridges, Rock Design Associates on wildlife corridor planning, Rincon on biological resources, and Stratifyx on ecological design.
MVVA will start the ambitious planning effort by engaging the community, working with Chief Strategies to host a “range of community outreach events, such as workshops in different neighborhoods, site tours, and pop-up booths at city events,” the firm notes. This work builds on the Verdugo Wash visioning report from 2022, which was led by landscape architecture firm !melk and engineering firm BuroHappold.
The Verdugo Wash begins in the Crescenta Valley, passing between the Verdugo Mountains and the San Rafael Hills before joining the Los Angeles River. Much of its natural elements have been replaced with a concrete flood control channel that ranges in width from 24 feet at its narrowest to 87 feet at its widest.
Through their planning process, MVVA and its team will explore the wash’s role in managing flooding, debris flows, and wildfires. “Although it is typically a low volume waterway, the wash provides an essential flood control function, managing high volumes during flash floods and debris flows,” Tominaga said. The new plan recommendations will need to “accommodate these extremes, while also identifying ways to expand public access and recreation and ecological improvements, including the potential for improved biodiversity.”
“Any projects recommended by the master plan will be phased in over time,” he added. “It is possible the plan will identify some areas of the wash as unsuited for additional uses other than its current flood control function.”
Survey from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) shows high demand for increased accountability
ASLA has released the results of a survey on landscape architects’ demand for a new Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program. Over 230 landscape architects, designers, and landscape architecture educators responded to the survey in April 2025.
The survey found that 77 percent of respondents think a Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program is needed for the landscape architecture community.
The architecture, engineering and construction industries have commitment programs, such as the AIA 2030 Commitment. These programs set clear climate goals, track project impacts, and issue public reports on progress.
“Real climate leadership listens first. Through the Climate Action Plan, we heard a clear call: our members want a meaningful way to commit and contribute to climate and biodiversity goals. ASLA is exploring how a potential commitment program could turn insight into impact,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA.
“A commitment program will help build the credibility and relevance of landscape architects’ climate and biodiversity work among our peers in the architecture, engineering, and planning professions,” said Pamela Conrad, ASLA, inaugural ASLA Climate and Biodiversity Action Fellow and Founder, Climate Positive Design. “It will also help us better align with and advance industry standards on built environment data.”
A Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program for landscape architects will help the community collectively:
A commitment program establishes goals that firms and organizations commit to. Firms typically submit project data, which is then validated, measured in aggregate, and then shared publicly in an annual report.
More than half of survey respondents said a commitment program would enable them to better show their commitment to clients with climate action plans. A majority said a program would support landscape architects’ alignment with other disciplines’ efforts. And a third thought a program would increase landscape architects’ competitive advantage.
Without a commitment program, a minority of landscape architects are consistently tracking their project benefits and impacts:
A minority of landscape architects are also now using tools to reduce project greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. 25 percent of survey respondents are using Climate Positive Design’s Pathfinder while 21 percent are using Sasaki’s Carbon Conscience.
While the lack of a commitment program hinders efforts to measure project data using these tools, there are other obstacles identified by survey respondents:
But there is also significant progress. More than a third of respondents are now making investments of time and resources to meet ASLA Climate Action Plan goals. They are focusing on a few priorities: employee training and education and researching and specifying low-emission materials.
A majority of respondents think the broad shift to more sustainable landscape architecture projects will impact how the profession designs projects and sources materials. And as the market continues to move towards more sustainable projects, 48 percent of respondents are highlighting or plan to highlight their expertise in climate and biodiversity work.
ASLA and its Climate and Biodiversity Action Committee provide education and resources to help landscape architects decarbonize their projects, including:
ASLA and Climate Positive Design continue to explore the feasibility of a new commitment program. Fill out this brief form to get news and stay up-to-date.
“Small actions can lead to big change,” said Alejandra Hinojosa, Affil. ASLA, sustainability specialist with LPA Design Studios.
“You don’t need to feel defeated. You may not accomplish all your climate goals in a project, but that’s not a failure. You can make progress in your next project. Be empowered.”
Last year, Hinojosa and Mariana Ricker, ASLA, associate principal at SWA, published Decarbonizing the Design Process: A Phase by Phase Approach for Landscape Architects.
In an online discussion, Hinojosa said the guide outlines how to make “intentional low-carbon design decisions, address broader environmental impacts, and advocate for better projects.”
“The guide is designed to helpful no matter what stage of the design process,” Ricker said.
The first step is to establish a decarbonization strategy for a landscape architecture project. “It’s best to do that at the beginning, but it’s not impossible to add it in at a later phase,” Hinojosa said.
For clients who may need extra persuading, landscape architects can frame the benefits of decarbonization in terms of “people, the planet, and profit.”
Hinojosa focused on the profit part. There is a clear return on investment for low-carbon projects: “They have lower operational costs.” And these projects offer many co-benefits in terms of healthier materials, more green space, and increased biodiversity.
As designers move into the schematic design phase, they should focus on three big ideas to reduce emissions:
1) Maximize the reuse of materials found on site
2) Incorporate low-impact design, such as green infrastructure
3) Choose low-carbon materials and create more space for soils, plants, and trees to sequester carbon
Overall, it’s also important to reduce materials as much as possible. For example, “reducing cement saves clients money and reduces embodied carbon. It’s a win-win,” Hinojosa said.
These approaches can also be “seamlessly woven” into a project. “What does low-carbon design mean? It’s just part of the vision for a project.”
Later stages of a landscape architecture project also provide opportunities to reduce emissions. Ricker said landscape architects will benefit from talking to product manufacturers about their product and material emissions.
Designers can collaborate with industry partners. They can ask for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are third-party verified accounts of the environmental impacts of a product.
Ricker outlined some key strategies for decarbonizing design details:
Another session delved into how to decarbonize the design specifications that guide the construction of landscape architecture projects.
Last year, Chris Hardy, ASLA, senior associate at Sasaki and founder of Carbon Conscience, led the development of Decarbonizing Specifications: Guidelines for Landscape Architects, Specifiers, and Contractors.
In another online discussion, Hardy said “every construction project, every material has a global warming impact.” Using the new guidelines can help cut those impacts.
The “guidelines aren’t technical standards; they can’t be copied and pasted into specifications,” but they can guide the revision of specifications.
Busy landscape architects can start with updating their specifications for concrete, which can account for more than 50 percent of the emissions of a project. Hardy said Sasaki recently overhauled its concrete specifications, resulting in significant emissions cuts.
The guidelines also offer ways to reduce emissions by specifying low-carbon products, materials, and construction practices in other areas, like unit masonry, stone, metals, carpentry, base courses and aggregates, lightweight fill, trees and plants, and more. And Decarbonizing Specifications also covers how to best reuse materials and reduce construction waste.
Landscape architects can take a few approaches to updating their specifications:
The process is worth it: “We can buy less stuff, cut unnecessary embodied carbon, and save clients money.”