Matthew Urbanski, ASLA
Principal, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Matthew Urbanski is a Principal of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA), where he has worked for over 26 years. He has been part of the leadership for almost every major project the firm has completed. Collaborating with Michael Van Valkenburgh, he was a lead designer of Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, Maggie Daley Park in Chicago, Alumnae Valley at Wellesley College, and Teardrop Park in New York City. He is currently working on Trinity River Park Planning and Design in Dallas and a Master Plan for Hermann Park in Houston.
Mr. Urbanski’s career at MVVA began with small gardens - as the firm has grown he has been part of the design leadership on a wide range of projects including urban parks, college campuses, and urban planning projects. In every project, his work explores the concept of landscape imagination, specifically design that illuminates the unique capacity of the landscape medium to provide enjoyment and delight.
As an Adjunct Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, Mr. Urbanski teaches courses on horticulture, plants, and ecology, as well as studio courses. He lectures frequently about the expanding role of landscape architecture in urban design and the emerging recognition of parks as the engines of the livable city. He encourages landscape architects to seek inspiration in the tools that are unique to their profession and to develop the programs, spaces, and experiences that are appropriate to the capacity of each site.
In addition to his work as a designer, Mr. Urbanski is co-owner of Red Hill Nursery, a plants nursery in New Jersey. He attended Albright College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology. He studied horticulture at the Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture and then attended Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, receiving a Master of Landscape Architecture.
The Bush Presidential Library. 漏 2014 Alex MacLean/Landslides Aerial Photography