Planning Design Studio

05/27/2026

05/22/2026

On Wednesday evening, the Planning Design Studio team stopped by Weldon Spring City Park to enjoy an evening of live music and community activity at the amphitheater/event lawn our team helped design over two years ago, along with the restroom facility, pavilion, and several other park amenities.

With a strong crowd gathered and live music from The Bright Side filling the park, it was great to see the space being actively used and enjoyed by the community.

05/21/2026

Lessons on Landscape Architecture ✨🌳

Principal Andrew Franke visited Brentwood Park to share insights on the planning and design process with Maplewood-Richmond Heights Elementary’s 5th-grade class. The presentation highlighted several key aspects that Planning Design Studio implemented at Brentwood Park, including the tunnel connection beneath Manchester Road, along with the park’s flood-resilient design strategies and the role of the central lake feature as part of the site’s stormwater management system.

We hope we inspired some future landscape architects!

05/15/2026

We’re excited to share more progress at Schroeder Park Playground! 🛝

Recent drainage work has been completed, along with the curbing and drainage for the zip line area.

It’s great to see the site continuing to take shape as more playground equipment is installed over the coming months ahead of the August grand opening.

A time-lapse of this progress can be viewed on our YouTube.
https://youtube.com/shorts/-TzXN9tCAy0?si=Gx4a0DQXm0YxKbpz

05/08/2026

Thoughtful landscapes start with smart stormwater design 💧

Stormwater BMPs, or Best Management Practices, are all about thoughtfully managing how water moves through our built environment. From bioswales and rain gardens to streambanks and lake features, these strategies help reduce runoff, improve water quality, and protect local waterways.

Planning Design Studio has had the privilege to work on many restoration projects that focus on integrating features that successfully manage stormwater, while thoughtfully incorporating various native and aquatic plants to facilitate a beautiful, natural environment. We always love to see these facilities in action and continuously flourish over the years.

Featured design:
• Walker Lake - rain gardens and naturalized streambank

05/07/2026

"The city needed to know what city-owned trees, street trees specifically, had been lost. The Forestry Division has an inventory of trees they’ve planted or maintain, which documents their health and status as well as what kind of tree it is."

On May 16, 2025, a tornado struck northern areas of St. Louis and St. Louis County. During the city's recovery efforts, Amands Kesler of WashU Sam Fox School leveraged a summer internship with Planning Design Studio, which offered its services pro bono, to collaborate with the municipal Forestry Division to take stock. https://bit.ly/49vFwIW

05/01/2026

Ever wonder how concept designs come about? It starts with a lot of detailed planning and sketching.

Ian, one of our talented Landscape Designers here at Planning Design Studio, has been developing concepts for some our most recent projects through various hand-drawn sketches. As he puts it, “Keeping all the moving parts of a project in mind can be overwhelming, and breaking a design down in a sketch helps me externalize that mess—it helps me grapple with problems I don’t understand or may not have words to describe.”

04/22/2026

Capturing the beauty of this planet 📸

Happy Earth Day from Planning Design Studio!

As landscape architects, we carry the responsibility to protect and enhance the natural environment while thoughtfully designing spaces that serve and support our communities.

04/10/2026

04/07/2026

Join our team! ✨

Planning Design Studio is seeking an Entry-Level Landscape Architect/Designer and a Landscape Architecture Intern to join us at our Maplewood, Missouri office. If you’re looking for a collaborative, flexible work environment where you can grow and contribute, we’d love to hear from you.

Visit our website planningdesignstudio.com/careers to learn more about these opportunities and how to apply.