Martha Schwartz Partners (MSP) is a leading international design practice whose work focuses on activating and regenerating urban sites and city centers. Situated at the intersection of public realm, urban design and site specific art, the practice has over 35 years of experience designing and implementing installations, gardens, civic plazas, parks, institutional landscapes, corporate headquarters, master plans, and urban regeneration projects. MSP works with city leaders, planners and builders at a strategic level so as to advocate for the inclusion of the public landscape as a means to achieve environ-mental, economic and social sustainability. With offices in London, New York and Shanghai, the practice is engaged in projects and consultation around the globe and has to date worked on projects in over 20 countries and five continents.
MSP has continually been recognized for its contribution to the urban landscapes of the world and to the field of landscape architecture. The firm has received many international award recognitions, including the American Society of Landscape Architects Landmark and Honour Awards, the British Association of Landscape Industries Award in the Regeneration Category, the Chicago Athenaeum Award for Best New Global Design, the Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award. With a foreword by Marc Treib, Professor of Architecture Emeritus at the University of California in Berkeley) and an introduction by Martha Schwartz, this monograph is the first publication to document 55 built projects and a selection of master plans by this internationally acclaimed practice. Martha Schwartz: "When we design, our biggest objective is to create environments that people enjoy and come to love. We try to create environments that people take pride in and are happy to adopt these places that they live and work in as part of their identity. If this happens, people will strive to take care of it, maintain it and preserve it. People's love of place is fundamental to sustainability. That is not to say we don't work in the most ecologically sound way. We work with engineers, water specialists, horticulturists, soil specialists in order to do our best in capturing and recycling water, using planting that was indigenous to the area and sourcing our materials locally. But having people feel pride about where they live and feel they are living in a beautiful environment that they wish to protect and preserve is the big win." Martha Schwartz PartnersLandscape Art and Urbanism