Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes

Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan is a restored urban oasis with flexible lawns, gardens, and year-round events that revive a once-blighted city block.

High Line Park in NYC turns an elevated freight rail into a linear green roof and public park with native plantings, city views, and year‑round programming.

Lily Lake Residence in rural Pennsylvania transforms an 88-acre farm with native planting, stormwater ponds, and gutterless roofs that restore habitat and reduce flooding.

The middle school campus at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. is LEED Platinum, with a green roof, wetlands, rain garden, and on-site wastewater reuse. 

Award-winning 70-acre environmental discovery center near Detroit restoring native prairie, woodland, and wetland habitats as a living outdoor classroom.

Kresge Foundation Headquarters in Troy, MI is a LEED Platinum campus with restored prairie, green roofs, porous paving and on-site stormwater reuse.

Lafayette Greens in downtown Detroit turns a former high-rise site into an urban farm that donates food, manages stormwater, and restores biodiversity.

Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis uses native plantings, recycled materials, and nature play to promote healthy child development.

High Point in Seattle is a mixed-income green community with natural drainage, complete streets, and allergen-free landscapes that cut asthma rates. 

Mount Tabor Middle School’s 2,000 sq ft rain garden cools classrooms, manages 30,000 sq ft of runoff, and saves Portland over $100,000 in sewer upgrades.

NE Siskiyou Green Street in Portland uses planted curb extensions and checkdams to capture, filter and infiltrate 225,000 gallons of stormwater yearly.

Burbank Water and Power Eco-Campus is LEED Platinum sustainable utility in California that features green roofs, green streets, and 100% recycled water systems.

California Academy of Sciences is a LEED Platinum museum in San Francisco with a 2.5-acre living roof, native habitat, stormwater capture, and solar power.

The Crack Garden in San Francisco transforms a concrete backyard slab into a permeable garden of herbs, vegetables and flowers, cooling and greening the space.

Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments in San Francisco is GreenPoint-rated supportive housing with healing gardens and green infrastructure. 

Santa Monica’s Garden/Garden demo compares a native, water‑saving front yard to a traditional lawn, showing 77% less water use and lower maintenance.

Nueva School’s Hillsborough campus transforms a parking lot into green roofs, native habitat and outdoor classrooms showcasing innovative stormwater management.

Pacific Cannery Lofts turns a contaminated Oakland cannery into transit‑oriented green housing with social courtyards, recycled materials, and on‑site stormwater reuse.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens in California is a LEED Gold-desert landscape with native plants, stormwater retention, and a solar-powered, water-saving design.

Transformative Water in Pitkin County, CO turns a polluted asphalt plant into a sustainable ranch with wetlands, water storage ponds and wildlife habitat.

The Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse’s sustainable plaza features native plants, xeriscaping, stormwater harvesting, solar power, and a walkable design.

HtO Park transforms a polluted Toronto waterfront brownfield into a six‑acre urban beach and green park with lake‑water irrigation and porous stormwater paths.

Explore Sherbourne Common, a LEED Gold Toronto waterfront park that treats stormwater with UV, restores a brownfield, and adds native, cooling green space.

Explore ChonGae Canal Point Source Park in Seoul, a restored urban waterway and park that cleans stormwater, cools the city, and restores biodiversity.

Explore Crosswaters Ecolodge, China’s first ecotourism resort, blending native forest, bamboo architecture, local food, and community-led conservation.

Explore Quarry Garden in Shanghai, an abandoned rock quarry reborn as an ecological public garden that restores biodiversity and honors tradition.

The Red Ribbon, Tanghe River Park in Qinhuangdao transforms a former riverside dump into a native riverfront park with a 500‑meter lit ribbon walkway.