For over a quarter century, MNLA has worked to reinvigorate, heal and mediate places that strengthen and empower communities.  We utilize the design process to engage with governing bodies, community stakeholders, and private clients to advocate for incremental and strategic advances in policies and regulations affecting the public realm, as well as ethical design decisions that add long term ecological value and performance to the project. MNLA imagines cumulative and holistic design vision for every project.  Our process always starts with the big idea and we see it as our role to maintain that conceptual thread throughout our efforts.  With over 500 built works we know how to execute our big ideas while preserving the design intent and delivering on budget and on time.  Our designs are as insightful and artful as they are performative.

What we value

MNLA is dedicated to uniting our clients’ needs with a clear and creative idea for the places they inhabit. Our designs have renewed the environmental integrity and transformed the quality of a wide range of spaces. We work with clients on projects large and small from master planning through realization and beyond. We believe that if the solution is right, it will enhance the environment and make it beautiful—people will use it, and it will endure. 

How we work with clients

Every physical space is unique. We believe in the power of listening to our clients to understand the site and its fabric—social and environmental—into which it is woven.  Designs emerge out of rigorous research and continuous collaboration to develop innovative re-imagining of place and use. We thrive on responding to concerns, anticipating challenges, cutting red tape, and accomplishing our mutual visions.

How we work in-house

A staff of 33 landscape architects and designers means that MNLA is large enough to command a wide range of design creativity and experience, yet small enough to ensure each project benefits from this expertise and mentorship. We marry accountability with accessibility, making it easier for clients to get attention and information. The firm principal that serves each project is the gateway to a team of MNLA collaborators who engage in questioning ideas and challenging conventional practice in favor of exceptional creativity that results in better designs. MNLA is a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by New York City, New York State, Massachusetts, New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the City of Philadelphia.