American Society of Landscape Architects 2022 Honorees. Photo: ASLA

The National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP) is proud to be the recipient of the 2022 Olmsted Medal and one of a group of prestigious honorees announced by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Selected by ASLA’s board of trustees, the honors represent the highest recognition ASLA bestows each year and acknowledge noteworthy practitioners and organizations nationwide. 

“In the face of significant ecological and social challenges today, the 2022 ASLA honorees are proving that landscape architecture is a force for positive change in the world,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen (@toreycarter). “Our honorees are being recognized for their leadership and accomplishments in making a more sustainable and equitable world full of healthy and resilient places for all people. They are pointing the way forward for the entire field with their brilliant, creative, and dedicated work.”

The Olmsted Medal was instituted in 1990 to honor Frederick Law Olmsted and to recognize individuals, organizations, and programs outside the profession of landscape architecture for their environmental leadership, vision, and stewardship.

2022 marks the bicentennial of Olmsted’s birth. So it is especially fitting and timely for NAOP, the only national organization dedicated solely to advancing the Olmsted legacy, to receive the Medal. 

Established in 1980, NAOP is the Olmsted legacy’s strongest national advocate. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of the Olmsted legacy among the park-loving public, public officials, community leaders, landscape design professionals, and academics by promoting educational outreach, encouraging scholarship, publishing key reference materials, supporting local park restoration, and providing technical assistance to preservation efforts.

Currently, NAOP is serving as the managing partner of Olmsted 200, a creative coalition marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted and exploring the many ways in which his values can address today’s challenges. The campaign has brought global attention to the importance of landscape architecture and Olmsted’s principles.

“We are deeply honored by ASLA’s recognition at a time when Olmsted’s vision and values are more important than ever,” said NAOP President and CEO Dede Petri.  “We look forward to working with the profession to advance livable communities and promote social justice, equitable access, and public health, as Olmsted did nearly 200  years ago.”

NAOP will receive the award on November 14 in San Francisco during the ASLA National Convention, President’s Dinner. Other 2022 ASLA Honors Recipients include: 

  • The ASLA Medal: Shawn Kelly, FASLA, Kelly Design Group/University of Wisconsin–Madison 
  • The ASLA Design Medal: Laura Solano, FASLA, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. 
  • The Landscape Architecture Firm Award: Mikyoung Kim Design 
  • The Community Service Award: Ebru Ozer, Florida International University 
  • The Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal: Kofi Boone, FASLA, North Carolina State University 
  • The LaGasse Medal: Matt Arnn, ASLA, PLA, USDA Forest Service 
  • The ASLA Emerging Professional Medal: Charles Kene Okigbo, ASLA 
  • Honorary ASLA Members: Jean Catalano, Dr. Lisa E. Harris, M.D. and Elizabeth Hebron 

For details about each honoree, visit: https://www.asla.org/2022Honors
For details about NAOP, visit: https://www.olmsted.org
For details about ASLA and the ASLA Fund, visit: https://www.asla.org