Pink Flamingo

Brian Patterson and Jack Zunino put their heads together in 1990 to define a year-end celebration for local landscape architecture professionals.

At the time, ASLA members in Nevada belonged to a sub-section of the California ASLA chapter. Instead of coming up with a dignified theme, Brian decided to go with the tackiest representation of the profession he could think of, a pink flamingo.

Brian and Jack didn’t realize that plastic pink flamingos would cost about $10 each, so in order to decorate a room and make a statement, a lot of pink flamingos would be needed. The flock was built over time, each year 10 to 20 plastic flamingos were purchased. The goal was to have enough of the plastic birds to fill a meeting room at the Flamingo Hilton at some point.

Vendors and suppliers joined in on the fun and would donate pink flamingo items to be raffled at the annual banquet. ASLA chapter members started adding accessories to many of the birds, including top hats. Once the chapter was large enough to have a Nevada awards event, the Pink Flamingo Banquet was combined with the annual awards event.

From grunge to glam, show off your favorite decade-inspired look!

Did you know?

In the 1990s, skateparks became a major part of urban landscape design! Cities started working with skaters (instead of chasing them off) to create spaces that blended recreation, art, and community. It was the decade when concrete got cool.

Designers turned old plazas, underused lots, and even abandoned pools into places where culture thrived—rolling into a new era of urban creativity.