Photo credit: Bob Allsopp
The Robert N. Allsopp Urban Design Fellowship is intended to provide a practicing landscape architect, whose work and exploratory interests are in urban design, with funds for research leave, for example, for pursuing a specific area of inquiry over a five-to-six-month ‘sabbatical’ or with funds to direct a research project. The Fellowship will provide support for urban design research and related expenses which elevates the art, science, and practice of landscape architecture, contributes to the knowledge base of the profession and is beyond the scope of the projects in their office or practice.
The objective of the Fellowship is to provide an equal opportunity for research, gaining new perspectives, and “re-charging the battery” - something that is usually afforded to tenured university academics. Such an opportunity is rarely available to busy professional practitioners. The everyday responsibilities and pressures of practice are normally too onerous to allow for stepping-away to pursue research or follow a line of enquiry that is ‘non-billable’. Additionally, the funds could be used to support the expenses related to achieving a team project.
About Robert (Bob) N. Allsopp
Bob grew up in Leicester, England where he studied Architecture at the Leicester College of Art and Technology and was winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects Soane Medallion design competition following graduation. He became a registered architect in 1961 and completed his first major architectural commission two years later. He then pursued graduate studies in Civic Design at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, followed by two years as Visiting Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Kansas, USA under the auspices of the Fulbright Scholarship Program. Returning to London, UK, he worked as an Architect/Planner on the planning of Redditch New Town and major urban regeneration projects in London and Cardiff. Bob moved to Canada in 1968 to take up the position of Director of Campus Planning at the University of Manitoba and subsequently became involved, with Alex Rattray, in establishing the graduate Landscape Architecture Program there. He taught the first design studio in that new program. In 1979, he joined Roger du Toit Architects/du Toit Associates in Toronto and began teaching in the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Toronto. The partnership, du Toit Allsopp Hillier, was formed in 1985 and it continues as DTAH, a much-expanded, multi-dimensional design practice. Bob is principally known for his breadth of understanding of urban design issues and his doggedness in search of deceptively simple design solutions strongly rooted in their place. His best-known work is in campus planning, urban neighbourhoods and a wide range of projects in Canada’s National Capital recognized nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of CSLA Fellowship in 1995, the 2008 OALA Pinnacle Award and 2016 CSLA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bob was recipient of the 1989 Canada Council’s Residency in Barcelona Award. It is the personal and professional value of this ‘sabbatical’ experience combined with his belief that Landscape Architecture is the best multi-dimensional ‘home’ for Urban Design, that has stimulated the establishment of this LACF Fellowship.
New Application Platform
Please follow the steps, below, to make a submission:
- Read the awards guidelines, below
- Create an account on this website, click on the "Apply" tab at the top of the page, then click on the application form for this award. (If you have an account, do not make another. Log in with that account.)
By creating an account with Good Grants, you will be able to save your application and return to it at another time. You will use this same account for all other submissions, including for the CSLA.
Please contact awards@csla-aapc.ca if you have any trouble using the application platform.
Eligibility
Candidates eligible for the Fellowship must be:
- landscape architects who are full members of the CSLA with at least 10 to 15 years of professional practice (post-graduation), with extensive experience or focused interest in urban design;
- for team projects, the lead landscape architect should have at least 15 years of professional practice. Other team members may be emerging or mid-career practitioners.
All applicants must be Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada.
LACF welcomes applications from under-represented groups, including women, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, people of colour, people who identify as LGBTQ or people with disabilities.
The Fellowship supports expenses related to the proposed research program.
Eligible Expenses
- Living expenses,
- Travel expenses,
- Communication expenses,
- Research-related expenses, such as advanced GIS, graphics, sub-contracted data or analysis, specialized software, etc,
- Project team expenses.
Ineligible Expenses
- Retroactive funding,
- Capital or equipment purchases,
- Fundraising activities,
- Contributions to endowment funds,
- Contests and competitions,
- Studies in an educational institution, such as graduate studies,
- Indirect costs of research.
Value and Frequency
- This Fellowship is awarded once yearly.
- The range of the Fellowship is from $35,000 to a maximum of $50,000.
- The Fellowship can only be received once.
Deadline
The deadline to submit your application is May 1st, 2025 at 4 pm ET.
Assessment
The applications will be assessed on the relevance of the research in expanding an understanding of the cultural, physical, social, economic and/or ecological conditions for the design of sustainable urban settlement and city-building while recognizing and expanding upon the core values of the landscape architecture profession.
The basis of assessment will be:
- excellence demonstrated in the portfolio of work demonstrating design excellence, relevant experience and informing the ideas of the proposal
- relevance to, and potential for the advancement of comprehensive design of sustainable urban settlements and/or places
- feasibility of the study method and research approach
- communication plan to share the outcome or findings of the research
- budget, setting out how the funds will be used
- schedule.
A national jury will be appointed by LACF to evaluate the proposals.
The jury will be composed of:
- LACF President as professional advisor
- Robert N. Allsopp (subject to any perceived conflict of interest)
- Two senior landscape architects with urban design experience
- One design professional from a related profession, such as urban planning or architecture.
The decisions of the jury are final, and the jury will not provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.
Unsuccessful candidates may re-apply with an updated or modified application in following years.
Conditions of the Award
LACF support must be acknowledged in all promotional materials.
The recipient will be expected to have an informal mentor for the duration of the Fellowship. The selection of that mentor will be addressed by the jury in conversation with the successful applicant.
Information on the Fellowship recipient will be published on LACF’s website.
A final report must be submitted within three months of the end of the project. The report must include the following elements: - maximum 500-word description on the use of the funds with special emphasis on the results and the impact of the funding, - 2-3 images, with photo credits indicated, for use by the LACF - any published documents, reports, publications, or websites.
The Fellowship is considered taxable income and only T4A slips are issued by LACF (this funding will not be awarded to an organization).
It is expected that the recipient will contribute content about the supported research to Landscapes|Paysages Magazine, in presentations at the CSLA Congress, and in other forms offered by LACF and CSLA.
Payment of the Award
The LACF will make payments as follows: 50% at the beginning of the project, 25% at the mid-point of the program of work, and the remainder when the project is complete, after a final report is received.
Further Information
Executive Director or Chair, LACF Grants Committee
LACF, 12 Forillon Cr., Kanata ON K2M 2W5, lacf-fapc@csla-aapc.ca (613) 668-4775