Join us for the next installment in our Streetscape Speaker Series featuring Sohyun Park, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Connecticut, on Thursday 18 September, 10am.

Sohyun Park is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Connecticut. She is the recipient of the ASLA’s inaugural research grant in biodiversity and served as the first ASLA delegate to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP 16 in Cali, Colombia. Dr. Park leads several international working groups, including the newly launched IFLA Working Programme on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity and APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes’ Urban Landscape Biodiversity Working Group. Dr. Park holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Arizona State University, a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Seoul National University, and a B.S. in Biology from Sookmyung Women's University in Korea. She is also a SITES Accredited Professional and a 2024 LAF Case Study Investigation Research Fellow. Her recent research focuses on landscape architecture solutions to biodiversity loss, assessing the socio-ecological performance of marsh ecosystems, and exploring the biodiversity and community benefits of municipal land bank properties.

Design with More-than-Humans

Biodiversity is an urgent consideration in landscape architecture and beyond. While the use of native plants remains a key strategy in landscape design, a truly biodiversity-centered design approach must go further. This talk explores how to intentionally integrate a wide range of living organisms—those that make up complex food webs and interdependent ecosystems—into every scale of designed space. Framing biodiversity as a multispecies concern, the presentation highlights design strategies that support life across taxa, featuring biodiversity-positive projects and real-world implementation challenges. It also examines the role of systemic change, including zoning policies and municipal design standards, in embedding biodiversity as a core urban design value. Ultimately, this talk calls for a shift toward stronger land stewardship and collective responsibility. Through design and policy, we can support more-than-human life and build landscapes where biodiversity is not only preserved but enabled to thrive.

Register today