Professor Joan Nassauer, FASLA, and Lecturer Amanda Szot (MLA '01), who teach in the Landscape Architecture program in the School for Environment and Sustainability, have been honored with 2021 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Professional Awards.

Nassauer received an Honor Award in Research. She was recognized for her project, “Addressing Systemic Inequities in Neighborhood Greenspace: Leveraging Green Stormwater Infrastructure Design Elements to Enhance Well-Being.”

The multi-year transdisciplinary research project in Detroit addressed the relationship between greenspace and residents’ well-being in neighborhoods struggling with widespread vacant property. Leveraging green stormwater infrastructure investments by the water utility to create new neighborhood greenspaces, it investigated which design elements were essential to well-being, and which had the greatest effect on well-being of residents.



“Working with Detroit community and agency collaborators over the past 10 years, we were able to propose, build, and test how vacant property could be designed to manage stormwater,” said Nassauer. “I’m especially pleased that this award from the ASLA recognizes the immediate benefits of these designs for neighborhood residents. That has always been a fundamental aim of my work in ecological design.”

Szot and the project team in the Salt Lake City, Utah, office of Design Workshop Inc. received an Award of Excellence in General Design for their project, “Natural History Museum of Utah: A Museum Without Walls.”

The Museum utilized sustainable design elements including rainwater recapture, permeable surfaces, and native plantings that resulted in a landscape that mimics and restores the natural conditions of the environment and the site.

“I was so fortunate to have worked with such a talented team of designers on a project that was deeply meaningful to me," said Szot. “I'm so proud of the work we did together.”



ASLA Professional Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the profession and are given to only the most exceptional projects in the field. This year, 31 projects were recognized in seven categories: general design, residential design, urban design, analysis & planning, communications, research, and The Landmark Award.



The awards will be presented during a virtual Professional Awards Ceremony in November.