The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund has recently announced a team at Virginia Tech School of Design — Jenn Engelke, ASLA, PhD, PLA, assistant professor of landscape architecture, and Betsy Painter, graduate student — have been awarded a $15,000 national competitive research grant to investigate landscape architecture solutions to inland flooding.
The grant awardees will outline evidence of the benefits of landscape architecture solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises. The research will be published on ASLA.org and openly accessible in spring 2027.
Dr. Engelke and Painter will explore landscape architecture strategies that are most effective at reducing inland flooding. They will identify planning and design approaches that have demonstrated flood reduction benefits while also sequestering carbon, improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, and reducing heat impacts.
“Inland flooding is a growing challenge, and landscape architects have an essential role to play in shaping resilient, forward-looking design solutions. We will explore innovative approaches and develop practical, usable resources that can support landscape architects and communities,” Dr. Engelke said.
“As communities face accelerating climate pressures, it is important to translate research on nature-based solutions into accessible language that can inform policy, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and support a more resilient relationship between people and water,” Painter said.
The goals of the research review is:
- Understand and summarize the current state of knowledge
- Synthesize the research literature and provide insights, leveraging key science-based evidence
- Create accessible executive summaries for policymakers, community advocates, and practicing landscape architects.
Image: Courtesy of ASLA
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