Wallace Roberts & Todd
San Diego Office

Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT), established in 1963, is a multidisciplinary firm headquartered in Philadelphia, with offices in San Francisco, Miami, Dallas and Lake Placid. The projects in this profile are WRT projects with principal Laura Burnett, MLA, ASLA, LEED AP. Burnett was named director of the WRT office in San Diego in Nov. 2010. Laura’s career with WRT spanned almost two decades. Building on 25 years of professional work, Laura has now started her own firm in San Diego, Burnett Land & Water, Landscape Architect (BLWLA), focusing on design for public parks, natural open spaces, civic plazas, campuses, cultural landscape rehabilitation and community stewardship.

City Park Vision Plan and Big Lake, New Orleans
City Park in New Orleans is one of the largest and oldest parks in the U.S. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the Trust for Public Land initiated the rebuilding of City Park. Vision Plan 2018, prepared in 2004 by Laura Burnett as a principal with WRT, guides future park development. The plan restores bayou and lagoon habitat, creates 30 miles of trails, equestrian and boating facilities, a large festival ground and expands sports facilities. The photo shows the Zemurray Trail that extends into Big Lake. The Vision Plan for City Park in New Orleans received the National Planning Achievement Award from the APA in 2010.

Caltrans District 11 Headquarters, San Diego
Ms. Burnett, as senior landscape architect with WRT, designed the 11-acre campus landscape located between the San Diego River and the Old Town District. The work included entry courts, pedestrian plazas, children’s play areas and parking lots. The trees along Taylor Street are a compendium of native species and those introduced to Southern California since 1769. The curved forms of native riparian plants and boulders in the parking lots echo nearby river elements. This LEED Gold project was designed to meet California’s Green Building Initiative. Native and drought-tolerant plants thrive with minimal irrigation. Permeable pavement allows stormwater to infiltrate to the underlying groundwater. Bioswales through the parking lot cleanse stormwater.

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