University of Minnesota Department of Landscape Architecture

Life in the Time of ICE: Be Prepared
Thursday, February 26, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM CT

We’re happy to share this important webinar series presented by . This session will address workplace encounters with immigration authorities, outline individual rights, and discuss steps to prepare a workplace or personal response plan.

A valuable opportunity to learn and stay informed.

Register via the link in our bio. Hope to see you there!

Fall final projects based at Hidden Falls Regional Park from our year 2 and 3 MLA students. They explored the site through diverse and creative landscape interventions, including decay, the impacts of emerald ash borer, sound, ecological change, flooding, dam removal, and more. Congratulations to these students on all their hard work!

Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Valenziano (MLA ’18)

With a background in biological sciences and wildlife conservation, Rachel approaches landscape architecture through curiosity, analysis, and creative problem solving. At TEN x TEN, she guides projects from early site analysis through construction, with a strong focus on evidence based design and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is currently working on a major project in Vail, where designing within an alpine environment requires careful attention to slope, planting, and layered site conditions. Rachel was also a recipient of the Roger B. Martin Travel Prize, a two phase competition that supports self directed travel and research projects, which allowed her to study walking as an analytical method while living in Rome. Her time in the UMN MLA program helped her discover how curiosity can shape a design process, and that mindset continues to inform her work today.

Final projects from our first year MLA students, fall semester. Through research, modeling, drawing, and storytelling, students explored landscape as form, ecology, and lived experience. We’re excited to highlight the creativity of this cohort!

Please join us for a Community Art Gathering on Monday, Feb 2nd ✂️🎨
Come create, connect, and hold space together. Art supplies and lunch will be provided.

Want to join virtually? We’ve got you. Reach out via DM to on instagram or email [email protected] to coordinate online participation and have supplies delivered to your home. We want everyone to feel safe and included. Hope to see you there!

This message is being shared from our ASLA chapter in response to the current ICE activity and its impacts across Minnesota. We recognize the fear and uncertainty this has created for many individuals, families, and communities.

As landscape architects, planners, and students committed to equity and care in the built environment, we stand in solidarity with those affected and emphasize the importance of community support, safety, and mutual care during this time.

A link for volunteer and community support resources will be shared in the comments and is also available in our bio. Please stay safe and look after your neighbors.

Student Feature: Meet Daniela Díaz, a dual MLA/MURP student

In studio, Daniela explored Sarita Wetland through modeling and abstraction to capture the movement of water through soil, from saturated to dry conditions. Her experience growing up in Southwest Chicago continues to inspire her commitment to designing equitable spaces that address environmental injustice and promote public health. Daniela’s dual studies at the Humphrey School and College of Design allow her to bridge planning and landscape architecture, grounding her creative work in community care. Her work focuses on uplifting communities through intentional planning and resilient landscapes.

MLA and M.Arch students have spent the semester studying Hidden Falls Regional Park, exploring its layered histories, ecological tensions, and connections to the Bdóte landscape. Their projects investigate how design can reveal, heal, and reimagine this complex Mississippi River site.

Alumni Spotlight: Michael Richardson (MLA/MURP ’14)

With expertise in both planning and landscape architecture, Michael supports long-term campus planning at UMN, focusing on evolving space use, student experience, and climate action strategies across multiple campuses. From guiding the Crookston campus plan to exploring resilient campus futures, he is advancing campuses that are adaptable, sustainable, and responsive to changing needs. His MLA capstone on the Highland Bridge redevelopment explored how a site consumes, uses, and redistributes energy and resources. After graduation, he went on to work with the City of Saint Paul to help develop the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, applying academic inquiry into real-world solutions and continuing to explore how ecology, policy, and design come together.

Invigorating. Exploration. Mosquitoes. Distinctive. Grounding. Source. Electrifying. Outlook. Awe-inspiring. Captivating. These are all the words MLA students chose to describe their experience at Itasca!

MLA first-year students had another great trip up north to kick off the semester, working on hand-drawing, drafting, and a quick design exercise.