Kim Mathews & Signe Nielsen

The Principals of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architecture discuss recent projects in "Planting Design: Approach and Process."

Kim Mathews:

Educated in the fine arts as a painter, Kim studied landscape architecture and ecological planning at the University of Pennsylvania. "Here I learned that it was possible to 'read' the landscape," she says, "and that design was not only about creating beauty but revealing meaning." This commitment to beauty and meaningfulness has informed all of her award-winning projects. Kim is the recipient of more than a dozen design awards, is past-President of the New York State Council of Landscape Architects, and lectures frequently across the country on environmental design. She is an active member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association. Landscape architecture is a profoundly positive and collaborative profession," she adds. "It is a discipline that embodies hope and requires a longer, larger vision."

Signe Nielsen:

Designers are public intellectuals, turning ideas into realities. For Signe Nielsen that public role is paramount. "The urban arena is the setting where we can create places that are truly restorative to both people and the environment," she says. She has led more than 400 projects, nationally and globally, and these projects have won almost every possible design award. But her sense of design's public mission extends far beyond these interventions. In addition to her hands-on project leadership, she is the co-author of several books on sustainable and green design for the NYC Department of Design and Construction. Signe has taught at Pratt Institute for more than two decades and has also lectured and juried competitions at institutions around the world, including Harvard University and the Ecole Normale Superiure in Paris. As president of the Public Design Commission of the City of New York, Signe is a strong and effective advocate for a beautiful, inspiring and diverse urban fabric.