Climate.Park.Change: An Interactive Toolkit for Creating Resilient Parks

Lan is a landscape architect practiced in projects in United States and Asia,with a range from master plan to small urban site works. Particularly, she has a passion for public space designs that attract people, create cultural and economic opportunities, and enrich biodiversity. With a cross-disciplinary background in architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture, Lan brings a wider lens to landscape solutions. She is able to tackle the complexity of urban projects while considering the local context and their inner connections. Through listening and collaborating, she centers communities needs and provides design and implementation strategies rooted on mutual consensus. She believes that design is a powerful tool for enhancing the success of a city and its communities. Lan maintains a close connection to education and research. Through lectures and mentorship programs, she brings new design perspectives to middle school, high school and university students. She also plays a critical role in the Climate.Park.Change. research, and developed a toolkit that helps park and professionals better anticipate and meet climate challenges.

Anna is a landscape architect and Co-Director of Sasaki’s office in Denver. She has worked on and managed complex built projects and master plans across North America. From large regional parks along major waterways to small pocket parks within the urban fabric of cities, Anna brings an expertise on how to transition master planning of the public realm into realized space. At every design scale, she has committed her practice to bringing nature into cities based on context-sensitive solutions and looks for innovative ways to create these connections. Anna is dedicated to engaging the community in all of her
projects and strives to create designs that reflect the current and future communities’ needs.

Ayanna Williams, MSW  Director of Community and Environmental Resilience Ayanna Williams comes to NRPA as a tested leader in place-based environmentally focused nonprofits. Most recently she was the Healthy Cities Director at The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, mobilizing public and private financial support, facilitating equity centered conversations, and sharing stories of impact with caring respect for all.  For more than a decade she served as the Director of Community Building with Park Pride.  Throughout her career she has cultivated a broad perspective and deep understanding of environmental resilience, building and maintaining relationships, while engaging in work that depends on diverse local partnerships and the support of national institutions. Ayanna possesses a unique combination of hands-on experience, knowledge fueled passion, and commitment to community. Ayanna has also worked with the United Way of Central Indiana, the University of Michigan's Ginsberg Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, and Hands On Atlanta AmeriCorps. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan with a concentration in community organizing and social systems. Ayanna grew up in Michigan's Manistee National Forest where she developed an appreciation for green spaces, gardening, and community.