The Olmsted Effect | Shaping The Future Through Landscapes
Frederick Law Olmsted redefined the American experience through his craft, creating a connection to nature through public works. His fundamental belief that well-designed landscapes can improve the human condition proliferated and shaped the way we build communities. The same ideas that defined the past can inform a more resilient future.
Guided Tours | Design Awards | Guest Speakers
Keynote Speaker, Laurie Olin, FASLA
Laurie is a distinguished teacher, author, and one of the most renowned landscape architects practicing today. From vision to realization, he has guided many of OLIN’s signature projects, which span the history of the studio from the Washington Monument Grounds in Washington, DC to Bryant Park in New York City. He is currently Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught for 40 years, and is former chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. Laurie is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and recipient of the 1998 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Olmsted Effect: Shaping the Future through Landscapes
Here's what's in store:
Thursday, April 11th: Conference Opening
5:30PM - 8:00PM
Kick off the conference at the Frazier Historical Museum on Main Street in conjunction with their official opening of a new "Olmsted's Louisville" exhibit. The evening will feature a reception and lecture from landscape architecture icon Laurie Olin.
Olmsted’s Louisville: 1891 to the Present at the Frazier History Museum
This self-guided exhibition will mark the 30th anniversary of Olmsted Parks Conservancy, created to preserve the ultimate park system of Frederick Law Olmsted’s career. Featuring historical documents, architectural plans, photographs and interactives, Olmsted’s Louisville will pay tribute to this famous landscape architect, exploring his legacy through his impact on the people, neighborhoods and natural features of Louisville.
Keynote Speaker – Laurie Olin
Mr. Olin will speak about the Olmsteds, and their remarkable perception, ambition, and undaunted energy and affectiveness, as well as the field and their contemporaries that they so energized (such as Charles Elliot, George Kessler, Hare and Hare, Harland Bartholomew, Edwin Bennett, Warren Manning, et al, along with subsequent generations) who extended their vision and work. He will also touch on the issues the Olmsteds tackled so brilliantly are still with us regarding urbanization, environmental preservation, social justice, health, infrastructure – and how they’re once more influencing a dedicated cadre of young well educated landscape architects who are eager to tackle these issues.
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Friday, April 12th: Conference Tours (optional)
9:00AM - 1:30PM; 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Sign up for some exceptional tours! Tour price includes both a morning signature park tour, including lunch, and an afternoon tour. Motor coaches will depart and return to The Henry Clay, 604 South Third Street.
There are several tour options to choose from including Louisville's Olmsted Parks system; seeing what's new at the Parklands of Floyds Fork or the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest; learning about future changes in store for both Louisville and southern Indiana's riverfront park plans, touring some of Louisville's smaller Olmsted designed parks and their impact on our urban neighborhoods, or a sketch walk.
Guided bus tours on Friday, April 12, 2019
Three morning choices:
Depart from The Henry Clay at 9 am | Lunch provided | Return to The Henry Clay at 1:30 pm
1. The Parklands of Floyds Fork is a nearly 4,000-acre, systemic, world-class addition to Louisville’s park system that includes four major parks linked by a park drive, a first-rate urban trail system, and a remarkable water trail, all tracing Floyds Fork, a classic Kentucky stream. 21st Century Parks, a 501(c)3 established in 2004, is responsible for the operations and maintenance of The Parklands of Floyds Fork. This public-private project is unique in the region and unlike anything currently in development across the country—truly a city-shaping model. The Parklands of Floyds Fork cuts right through the heart of the last major undeveloped section of Metro Louisville. Inspired by the Olmsted-designed parks in Louisville, it preserves a vanishing landscape while creating the finest urban edge in the country. Major construction ended in 2016 and since has had yearly attendance of over 3 million visits, becoming a community asset to Louisville and its surrounding areas.
The tour will take guests through the entire park system to learn about the vision, design, construction, and operations while stopping at popular public activity sites. These community favorites include contemporary gardens, restored meadows, and modern playgrounds in Beckley Creek and Broad Run Parks, plus the transformation of an old farm into the Brown Foreman Silo Center in Turkey Run Park.
2. Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest was established in 1929 by Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who believed that all people, regardless of race, creed or economic status benefit from being in nature. Today, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest comprises 16,137 acres dedicated to conservation and the mission of connecting people with nature. To fulfill this mission, Bernheim utilizes naturalistic landscapes, art, education, unique events and innovative science. Bernheim is recognized as a leader in sustainable and regenerative design, so the tour will include the platinum LEED certified Visitor Center and Living Building Challenge applicant Edible Garden.
In honor of the 90th anniversary of Bernheim’s founding, the visit by the National Association for Olmsted Parks and their unique history, a brief ceremony will be held to rename the Holly and Cedar Ponds the Olmsted Ponds, after their original designers, the Olmsted brothers.
The morning will end with a fine meal provided by Isaac’s Café where fresh, local and organic produce is always used—including produce from Bernheim’s own Edible Garden.
3. Louisville’s Olmsted Park System was developed under the leadership of the Louisville Board of Park Commissioners from 1891 to 1942. Louisville solicited Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and his firm to design and oversee implementation of the early park system, establishing the framework of three large regional parks and interconnecting parkways across the city. Continued collaboration with the successor Olmsted firms brought a total of 18 parks distributed in neighborhoods across the growing community.
Sites planned to visit during the morning tour include Northwestern and Southwestern Parkways, Shawnee Park, Chickasaw Park, Algonquin Parkway, Southern Parkway, Iroquois Park, Eastern Parkway and Cherokee Park.
Session leaders include:
John Swintosky, Louisville Metro Senior Landscape Architect
Major Waltman, Olmsted Parks Conservancy Project Director
Arleyn Levee, Consulting Olmsted Historian
Lucy Lawliss, National Association for Olmsted Parks Board Member and National Park Service Landscape Architect
Martha Berner, Retired Louisville Parks and Recreation Landscape Architect
Susan Rademacher, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Parks Curator and Olmsted Parks Conservancy Past President
Throughout the tour, session leaders will place the Olmsteds’ Louisville work within the firm’s history and national context, comment on the forces at work in the formation of the city, and discuss the specific Olmsted works in terms of design intent, change over time, and preservation strategies.
Three afternoon choices:
Depart from The Henry Clay at 2 pm | Return to The Henry Clay at 4 pm
1. River Heritage Conservancy How do we approach building a park along one of our nation’s largest and most impaired rivers and do it within the context of climate change that will put even more pressure on the waterway and its shorelines? This discussion will explore the emerging park plan for a 400-acre park on the North Shore of the Ohio River in Southern Indiana. Perspectives on the project will be shared from the Master Planner, Cindy Sanders (OLIN) and the Owner/Operator, Scott Martin (River Heritage Conservancy).
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Before the creation of the Waterfront Development Corporation in 1986, Louisville’s downtown riverfront was filled with scrap yards, heavy industrial uses, and abandoned industrial land and buildings. Over the past three decades, the Waterfront Development Corporation has reclaimed Louisville’s waterfront for the people, transforming this once-blighted industrial wasteland into a world-class 85-acre park that has played a pivotal role in revitalizing downtown Louisville. Today, Waterfront Park plays host to more than 2.2 million visitors and 150 events every year, with an economic impact of $40 million dollars annually. Plans are also underway for a 22-acre expansion of Waterfront Park, which will extend public open space along the Ohio River corridor and unite downtown and West Louisville along the waterfront. David Karem, the founding and presiding Executive Director of Waterfront Development, and Andy Knight, Principal with MKSK, will share the story of this epic transformation from wasteland to sustainable, resilient amenity for the community.
2. Louisville’s Olmsted Neighborhood Parks were developed under the leadership of the Louisville Board of Park Commissioners from 1891 to 1942. Louisville solicited Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and his firm to design and oversee implementation of the early park system, establishing the framework of three large regional parks and interconnecting parkways across the city. Continued collaboration with the successor Olmsted firms brought a total of 18 parks distributed in neighborhoods across the growing community.
Sites planned to visit during the afternoon tour include Shelby Park, Tyler Park, Central Park and Victory Park.
Session leaders include:
Matt Spalding, Olmsted Parks Conservancy Education and Volunteer Program Manager
Lucy Lawliss, National Association for Olmsted Parks Board Member and National Park Service Landscape Architect
Martha Berner, Retired Louisville Parks and Recreation Landscape Architect
Throughout the tour, session leaders will place the Olmsteds’ Louisville work within the firm’s history and national context, comment on the forces at work in the formation of the city, and discuss the specific Olmsted works in terms of design intent, change over time, and preservation strategies.
3. Park Living Participants will be led on a driving tour of residential subdivisions and other non-park sites designed by Olmsted and/or the Olmsted firm. Many of the sites surround Cherokee Park exemplify the relationships intended between this important public space and the land uses immediately adjacent to it. Session leaders will discuss these works in terms of design intent; it’s relevance at varying scales and site conditions, and the contemporary influences that are driving change.
Session leaders include:
John Swintosky, Louisville Metro Senior Landscape Architect
Arleyn Levee, Consulting Olmsted Historian
Susan Rademacher, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Parks Curator and Olmsted Parks Conservancy Past President
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Friday, April 12th: Awards Program
5:00PM - 8:00PM
Join us at the historic Henry Clay Building as we celebrate landscape architecture by recognizing the award-winning works of both students and professionals practicing within our Commonwealth. ASLA Kentucky will also recognize our Annual Grady Clay Community Vision Award recipient. Olmsted Parks Conservancy will also recognize an honoree.
Keynote: The Future of Landscape Architecture - A panel discussion with Laurie Olin, Olin Studios and Faye Harwell, Rhodeside & Harwell. The discussion will be moderated by Susan Rademacher, Director of the Pittsburg Conservancy and former Editor of Landscape Architecture Magazine.
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Saturday April 13th: Education Sessions & Vendor Expo
8:00AM - 4:15PM
Saturday we have a packed agenda at the historic Henry Clay Building. We have brought in fantastic speakers with a variety of expertise. Here is a sneak preview of what we have in store as we finalize our education sessions agenda:
Our Legacy: How landscapes will define our future
Faye Harwell, FASLA, Rhodeside & Harwell
Humans have been shaped landscapes since the advent of cities. As civilizations developed, so did our landscapes. The future, like the past, will be defined by the way we choose to shape our landscapes. Join Faye Harwell as she explores the influence of historic landscapes on contemporary culture and how landscapes of the future can form a better tomorrow.
Enduring Landscapes
Andrew Lavallee, FASLA, RLA, Partner at SiteWorks, Inc.
Designed landscapes are dynamic systems that can degenerate without effective detailing and planning for maintenance. Join Andrew Lavallee as he walks through the process utilized to give life to some of the most recognized works in landscape architecture.
Resilience Justice: The Role of Green and Blue Infrastructure
Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold, Chair of the Center for Land Use & Environmental Responsibility, University of Louisville
Join Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold as he shares about the Resilience Justice Project and how it aims to improve the resilience and reduce the vulnerabilities of marginalized communities through rigorous and systematic analysis of public policies and community conditions, including green and blue infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods of color.
Parknerships – the new model for building parks
Scott Martin, Executive Director at River Heritage Conservancy, Inc.
Deborah Bilitski, Vice President, Waterfront Development Corporation
Susan Rademacher, Parks Curator, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Moderator: Layla George, Louisville Olmsted Conservancy
Cities around the world are creating parks as magnets to attract talent, serve as a civic hub, and an iconic landscape to serve as the face of the city. Join a distinguished panel of park makers as they discuss what it takes to build a world class park in the 21st century.
Equity of Space
Sarah Wolff, Program Director of Community Engagement, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Louisville, Kentucky
Kris Nonn, Executive Director, NOLI CDC, Lexington, Kentucky
Evon Smith, President & CEO, OneWest, Louisville, Kentucky
Moderator: Amina Elahi, City Reporter, 89.3 WFPL News Louisville
Humans shape environments and environments shape communities. Join a panel of dedicated professionals as they discuss how underserved communities benefit from thoughtful landscape interventions, and how parks can help build a more just future.