ASLA UTAH FEBRUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER

LEADERSHIP EXPRESS

Jesse Allen, ASLA Utah President

.I’m writing this month’s message while finally looking out the window at snow on the ground. After one of the driest December and January periods in Utah’s recorded history, it’s hard not to feel some relief. It’s also a reminder of how closely we watch water in this state, and how quickly concern turns into urgency when it’s missing.

Ongoing news about the Great Salt Lake has made water conservation a more public issue and impossible to ignore. Lake levels, exposed lakebed, air quality, and long-term ecological impacts are affecting communities across Utah. These are not abstract ideas.

Landscape architects have an important role to play.

Landscape architecture is recognized nationally as a STEM discipline, following a multi-year advocacy effort led by ASLA National. In 2020, Landscape Architecture was added to the federal STEM Designated Degree Program List, reflecting our foundation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as applied to environmental systems.

That scientific and technical grounding positions landscape architects to contribute real value to conversations about water conservation, watershed health, and the long-term future of the Great Salt Lake.

There are practical ways for us to engage:

Serve on boards, commissions, and advisory groups where policies and standards are shaped.
Pay attention to water-related bills being discussed during the current legislative session and consider writing letters to local and state leaders to share your professional perspective.
Encourage large institutional, municipal, and regional clients to revisit landscape standards and move toward performance-based, resilient requirements.
Participate in public surveys and comment periods.
Incorporate water conservation intentionally into projects, from planting design to irrigation strategy and long-term maintenance planning.

Landscape architects are not observers in this conversation. We can bring our technical knowledge and systems thinking to the table, we help shape decisions that directly influence water demand and environmental health across Utah.

Seeing snow on the ground is encouraging. Making smart, science-based decisions about water use is even more important. As we move forward, I encourage all of us to apply our expertise deliberately and confidently to help shape more resilient outdoor environments and communities.

UPCOMING EVENTS

2026 ASLA Utah Annual Conference

The Salt Lake Bees Ballpark at America First Square

Keynote Speaker:
Kona Gray

FASLA, PLA, Immediate Past President

THURSDAY, May 7th 6:30-8:30 PM — Evening Social/Tour

FRIDAY, May 8th - Conference and Vendor Expo

2026 Conference Pricing:

EARLY BIRD PRICING FOR ASLA Members & Allied Professionals: $200 (ends March 1st)
ASLA Member $250
Allied Professional eg: AIA/UNLA/ACEC Member $250
Non-Member: $275
- Want to save $50? JOIN ASLA NOW! The savings for this event covers Utah Chapter dues! Plus gains access to all ASLA Benefits!
- Have questions about membership? Reach out to anyone on the Executive Committee!
Emerging Professional: $100
Student $45
Non-LAEP Student: $100
ASLA UT SubCommittee Member: $100
Conference Speaker: $150

“I’m inspired by ecological systems at small scales, particularly microbiology and food systems. Music is also a major source of inspiration; its rhythmic flows and sequences can be mirrored in the Landscape.“

Dear Landscape Architect: A monthly feature from ASLA Utah exploring the art, ethics, and evolving practice of landscape architecture — written to spark conversation, reflection, and renewed care in our craft.

Submit your question to dearlautah@gmail.com

Dear Landscape Architect: How does landscape architecture make places safer?

Thank you for this great question! — The deeper you examine the profession, the clearer it becomes that safety is not a side consideration — it is foundational to what we do.

This is one of those questions where the more you sit with it, the more you realize just how much of our work is actually about safety — even when it doesn’t look like it on the surface.

Accessibility and Universal Design

At the most visible level, landscape architects advocate for and implement safety standards that protect users every day. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act significantly reshaped the built environment, and our profession has played a major role in advancing universal accessibility.

Designing for varying mobility levels does more than meet code requirements — it creates inclusive environments where children, parents, grandparents, and individuals of all abilities can participate in public life safely and with dignity. When universal design principles are thoughtfully integrated, accessibility becomes seamless, and safety becomes equitable.

Designing Spaces People Want to Use

Safety is not only about rails, slopes, and fall zones. Often, it begins with creating places people genuinely want to spend time in.

When spaces are welcoming, comfortable, and well-loved, they attract consistent use. And when people are present, there are “eyes on the street.” Passive observation discourages everyday crime and increases perceived safety. Clear sightlines, appropriate lighting, intuitive circulation, and well-defined gathering areas all contribute to environments that feel secure without feelingfortified.

Good design itself becomes a preventative safety strategy.

Safer Streets Through Design

Landscape architects shape safer streets — often without labelling it ‘traffic engineering’.

Narrower travel lanes, pedestrian refuges, parkway plantings, street trees, textured paving, and engaging edges naturally calm traffic. When drivers experience spatial enclosure, visual interest, and visible pedestrian activity, speeds drop.

Safe Routes to School initiatives are a clear example of how relatively small design moves can dramatically improve both actual and perceived safety for children walking and biking each day.

Planting design also plays a protective role. Landscaped buffers separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic. Thoughtful planting can define distinct activity areas within parks, reducing user conflicts while enhancing beauty.

Environmental Protection as Public Safety

Environmental resilience is another essential layer of safety.

Stormwater management strategies, green infrastructure, permeable surfaces, slope stabilization, and streambank restoration reduce flooding, prevent erosion, and protect infrastructure and homes. These systems help communities remain functional and safe during increasingly intense climate events.

Waterwise planting strategies and irrigation systems that utilize secondary or recycled water also protect potable water supplies — directly contributing to long-term public health and safety.

Resilient landscapes are not aesthetic add-ons; they are protective infrastructure.

Human Health and Well-Being

Safety is not only physical — it is social and psychological.

Seniors are safer when mobility needs are anticipated. Children are safer and healthier when neighborhoods encourage outdoor play. Public spaces designed to be inclusive rather than hostile foster dignity and reduce vulnerability for unhoused individuals.

Shade trees mitigate heat stress and reduce sun exposure. Access to greenery lowers stress, supports mental health, and encourages physical activity. Environments that feel restorative and welcoming directly influence public well-being.

Ecological Safety and Biodiversity

Non-human safety is also part of the equation.

Promoting native plant communities, eliminating invasive species, restoring habitats, and incorporating wildlife corridors reduce conflicts between animals and infrastructure while strengthening ecosystems. Pollinator gardens and biodiverse landscapes sustain the natural processes that ultimately sustain human life.

Ecological health and human safety are deeply connected.

A Layered Approach to Safety

The common thread through all of this is integration. Landscape architects do not solve one safety issue at a time. We layer social, environmental, physical, and ecological safety into the same spaces.

Through thoughtful planning, careful documentation, and responsible construction guidance, we help ensure landscapes are built to protect health, safety, and welfare.

That layered, systems-based approach is the quiet power of the profession — and something landscape architects should confidently and proudly claim.

Special Thanks to ASLA Utah 2026 Sponsors & Corporate Partners for their Support!

Platinum Sponsors
BioGrass | Great Western Recreation | Rain Bird

Gold Sponsors
Belgard | Hunter/FX Luminaire | LuckyDog Recreation | MADRAX/Thomas Steele | Victor Stanley

Silver Sponsors

Corporate Partners