Native Plant Trust: Native Plants and the Future of Public Spaces

The events of 2020 altered the way we gather and therefore, the ways we design and use spaces. What does this mean for the future of outdoor public spaces like parks and gardens, and what are the potential roles of native plants in these new scenarios? Join Native Plant Trust for a virtual symposium in which prominent landscape and horticulture professionals explore these pressing questions through a keynote, interactive workshop and panel discussion. Reserve your spot to hear speakers including: 

Anita Berrizbeitia, Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University, will present the keynote on understanding and expanding the scholarship about public landscapes. Berrizbeitia’s research focuses on design theories of modern and contemporary landscape architecture and the productive aspects of landscapes, as well as on Latin American cities and landscapes. She has authored and contributed to numerous books on the conceptualization of public space and is the recipient of the Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture, the J.B. Jackson Book Prize, and the Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. 

Karyn Williams, Director of Programs at Design Trust for Public Space, will lead a workshop on stakeholder engagement in the landscape design process. Williams recently launched the Design Trust’s Neighborhood Commons project and is leading the development of a new body of work related to health equity and the built environment. Previous to her work at Design Trust, Williams was the Assistant Director of Planning and Programs at GreenThumb, a division of NYC Parks. 

Marielle Anzelone, creator of NYC Wildflower Week and PopUP Forest: Times Square, is a botanist and urban ecologist. Anzelone has devoted her career to saving nature in cities by connecting people to it. She has also advocated for citywide policies and taught in public schools to address environmental justice, equity, and access.

Carolina Lukac, Garden Education Manager, Vermont Community Garden Network, empowers individuals to cultivate productive, edible landscapes to provide for themselves and for their communities. Lukac’s projects in Vermont are informed by her previous work in community horticulture in her native Mexico City, where she co-founded the city’s first urban agriculture training center.  

Veronica Tyson-Strait, landscape architect, garden designer, horticulturist, educator, and fine artist, was born in the Caribbean and is currently based in New York City. Tyson-Strait worked for several years as a horticulturist for NYC public parks and now owns her own horticulture and garden design business. Her designs focus on plant-human interactions, native ecologies, and landscapes that inspire cultural engagement and provide sanctuary and sustenance.

CLICK HERE  to register