Agency Landscape + Planning

05/27/2026

Spring has sprung at Lowell’s Saint Louis Sponge Park! On April 25th, community members and partners joined the Spring Gathering to celebrate the changing season and future improvements.

The Mayor declared April 25th to be Arbor Day in Lowell, complete with a ceremonial tree planting. Community members learned hands-on about stewardship by planting 12 trees and dozens of native grass plugs with Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust and Mill City Grows. Families experienced the story of Five Busy Beavers in the story walk led by Pollard Memorial Library, enjoyed donuts, and repped their park with temporary tattoos!

The team includes the City of Lowell, MA - Government, Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy at UMass Lowell, CHA Consulting, Inc, Nitsch Engineering, HLB Lighting Design, Tetra Tech, Studio Ummo, and Moffatt & Nichol.

Spring has sprung at Lowell’s Saint Louis Sponge Park! On April 25th, community members and partners joined the Spring Gathering to celebrate the changing season and future improvements. The Mayor declared April 25th to be Arbor Day in Lowell, complete with a ceremonial tree planting. Community me...

05/21/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Melita Schmeckpeper to the team!

Melita Schmeckpeper (she/they) is an associate landscape architect with experience across multiple scales of design, from large parks to rooftop gardens. She values collaborating with communities to cultivate meaningful, engaging spaces that support both human and ecosystem health. Educated as a plant biologist as well as a landscape architect, Melita’s design work is enriched by her experience in science communication and sustainability-focused research. Outside of Agency, Melita finds inspiration by visiting art museums, going hiking, and reading science fiction.

Join us in welcoming Melita!

https://bit.ly/4dBQa21

05/14/2026

Realization of New Jersey’s newest state park is moving steadily along; both in the release and celebration of the overall strategic vision and its fast-moving first phase of implementation!

Released publicly in January 2026, The Vision + Action Plan provides a design framework for New Jersey’s newest—and perhaps most novel—state park, a 9-mile greenway that will stretch from Jersey City to Montclair. The Vision + Action Plan gives new life to an abandoned rail line as an ecological, cultural, and recreational corridor that will serve one of the nation’s most densely-populated conurbations. It flips the conventional state park model of driving out of the city to experience nature. Instead, it will bring nature to some of New Jersey’s most transit-dependent and socioeconomically disadvantaged cities.

At the same time, construction on the nearly one-mile Newark segment of New Jersey’s newest state park is moving along!

Keep up to date on progress by following .greenway on Instagram.

Realization of New Jersey’s newest state park is moving steadily along; both in the release and celebration of it overall strategic vision and its fast-moving first phase of implementation! Released publicly in January 2026, The Vision + Action Plan provides a design framework for New Jersey’s n...

04/23/2026

We extend our congratulations and gratitude to the editors and contributors of “The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice”, including senior planner and co-editor Allen Penniman in collaboration with Molly O'Neill Robinson, Michael Angelo Larice, Amanda Haycox, and a long list of collaborating chapter writers. Agency’s Gina Ford, Brie Hensold, Jill Allen Dixon, and former Agent, Kari Roynesdal, all contributed to chapters.

Bringing together leading practitioners and academic voices in the field, the intention behind the book is to reframe urban design practice as a solutions-oriented field. It prioritizes holistic systems, dynamic processes, and collaborative work and views urban design as a practice that must evolve to meet the pressing needs of our time.

This year, the editors and contributors will be touring around select cities in the US on a book tour! First up, Allen will be celebrating in Detroit with Ujijji Davis Williams, Matthew Williams, and Morgan Fett with a book launch event at Paramita Sound, featuring DJ Manchego (April 26 @ 5:30pm @ 1517 Broadway, Detroit).

Other book talks in other cities are in the works – stay tuned for more!

Click here to learn more about the book and where to purchase it:

We extend our congratulations and gratitude to the editors and contributors of “The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice”, including senior planner and co-editor Allen Penniman in collaboration with Molly O’Neill Robinson, Michael Angelo Larice, Amanda Haycox, and a long list of collabo...

03/31/2026

IFLA’s Generation R | Regenerative Perspectives / Regenerative Landscapes highlights Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary and Sarasota’s The Bay!

Composed of over 100 projects from 42 firms, Generation R | Regenerative Perspectives / Regenerative Landscapes aims to showcase current solutions to current challenges in the landscape architecture field. With a focus on regionality within global frameworks, the publication creates a mosaic of projects that align with the themes of Resist (Resilience), Respect (Equity), Retain (Conservation), and Replicate (Actions). The publication is developed by Americas | International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) with curatorial vision, framework, lead editing, and editorial design by Jimena Martignoni. Main advisors, Pedro Camarena (Mexico) and Diana Wiesner (Colombia), and North America Advisor, Tim Schuler (United States).

To read more about the publication, Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, and Sarasota’s The Bay, click here: https://bit.ly/41DoaFL

The Bay Sarasota, Mass Audubon, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, Mill City Grows

03/27/2026

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03/12/2026

How can city governments benefit more from the diverse perspectives of local constituents? And how can neighbors learn more about how to contribute to the work of city planners?

The City of Cambridge (Official)'s first-ever Community Planning Academy launched in September 2025 to provide one model to bridge common divides.

Building from earlier community ideas that arose during the Neighborhood Planning Initiative that Agency led with the City in 2023, the Community Planning Academy gathered a dozen Cambridge residents across three sessions: Planning History, Zoning, and Community Engagement. The courses were designed to develop understandings of how planning affects communities, who makes decisions, and how they can help shape their future city. Community Planning Academy participants joined interactive discussions, tested zoning games, followed along in an academy workbook, and were compensated for their time.

To learn more about Community Planning Academy, click here: https://bit.ly/4umkDcd

03/04/2026

While he started as a part-time planner in June, Karthik Girish now transitions to a full-time urban planner!

Karthik Girish is an urban planner driven by his mission to break down intricate issues into consumable information. He uses his skillset in information design and GIS to create visually sensible and engaging data that guides meaningful progress in communities and cities. With a bachelor’s degree in planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and a master’s degree in urban planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, he intends to expand his knowledge in the intersection of placemaking, natural environment, and infrastructure. In his free time, he plays percussion instruments, enjoys making people laugh, and occasionally voices characters online.

Join us in welcoming Karthik to his new role!
https://bit.ly/4rdBXNJ

02/03/2026

Earlier this January, Agency’s Brie Hensold served on the jury for AIA New York’s 2026 awards, alongside Agency’s longtime collaborator Christiana Moss of Studio Ma, and other innovators and new friends Adam Ainslie, BLDUS; Maarten Gielen, Halfwerk; Susan Jones, atelierjones; Jeff Kamuda, Birdseye; and Kia Weatherspoon, Determined by Design.

The jury chose 24 award winners, from a pool of over 200 entries, ranging from architecture and interiors to projects and urban design, which represented exciting new work in resilience and sustainability, social and community impact, and beauty. Commenting on the award-winning Lopez Playground Modular Comfort Station by 1100 Architect, Brie said, “We saw [Lopez Playground Modular Comfort Station] as taking on a challenge that many people have not solved for decades: how do you provide comfort, rest, and peace in a cost-effective, replicable way across many parks within a system?”

“This project considers the needs of caregivers, children, maintenance workers, and the unhoused community and offers a way for people to stay and linger and visit public spaces much longer than they could otherwise. This is proof-of-concept for a system that is modular and can be implemented across a much broader system that could provide inspiration, not just here, but across the country.”

The design award for the Staten Island bathroom got shoutouts in the Gothamist, the New York Post, and even Saturday Night Live! Congratulations to all 24 award-winners!

Earlier this January, Agency’s Brie Hensold served on the jury for AIA New York’s 2026 awards, alongside Agency’s longtime collaborator Christiana Moss of Studio Ma, and other innovators and new friends Adam Ainslie, BLDUS; Maarten Gielen, Halfwerk; Susan Jones, atelierjones; Jeff Kamuda, Bird...

01/06/2026

Agency is seeking interns for Summer 2026! We strive for diversity in every aspect of work and we encourage persons from all backgrounds to apply.

Intern Systems Thinker: Urban Planner/Designer
Intern Place Maker: Landscape Designer

Applications due: Sunday, February 15 2026 at 11:59 pm EST


Click here for job descriptions and information on how to apply: https://bit.ly/4pSf82g