ASLA Honors
O l m s t e d Meda l - Non La ndsca p e A rchi t ec t
Renata von Tscharner
“The Olmsted Medal was instituted in 1990 to recognize individuals, organizations,
agencies, or programs outside the profession of landscape architecture for environmental leadership, vision, and stewardship. The Medal honors Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the founder of the American landscape architecture profession and
steward of the environment.”
Renata von Tscharner is Founder and
President of the Charles River Conservancy (CRC). Formally trained as
an architect and urban designer in
Switzerland, von Tscharner founded the
Charles River Conservancy in 2000, a
not-for-profit organization dedicated
to the stewardship, renewal, and active
use of the Charles River parklands from
Boston Harbor to the Watertown Dam.
Under her leadership, the Conservancy
has enlisted more than 21,000 volunteers
who have contributed more than $1.4
million of donated labor to improve the
health, safety, and beauty of the urban
parklands along the Charles. She is the
driving force behind the development of a
skate park at North Point in Cambridge
and a tireless advocate for improved
access in the parklands including better
pathways and bridge underpasses at
the Anderson, Western Avenue, and
River Street bridges that traverse the
Charles River. She is also an avid advocate to bring the tradition of swimming
back to the Charles.
“I am so honored to be
recognized with this award,”
said von Tscharner. “Fredrick
Law Olmsted has been an
inspiration to my work on
behalf of the Charles River
parklands; this extraordinary
public space holds so much
unrealized potential and it
is so essential to the quality
of life we enjoy in the Boston
area. We must ensure that
future generations will inherit
a world-class riverfront park.”
“Renata has continued to build on the visions of Charles Eliot and Frederick Law Olmsted by re-investing
in their important parklands and inspiring others to get involved in their river. Through her commitment
to the Conservancy, Renata models the Olmsted Medal’s principles of environmental leadership.”
Craig C. Halvorson, Founding Principal, Halvorson Design Partnership
2013 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
37