Gresham Smith is proud to announce that the firm received awards from the Kentucky Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA Kentucky). The firm’s design for the Downtown Danville Streetscape received a Merit Award for Constructed Work, LOUMED Commons and Ballard Park received a Merit Award for Design Non-Constructed Work, and the Corridors Commission Guidebook received a Merit Award for Communications.
“These awards reflect how landscape architecture can shape healthier, more vibrant places,” said Louis Johnson, PLA, ASLA, Land Planning Executive Vice President at Gresham Smith. “Each recognition is a testament to our firm’s commitment to thoughtful, community-focused design that enhances quality of life. I’m incredibly proud of our clients, partners and talented teams whose dedication continues to drive impactful results across the communities we serve.”
About the projects:
As part of the Downtown Danville Master Plan, Gresham Smith reimagined Main Street as a safer, more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly destination. The complete streets design enhances safety by narrowing the roadway, shortening crosswalks and improving pedestrian visibility. Comfort is prioritized through wider sidewalks, shade-providing trees and enhanced landscaping. To foster vibrancy, the team created spaces for outdoor dining, social gathering and stronger connections between businesses and the street. By blending modern best practices with community priorities, our design transforms Main Street into a welcoming, people-focused space that supports Danville’s revitalization and encourages long-term downtown investment.
LOUMED Commons represents a transformative vision for the heart of the Louisville Medical & Educational District, a 24/7 hub serving thousands of healthcare workers, patients, families, caregivers and students each day. Located on the adaptive reuse site of a former Metro Corrections Facility along the Chestnut Street corridor, the Commons will become a signature public space uniting clinical care, research, teaching, and education. Thoughtfully designed to be flexible and inclusive, the space will offer a variety of experiences—from peaceful areas for reflection to vibrant gathering spots—while showcasing sustainable stormwater strategies and enriching the urban environment. As the centerpiece of LOUMED, the Commons will strengthen the district’s identity and support a safer, more accessible, and welcoming public realm.
Ballard Park emerged as a priority for reinvestment following the 2022 Parks Alliance of Louisville Parks for All study, which identified it as one of the city’s most underserved parks, with no major capital improvements in over 30 years. Ranked second in need based on factors like park access, community context, and overall need, the project focused on delivering high-impact value through a limited budget. Led by a multidisciplinary team, the design prioritized ecological resilience and community empowerment through engagement, creative stormwater management within a combined sewer overflow basin and a thoughtful, place-based design strategy. A strong public-private partnership and deep local commitment helped transform Ballard Park into a legacy investment for the surrounding community.
The Corridors Commission Guidebook offers a clear, strategic framework to guide equitable investment and enhancements across 31 corridors in Lexington-Fayette County. Developed to help the Commission organize corridors by typology, select project sites through multiple lenses, and apply effective design strategies, the guidebook is grounded in goals that promote biodiversity, expand tree canopy, celebrate cultural identity, and support healthy, active lifestyles. With structured sections including Corridor Classifications, Site Selection, Design Strategies, and Conceptual Applications, the guidebook illustrates the power of landscape architecture in driving inclusive, ecologically responsible community development.
The ASLA Kentucky Professional Design Awards serve as a platform to showcase and evaluate influential work in landscape architecture across the commonwealth of Kentucky, highlighting industry achievements to a broad audience. This year, the awards were judged by the North Carolina chapter of ASLA, continuing the tradition of using outside chapters for impartial evaluation. The project teams proudly accepted the awards during the 2025 Kentucky Chapter of ASLA annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, on April 17.
