Studio-MLA

04/15/2026

The opening of the Landscape Recovery Center marks a shift from emergency response to long-term stewardship. After the 2025 fire burned more than 14,000 acres across the San Gabriel foothills, recovery involves not just replanting, but rebuilding systems, restoring habitat, and supporting community healing,

Thank you to County of Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation and Supervisor Kathryn Barger for your leadership and vision. To Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, for making this first phase possible through the RESTORE Grant. To Rivers & Mountains Conservancy, for backing the next phase and expanding this critical infrastructure. And to Assemblymember John Harabedian, for investing in the future Nature Center.

And to the broader team of collaborators advancing this work on the ground: Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants for your expertise and seed stewardship, Altadena Seed Library for helping build long-term resilience, San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrieleno/Tongva for your ecological wisdom, Eaton Canyon Nature Center Associates (ENCA) for your deep commitment to the canyon, Sparano + Mooney Architecture for design partnership, and SWCA Environmental Consultants for scientific rigor and technical leadership.

This is what it looks like to design for uncertainty, disturbance, and long-term resilience in Southern California.

📸Studio-MLA (Jaclyn Tobia) and LA County Parks

02/02/2026

Calling all landscape architecture students! Apply now to be a summer intern at our Los Angeles studio!

Join us this summer to gain valuable in-studio experience, learn about an array of project types, and work on a variety of graphics and research including but not limited to mobility, community outreach, and resiliency planning.

Interns are expected to work full-time for a range of 10-12 weeks during the summer and to be able to live and commute to our studio for that duration. Candidates should be in their final year or two of a landscape architecture degree or associated field.

Applications are due by February 27th 2026.

Visit our website for more info and how to apply: https://studio-mla.com/positions/design-intern/

01/20/2026

On this , we honor the neighbors and community leaders whose work continues to shape everyday life in Fresno.

Lesly "Les" Kimber, the second African American elected to Fresno's City Council, devoted his life to amplifying local voices across Central California. Representing West Fresno, he brought people together, from farmworkers to civic leaders, and worked alongside Cesar Chavez to fight for the rights of all.

Formerly known as #13 Park at MLK Magnet Core, the nearly 10-acre Les Kimber Park is now under construction and nearing completion. Located along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the park will feature shaded walking paths and seating, extensive tree planting, nature-inspired play areas, multi-use courts, and community gathering spaces designed for daily use and year round comfort in West Fresno.

This new open space is part of the broader West Creek Village effort to support long term community and economic development in West Fresno.

The project reflects the leadership of community champions like Sylvesta Hall, whose advocacy helped move West Creek Village forward, along with the sustained partnership of the and City of Fresno, California District 3.

Additional support from the Gov. Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation , the California Strategic Growth Council, and Transform Fresno.

We can’t wait to welcome residents and friends to Les Kimber Park this spring to celebrate his leadership and contributions!

01/18/2026

Historic South Los Angeles has been unanimously designated California’s first-ever Black Cultural District by the California Arts Council. (BOOM. Mic drop.)

At its center, Destination Crenshaw is transforming 1.3 miles of Crenshaw Boulevard into a cultural corridor shaped by artists, community leadership, and place-based investment.

Inspired by the African giant star grass, the project reflects a long lineage of resilience, creativity, and economic contribution sustained by Black communities in South LA.

Now under construction, Sankofa Park will anchor the corridor as a civic and cultural hub, featuring works by Charles Dickson, Maren Hassinger, Artis Lane, and Kehinde Wiley.

The district designation reflects, among many contributing efforts, the sustained leadership of Karen Mack and LA Commons, demonstrating what community-driven cultural infrastructure can achieve at scale.

Explore the full project: https://studio-mla.com/design/destination-crenshaw/

Renderings by Perkins&Will

12/16/2025

Nearly two weeks on, the ideas from the Oberlander Prize Forum IV: Soak It Up Conference still resonate. The Cultural Landscape Foundation and Charles Birnbaum organized a thought-provoking weekend exploring water, resilience, and landscape leadership as part of the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize programming. The event celebrated the work of late 2023 laureate Kongjian Yu and his influential "sponge cities" concept.

We were thrilled to lead the Saturday mobile workshop at SoFi Stadium and Lake Park, a landscape we designed as part of the larger 300-acre Hollywood Park district. Walking the site during the excitement of football season gave participants a front-row view of how reclaimed water, stormwater capture, and filtration shape a living blue-green system!

Huge thanks to PACE Advanced Water Engineering and Mark Krebs for sharing their expertise and making the workshop so engaging for everyone. We’re grateful to all the conference speakers for sharing their insights and perspectives, which added depth and energy to the program.

11/25/2025

Join Studio-MLA for The Cultural Landscape Foundation's Oberlander Prize Forum IV: Soak It Up, a three-day deep dive into the future of water-first design at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, December 4–6, 2025.

↗️ Secure your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oberlander-form-iv-soak-it-up-los-angeles-ca-tickets-1636398535069

Registration is separate for the Friday conference session and the Saturday mobile workshop. Space for both events is extremely limited and filling fast!

Friday, Dec 5 | 2:00–3:10 PM
Catch Studio-MLA’s Kush Parekh, PLA and Matt Romero at "Learning from Los Angeles: Part II," showing how Urban Orchard Park and SoFi Stadium’s Lake Park are redefining water-first design in LA, from neighborhood stormwater systems to iconic civic spaces.

Saturday, Dec 6 | 2:00–4:00 PM
Want a closer look at innovative water design in LA? Kush Parekh, PLA leads this immersive mobile workshop with PACE Advanced Water Engineering at SoFi Stadium, exploring Lake Park’s dual-water system, stormwater paths, and resilient landscapes shaping LA’s water future. Walk the paths, see the treatment systems, and discover how Studio-MLA and PACE turn infrastructure into civic space.

11/12/2025

Help us shape the future of the Hayward Shoreline!

Come share your perspective at the free, community-centered Sea Level Rise Planning Workshop on November 18, 2025. We want to hear about what adaptation strategies pique your interest, what you love about Hayward, and what the community should prioritize to respond to sea level rise effectively. You can also expect to build connections with neighbors and local leaders, and interact with exhibits to deepen your knowledge of nature-based solutions.

As part of the Hayward Shoreline Resilience Collaborative, our First Mile Horizontal Levee project led by Anchor QEA will be featured among several innovative approaches being explored to protect the shoreline.

The Hayward Shoreline is a treasured part of our community. Join us in helping to preserve it!

Sign up here: bit.ly/nov-hayward-workshop

11/11/2025

Studio-MLA is honored to be joining an extraordinary lineup of speakers at “Designing for Urban Flooding & Managing the Los Angeles River,” taking place December 4–6 at USC.

Kush Parekh, PLA and Matt Romero will be participating alongside leaders from The Cultural Landscape Foundation, USC School of Architecture, SWA, Metabolic Studio, West8, OLIN, Kounkuey Design Initiative, TEN x TEN, Design Workshop, GDU, and others to examine landscape architecture’s role in addressing urban flooding, climate resilience, and water management.

This program reflects the legacy of the late Kongjian Yu, whose “sponge cities” vision continues to influence cities and designers worldwide. Panels will explore nature-based solutions, river management, and innovative stormwater strategies, providing a critical forum for advancing resilient urban design.

Registration is open, with a flash sale today only using code Nov11: https://lnkd.in/eECDvVdh

FLASH SALE - ONE DAY ONLY - Discounted registration for the Dec. 5 daylong conference “Soak It Up: Los Angeles, CA” - World leading experts address urban flooding - use Promo Code “Nov11” - https://www.tclf.org/24-hr-flash-sale-soak-it-los-angeles-ca

11/11/2025

Studio-MLA is proud to announce that founder and president Mia Lehrer, FASLA, has been elected to the National Academy of Design's Class of 2025, joining 26 distinguished artists and architects from across the United States.

As the only landscape architect in this year’s class, Mia’s induction recognizes her lifelong commitment to advancing landscape architecture as a force for environmental repair, cultural resilience, and community connection. Through work such as the Los Angeles River Revitalization, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Puente Hills Landfill Park, and the Eaton Canyon restoration, Mia and our team continue to explore how design can heal, inspire, and connect.

Marking 200 years of design leadership, the National Academy of Design continues to champion creative voices whose work expands how we see, shape, and care for the world around us.

We’re honored to have landscape architecture represented within this extraordinary bicentennial class, and we celebrate the Academy’s enduring commitment to art, architecture, and design that serves the public good.

Full press release: https://studio-mla.com/2025/11/07/studio-mla-founder-mia-lehrer-elected-to-the-national-academy-of-design-class-of-2025/

10/21/2025