2026 Class of Fellows: Michele Palmer, PLA, FASLA, New York Upstate Chapter

Templeton Landscape Architecture & Planning; Ithaca, New York
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Category: Knowledge, Page 52

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Category: Knowledge, Page 52

Michele Palmer, PLA, ASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect, educator, and scholar whose career has expanded the reach of landscape architecture across history, research, and climate resilience. For nearly three decades, she has brought together design, site engineering, and environmental stewardship in ways that have strengthened both the profession and the communities it serves. Palmer is exceptional for the rare breadth of her influence. As a longtime lecturer at Cornell University and now SUNY ESF, she has taught generations of students how technical knowledge and creative thinking work together, especially in site engineering, stormwater management, and sustainable design. She was also among the first at Cornell to bring LEED principles and performance-based landscape evaluation into the classroom, helping prepare future professionals to meet urgent environmental challenges. Her scholarship has reshaped how ancient landscapes are understood. Through groundbreaking archaeological research in Rome and near Pompeii, Palmer brought a practicing landscape architect's perspective to the study of historic gardens and public spaces. Using tools such as LIDAR, ground-penetrating radar, and digital reconstruction, she revealed that these landscapes were not merely decorative-they were sophisticated, engineered environments. Her work on The Gardens of the Roman Empire, an award-winning landmark publication, has become an important resource for scholars and students worldwide. In professional practice, Palmer has made a profound public impact through climate adaptation and flood mitigation work in upstate New York. Working closely with communities along the Mohawk River and Erie Canal, she helped secure more than $16 million for nature-based flood mitigation and restoration projects, guiding residents, agencies, and engineers toward solutions that reduce risk and improve quality of life. Through influential teaching, pioneering research, and community-centered practice, Michele Palmer has advanced landscape architecture in ways that are both deeply scholarly and immediately meaningful.

As seen in LASN magazine, August 2026.