Danica Liongson Selected as a 2023 WxLA Scholar

Danica Liongson has been selected as a 2023 WxLA Scholar among ten other designers from across the country. The WxLA scholarship aids in the professional development and success of emerging and mid-career leaders in the landscape architecture profession. WxLA is an advocacy initiative created in 2018 to encourage and lead efforts toward equality in landscape architecture. WxLA raises awareness for the challenges that prevent womxn from reaching their highest potential, provides information about the barriers to womxn and strategies for change and celebrate new models of working. The scholarship provides resources to attend the national ASLA conference and future engagement with the WxLA cohort.

With every design project and initiative that Danica is involved in, she brings an unmatched energy and inspiration for making an impact through landscape architecture and improving public spaces around her. Danica is a landscape designer with Merritt Chase in Indianapolis. Her design work and research examine the interconnected ecological and social systems in the public realm. She is a graduate of Harvard GSD and UC Davis, where her work received multiple honors, including an ASLA Certificate of Honor and Harvard GSD’s Peter Walker and Partners Fellowship for Landscape Architecture. Danica’s approach to landscape architecture is shaped by the synergy between practice, teaching and service. She is a former adjunct faculty member at Boston Architectural College and will serve as Co-Vice President on the incoming executive committee of INASLA.

Exhibit Columbus Public by Design Opening Weekend in Columbus, Indiana

Join our team, the Columbus community, and national leaders from the planning, design, and architecture community at the Opening Weekend of Public by Design on August 25 - 26 in Columbus, Indiana. The 2022 - 2023 cycle of Exhibit Columbus is the fourth cycle and aims to create meaningful connections between people and the public spaces they share. For Public by Design, Chris Merritt was one of six Curatorial Partners who shaped the theme and advanced the vision for the symposium and exhibition with Paola Aguirre, Lauren M. Pacheco, Bryony Roberts, Raymund Ryan, and Holly Warren. On Saturday, August 26 the Curatorial Partners will host a public conversation to discuss the theme, curation of the exhibit, public process, and aspirations for its impact on the Columbus community.

Monument Circle Park Opening

The temporary Monument Circle Park has opened in Indianapolis and is already attracting thousands of visitors with public feedback calling for a permanent intervention. The park provides a fun, comfortable, green space on the Circle in the heart of downtown. The project implements the values and recommendations of the South Downtown Connectivity Vision Plan and the Mayor’s downtown resiliency strategy. It has been a joy to watch visitors happily enjoy this new place and renew their appreciation for the Monument and the Circle. Congratulations to the many partners involved for their vision, leadership, and hard work to make this a reality including: the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, Downtown Indy, Big Car Collaborative, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Penn State Alumni Association's Professional Development Award

Congratulations to Terrie Brightman and the Landscape Architecture Affiliate Program Group for receiving the Penn State Alumni Association’s Professional Development Award. Thank you Terrie and the LA APG for your leadership, mentorship, and professional development of current alumni and future landscape architects. Terrie currently serves as the President of the APG and accepted the award at an awards ceremony in July. Terrie is a 2004 alumna of the Stuckeman School.

South Downtown Indianapolis Connectivity Plan Debuts!

We’re excited to announce the debut of the South Downtown Connectivity Vision Plan for the City of Indianapolis! Following a year-long effort working with the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD), HR&A Advisors, GANGGANG and many Downtown stakeholders and residents, the plan shares the future of Downtown’s public realm.

South Downtown Indianapolis’s Connectivity Vision Plan is a comprehensive vision for Downtown Indianapolis’s public realm. The plan introduces six values and four strategies to guide future planning, design, and development throughout Downtown.

Project recommendations prioritize investments in streetscape improvements, district identity, gateways, and public space activation. The engagement process for the plan honored past planning work and prioritized the representation of current voices. The process was a bold, multi-pronged approach that included large, eye-catching billboards, a virtual mood board, and a social media campaign to collect ideas. The plan includes a road map to implementation for all recommended projects. We are excited to get started this year on testing the temporary closure and activation of Monument Circle and the redesign of Georgia Street.

Congratulations to all our partners, stakeholders, and residents, on an exciting vision for the future of Indianapolis!

Appalachia Rising wins PA/DE ASLA Award

We’re excited to announce that Appalachia Rising has been awarded an Honor Award in Communications from the PA/DE ASLA Chapter.

Appalachia Rising: West Virginia” is a multi-media report featured as part of the Architectural League of New York’s American Roundtable project. Through photography, video, audio clips, mappings, and renderings, the report asks the question “How can we build momentum for alternative landscape futures in West Virginia?”

Thank you to the PA/DE ASLA Chapter and the awards jury. More information on all the 2023 Award Winners can be found here.

Terrie Brightman to Present at CELA

The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture is the annual conference for educators, students, and practitioners in the academic field of landscape architecture. Terrie Brightman, Senior Associate at Merritt Chase, will be presenting “Analog Antidotes to Derivative Digital Doldrums” alongside Matt McMahon, Director of Landscape Architecture at Snohetta, and Lisa DuRusssel, Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan. The 2023 CELA Conference is in San Antonio Texas, March 15th-18th.

Nina Chase Invited to give Keynote at LAbash 2023

LAbash is the national conference for landscape architecture students, organized by landscape architecture students. Hosted each year by a different university, LAbash has been convening students since 1970. This year, LAbash is hosted by Kansas State’s Landscape Architecture Department in Manhattan, Kansas. Nina Chase will deliver one of the keynote lectures alongside Kene Okigbo, Matt Williams, and Michael Grove. Check out the full schedule of events here. Thank you to LAbash leadership team for the invitation.

Merritt Chase heads West to the 2022 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

This week we are excited to reconvene with our, colleagues, friends, and mentors in San Francisco for the 2022 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture. The Merritt Chase team will be active participating in panels, hosting events, and supporting the work of profession. We hope to see you there!

Education Session

Join Nina Chase and Chris Merritt for “The Power of Partnership: Dynamic Duos and Collaborative Design Practices” on Saturday, November 12th at 3:45pm. Nina and Chris are presenting with Diane Lipovsky and Stacy Passmore, Co-founders and Principals of Superbloom in Denver, CO, and Kim Garza and Erik Prince, Principals of Atlas Lab in Sacramento, CA.

Leadership

Say hello to Alexandra Mei, incoming President of the St. Louis ASLA Chapter at the ASLA Chapter Presidents’ Council on Thursday, November 10th.

Special Events

Join Alexandra Mei at the 2022 WxLA Celebration on Friday, November 11th. Alexandra was a WxLA Scholar in 2020.

The full Merritt Chase team will be celebrating an impactful year of work by the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) at LAF’s 37th Annual Benefit on Friday, November 11th. Nina Chase, LAF Board Emeritus, and Chris Merritt were LAF Olmsted Scholars.

Harvard Graduate School of Design alums, join Nina Chase, Chris Merritt, Alexandra Mei, and Danica Liongson at the Harvard GSD Alumni Reception on Saturday, November 12th. Nina Chase is currently the Co-chair of the Harvard GSD Alumni Council.

Exhibit Columbus Announces Public by Design

This week, the 2023 Exhibit Columbus theme, Public by Design, was announced.

“The theme of the fourth cycle of Exhibit Columbus, Public by Design, builds on the legacy of Columbus, Indiana to explore how collaborations between communities and designers can revitalize and reimagine historic downtowns as equitable, beautiful, healthy, and joyful places. Public by Design serves as a platform for many communities to become energized about the values of inclusivity, care, and generosity. This cycle celebrates creative methods of collaboration that communities and designers can use to grow a sense of belonging and connection in public spaces.”

Exhibit Columbus is an annual celebration of community, architecture, art, and design that builds upon the modernist design legacy of Columbus, Indiana. Chris Merritt currently serves as a 2023 Exhibit Columbus Curatorial Partner alongside Paola Aguirre, Lauren Pacheco, Bryony Roberts, Raymund Ryan, and Holly Warren. More information on Public by Design, the selected participants, and the 2023 schedule of events can be found on Exhibit Columbus’s website here.