Michael Van Valkenburgh

Michael Van Valkenburgh (born in 1951) is an influential American landscape architect and educator, recognized for founding the acclaimed firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) in 1982. His design philosophy emphasizes integrating aesthetics, ecology, and technology to create experientially rich public spaces that often transform post-industrial waterfronts and derelict sites. Van Valkenburgh's most celebrated projects include the transformative Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, Teardrop Park, and the master plan for the CityArchRiver Project at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.