Meet Jamie Maslyn Larson FASLA | Executive Director and Landscape Architect

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Maslyn Larson FASLA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, why did you pursue a creative career?
I grew up in Litchfield Park- a small planned community on the west side of Phoenix. Everything in Litchfield was designed: red-tinted concrete bike paths were woven throughout, streets were lined with shade trees, and small parks were within a five minute walk to every neighborhood. I did not realize until I was in college how much this well-designed public realm impacted my happiness– it was so carefree to be a kid there! So when I learned that you could have a career designing cities and public space, I was hooked and never looked back. We aren’t raised in a culture that talks about about urban design or landscape architecture. People may not realize the difference a well designed space has in making their communities thrive. I love seeing the ways I can connect people to nature and to each other.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My whole career has been trying to connect people to nature in cities. As a landscape architect, my 25-year career in private practice spanned everything from urban plazas to master plans of campuses to major public waterfront parks. I was based in New York City, so spent time flying around from city to city getting to know community desires through workshops and engagement, learning about ecology, site conditions, and climate change risks, and then envisioning new plans for the future. This was always done with large teams of people, so between the travel, communication streams, and design process to draw ideas, every day brought new priorities and ideas to reconcile. The most important characteristics that I had to learn was to be a good listener and to curate the diaspora of inputs into a coherent vision. That moment when you know you have a great concept–that is the ultimate thrill in design. You cant short-cut it. It takes time and its messy, often.

Now I am a new executive director of a public garden, Tohono Chul. So I am in an owner-role working on one beautiful 49-acre site in my own town! It is incredible opportunity to sink my teeth into one site, one community (that is growing & diversifying quickly) and deep-dive into challenges and opportunities that we face. I dont know a better place for me to be a designer than at this moment.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tucson is a small city, so you can do alot in one day and feel energized the whole time. Pretty much everything is a 20 minute drive to a whole new experience or destination.

My first stop for any visitor is a walk or hike in the Sonoran Desert. I just cant get enough of the beauty, fragility and awesomeness of it. There is always something new to see, whether its a sunset, wildlife, or new plant. Sabino Canyon is like the Central Park of Tucson- people just walk and talk in the most casual way. It’s good for all ages and abilities. Tucson Mountains have lots of lovely loop and peak trails with vast vistas. And the canyons in the Catalinas are aggressive but have beautiful pools and microclimates. If it’s hot, drive up to Mt Lemmon for pine trees and aspen glades!

For a more curated nature experience, of course I would recommend Tohono Chul! My colleague likes to say we have the best of Tucson in one place-culture, art, food, gardens, shops, and native ecology, But I would also suggest a visit Tucson’s other beautiful gardens–Tucson Botanic Garden and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We each have a different spin in showcasing the amazing beauty and vibrancy of the Sonoran Desert.

Tucson has a diverse and rich arts scene–there are iconic murals by rock stars like Joe Pagac and Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez. And I love smaller galleries and museums here– you really get to experience the art on your time (with no crowds!) Center for Creative Photography and DeGrazia Gallery are really different bookends in the arts spectrum. The Mini Time Machine museum is irreverent and good for kids.

Tucson’s UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation has shown a bright light on the influences and creativity around the food scene here. Honestly, Tucson’s Mexican food is partially why I kept visiting and ultimately moved to Tucson. When I lived in New York, my sister Kelle, who has lived in Tucson for 23 years, used to send me a quart of the refried beans from Villa Mexican Food to me. Oh, how I would savor that first spoonful… I still do today! So enjoying food with a cocktail is pretty much the ultimate end of day celebration! Aim for a place with a sunset view of the Catalinas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My sister Michel is the true artist in my family, but she gave me hope that I may have some meager aptitude by just being her sister. I also had a fabulous art teacher my senior year of high school who opened up the vast world of design–not art, but design. I learned that I could use my analytic and creative skills to envision the world in a different way.

As I advanced in my career, I had major ups–such as ribbon cuttings of waterfront parks and winning competitions– to big disappointments like facing sexism in the workplace. I ended up quitting my dream job, but what I found was a clutch of other female leaders who faced similar challenges. We found strength in sharing our stories and founded WxLA, a non-profit advocacy initiative created in 2018 to encourage and lead efforts toward equality in our profession.

Website: https://tohonochul.org/

Instagram: @tohonochul

Linkedin: @tohonochul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tohonochul/

Image Credits
Image by Bjarke Ingels Group is for the interior shot