Chicago: MWRD Honors Landscape Architect Ernest C. Wong, Recapping May AAPI Heritage Month Event
CHICAGO, Cook County, Illinois — The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) published an article on its website on October 28 looking back at remarks by Chinese American landscape architect Ernest C. Wong at the district's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration on May 22 this year, honoring his long record of advancing equity and community engagement through landscape design.
Wong is the founder and principal of Chicago-based site design group and has practiced for more than 35 years. His work includes the east stretch of the Chicago Riverwalk, Pioneer Court, Mary Bartelme Park and Henry Palmisano Park and Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown, among other well-known public spaces in the city. The article recounts how Wong, born into an immigrant family, worked his way from seeking his father's approval to reshaping the city through design, with work that captures the changing character of communities and responds to climate and social challenges.
Marcelino Garcia, the district's treasurer, said in the article that Wong's "commitment to equity through design mirrors our mission to serve all communities with integrity and innovation," and that his remarks inspire those working where infrastructure, environment, creativity and curiosity meet. Wong has also long served the community, holding board or jury roles with organizations including the Chinese American Service League, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which he has chaired; he was named a Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune in 2010 and received the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Community Service Award and the Daniel H. Burnham Distinguished Service Award in 2021.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 大芝加哥大都会水资源回收局（MWRD）官网
