From river corridors and wetlands to city streets and community spaces, students in the Master of Landscape Architecture program are learning to design with empathy and imagination, restoring connections between people, place, and the living systems that sustain us.
Margaret Milligan (MLA ’26)
Background: Local food systems advocate and ecological designer
After 15 years working in Nebraska’s local food system as a farmer, educator, and advocate, Margaret Milligan came to the University of Minnesota seeking a program that matched her values. She was drawn by what she describes as “the program’s focus on ecological design, out-of-the-box design thinking, collaboration ... and the warmth and conviviality of program faculty and staff.”
In studio, Milligan has explored the layered histories of Pig’s Eye Lake, a site she calls “beautiful and complicated”—a backwater wetland that is now both a park and a superfund site. Her design process often begins with observation and sensory exploration, from “charcoal depictions of sounds and light experienced on site” to “photographing key moments and details.”
She also works as a graduate assistant with the Kusske Design Initiative (KDI), where collaboration across disciplines deepens her perspective. “I work with other students in product design, graphic design, and architecture on projects related to biomaterials and biophilic design … KDI does an excellent job of encouraging connection between people who might not otherwise work together.”
Lauren Snyder (MLA/MURP ’27)
Background: Dual-degree student exploring the link between design and governance
For Lauren Snyder, design is a way to make an impact more directly than policy alone. After working for Clean Water Action, she realized how slowly change can move through legislation. “It was amazing to see a policy they worked on for six years finally pass,” she recalls, “but it was also really frustrating to realize how long the process took.”
Her interest in plants led her to study design as a means of shaping the spaces where environmental and social systems meet. “It taught me how to think creatively and how design can stem from anything, not just one stagnant idea,” she says of her studio experience.
Snyder’s dual degree helps her connect design’s on-the-ground realities with policy and planning frameworks. “The MLA gives me the design skills to create meaningful spaces on the ground, while the MURP (Master of Urban and Regional Planning) gives me the knowledge of policy and the bigger picture,” she says. “Having both degrees really makes you stand out.”
Jason Condit (MLA ’25)
Background: Former elementary school teacher turned designer
Before pursuing landscape architecture, Jason Condit taught elementary school, guiding students through discovery and creativity every day. That experience now informs how he approaches design: curious, collaborative, and always open to learning from others.
“What drew me to the UMN-MLA program was the warmth and kindness … from day one I have felt cared for and welcomed by faculty and fellow students. The small class sizes have allowed us to form a studio environment that is extremely supportive rather than competitive.”
In his Pig’s Eye Lake studio, Condit grappled with the site’s complex environmental history, from industrial contamination to ongoing restoration efforts. In his capstone project, he is exploring how to redesign schoolyards to support the play and developmental needs of older students while also supporting surrounding communities.
Now serving as president of the ASLA student group, Condit emphasizes connection as essential to both design education and practice. “The beauty of Landscape Architecture is how it can be used and practiced in so many ways,” he says. “We also need to have fun and build relationships with each other.”
Leisl Buchholz (MLA/MURP ’27)
Background: Dual-degree student in Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning
Leisl Buchholz’s dual degree in Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning reflects her desire to bridge environmental systems and social processes. “I want to understand environmental growth processes while also understanding social growth processes—and how they work together in urban spaces,” she explains.
Her studio work has explored this relationship through mapping, storytelling, and spatial design. In one project, she and her team “spatially presented various interconnected layers of information, including indigenous history, key species, ecological zones, and past land uses.”
As co-president of the ASLA student group, Buchholz is also focused on community building. “I hope to build community between the undergrad and graduate students, collectively learn more about LA, and get involved in the community,” she says—a goal that mirrors her interdisciplinary approach to design itself.
Crystal Daniela Díaz (MLA/MURP ’27)
Background: Chicago native focused on equitable development and design justice
Crystal Daniela Díaz began her graduate studies in urban and regional planning before realizing how powerfully design could shape health and well-being. Now pursuing both the MLA and MURP, she studies how the built environment affects physical and psychological health, particularly in underserved communities.
Growing up in southwest Chicago, Díaz witnessed firsthand the effects of gentrification and environmental injustice. Those experiences now inform her approach to inclusive, community-driven design. “Social justice is at the forefront of my design approach. I believe design should be intentionally planned to uplift communities, with key stakeholders included in the design process.”
Her recent studio work at Sarita Wetland explored how soil and water interact, using model-making to visualize permeability, texture, and movement through layered materials. For Díaz, social justice is inseparable from sustainable design. “Urban landscapes designed by landscape architects become even more important when they are grounded in social justice goals.” She envisions landscapes as vital components of community resilience and spaces that promote belonging, health, and opportunity.
Chang Li (MLA ’25)
Background: International student from China exploring multifunctional, adaptive design
For Chang Li, landscape architecture grew from a simple love of nature into a way to confront the environmental challenges of modern cities. “Growing up in a city in southwestern China, I realized that the time and space we get to spend in nature is very limited,” she says. “Issues like pollution, flooding, and climate change are becoming more serious year by year. I wanted to learn how landscape design can help address these problems.”
Her fascination with traditional Chinese gardens taught her to create “an immersive natural experience within a small space” and to consider “how natural elements can engage the five senses in different ways.” At the same time, she has seen how urbanization has replaced natural landscapes, motivating her to design green corridors that “heal the ‘wounds’ of the city and bring nature back into urban areas.”
At Minnesota, Li continues to balance structure and creativity in her design process. “My education background emphasized structure and technical skills,” she explains. “Learning in the U.S. is more open, collaborative, and exploratory, and I have learned a lot of creative thinking methods from my cohorts.” By combining both approaches, she aims to design spaces that are flexible and serve people from diverse backgrounds.
Espen Tandy (MLA ’27)
Background: Artist and horticulturist exploring material-based environmental design
For Espen Tandy, landscape architecture is where art, ecology, and technology converge. With a background spanning ceramics, painting, art history, and horticulture, Tandy approaches design through what he calls a “rhizomatic” lens, drawing connections across disciplines to explore how people and landscapes shape one another. “It’s hard for me to complete a project in one area without drawing resources from the others,” he says.
That interdisciplinary mindset informs his work in studio, where he’s explored the ecological and social repair of damaged sites. In a recent project, Tandy used black locust, a species both “beloved and despised” for its invasiveness and resilience, to imagine phytoremediation strategies for the Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana, one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites. “I decided to use its capabilities in a remediation project,” he explains, envisioning how plants can help reclaim landscapes scarred by industry.
Tandy is also collaborating with faculty member Jessica Rossi-Mastracci to investigate how 3D-printed clay might function as a sustainable landscape material. Drawing on his ceramics background and soil research, he’s excited to see “how clay chemistry can contribute to design”—a continuation of his ongoing exploration of the connections between material, ecology, and care.
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
About the Program
The Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Minnesota College of Design prepares students to become leaders in sustainable, community-centered design. Through studio-based learning and interdisciplinary research, students explore the intersections of ecology, policy, and creativity, and design for a more resilient and equitable world.
Learn more about Landscape Architecture programs at the College of Design.
