Guide to sustainable Portland: American Society of Landscape Architects applaud PDX successes

Imagine a tour of Portland offered by landscape architects. They would probably take you off the beaten tourist path, perhaps to narrow Vera Katz Park.

Here, they would explain that the greenery was cleverly designed alongside the Portland Armory annex, the first building on the National Register of Historic Places to earn the highest green building certification, and the repurposed home of Portland Center Stage.

Yes, smart use of existing buildings, energy, water, nature and transportation are top topics for a profession focused on sustainable, urban design.

And landscape architects are in heaven here, according to the Landscape Architect's Guide to Portland, Oregon, a new digital guide to the city that can be viewed on a smartphone, tablet or computer screen, with links to downloadable maps and bike routes.

It's a great guide for visitors to become acquainted with Portland's five "quadrants" and for residents to be reminded of the city's leading role in providing parks and plazas, as well as less scenic waste management systems. There's even a nod to theMississippi Avenue Food Cart Pods and the Pearl District Brewery Blocks.

The free guide was researched and written by members of theOregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects to educate city leaders, urban planners and designers around the world.

At the Oct. 7 launch party at the urban-oasis Lan Su Chinese Garden, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said, "ASLA is one of the secret weapons for livability. The profession blends the built environment with the natural environment. This guide is a visual portrayal of the unique elements that we are so proud of here."

Portland's landscape architects -- from those who established grand parks in theearly 20th century to those creating waterfront parks and bicycle infrastructure today -- have played a crucial role in making the city a better place to live, said Mark A. Focht, president of ASLA and first deputy commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

"Landscape architects have long played a major role in designing the city's public realm, and the key spaces between buildings that serve as the connective tissue for communities," said Focht.

Lloyd Lindley, who heads his eponymous Portlandurban design, planning and landscape architecture firm, introduces the guide by explaining Portland's evolution since agrarian Native Americans civilizations and speculates about the future of sustainability, including renewable energy efforts.

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Guide to sustainable Portland: American Society of Landscape Architects applaud PDX successes