2025 Class of Fellows: Deena Ruth Bell, FASLA, Florida Chapter

City of Coral Gables and Bell Landscape Architecture, Coral Gables, FL
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Deena Bell's value as a community leader and her impact on the city of Coral Gables, Florida, and beyond, is unparallelled and can be seen on the ground with her efforts to establish new practices that ensure sustainable tree and plant growth. She directed the removal of 370,000 cubic yards of debris after Hurricane Irma toppled over 1,000 street trees. She established a tree debris recycling station, which has allowed the city to use only their self-produced mulch in 400 parks and green spaces. Her team developed a perpetual tree succession project, which calls for planting over 1,000 new native and resilient species suitable for the intricate infrastructure of the urban forest. Deena was appointed liaison to the Landscape Beautification Advisory Board which oversees improvement of over 60 parks and 400 green spaces that Deena and her staff maintain. This board has been effective in proposing edits to legislation to encourage more diversity in tree species and the use of native plants to reduce the volume of fertilizer and pesticides running off to local bodies of water. They got the county to ban fertilizers during the summer rainy season in order to reduce the frequency of algae blooms that harm the local aquatic environment. killing coral reefs and hurting the Florida tourism economy. By prioritizing green infrastructure and trees on a broad community scale, Deena is demonstrating courage and strong will to lead the community to a healthier future and increasing the visibility and understanding of the role of landscape architects in creating resilient communities.