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Category: Knowledge
Jennifer Dowdell, PLA, ASLA, is a nationally recognized leader advancing science-informed design and redefining how landscape architecture addresses today's most urgent environmental challenges. As Practice Leader at Biohabitats, she has spent more than two decades championing a holistic, systems-based approach that integrates ecology, community insight, and design to create resilient, restorative landscapes. Dowdell is a leading voice in the global conversation on biodiversity and climate action. She authored the biodiversity chapter of ASLA's Climate and Biodiversity Action Plan, helping guide the profession's response to the biodiversity crisis and elevating landscape architects' role on the world stage. Her influence extends through widely published writing, national and international lectures, and her leadership with the Landscape Architecture Foundation and ASLA's biodiversity initiatives. Her project work spans more than 140 efforts across the country, from regional ecological planning to site-scale design. Notable award-winning projects include the Galveston Island State Park resiliency plan, the Chattahoochee RiverLands Vision Plan, and the Baton Rouge Lakes restoration. Across all scales, she brings together scientists, engineers, and designers to craft solutions grounded in ecological performance and enriched by compelling narratives of place. Dowdell's impact is equally profound in education and mentorship. A generous teacher and sought-after speaker, she has guided hundreds of students and emerging professionals, translating complex ecological science into accessible frameworks that shape practice, policy, and public understanding. Through her visionary leadership, influential scholarship, and commitment to knowledge-sharing, Jennifer Dowdell has elevated the role of landscape architecture in addressing climate and biodiversity challenges, leaving a lasting mark on the profession and its future.

As seen in LASN magazine, August 2026.