Humanizing Urban Environments Profile: Mia Lehrer, FASLA, senior principal, Mia Lehrer & Associates, Landscape Architecture Interview by Leslie McGuire, managing editor |
Internationally acclaimed landscape planner Mia Lehrer is the founding principal of the Los Angeles firm, Mia Lehrer + Associates. Born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Ms. Lehrer received her Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. ???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR  All the disciplines went into the design for Vista Hermosa Park, Calif., including a greenroof (seen in foreground). ?EUR??,,????'?????< ???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR Following her education, Ms. Lehrer established a base of valuable experience by working on large-scale public projects such as the World Bank Coastal Zone Project in El Salvador, as well as small, intimate gardens for residential clients. ???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR
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Lehrer went to college at Tufts University in Boston. ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????<Lehrer?EUR??,,????'?????< ???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR  Lehrer?EUR??,,????'?????<
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Today, Lehrer is internationally recognized for her progressive landscape designs ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< The Challenges of Re-Inventing Infrastructure?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR  Santee Court in downtown Los Angeles is an adaptive re-use residential project which used to be a factory and is now condominiums. That?EUR??,,????'?????<
In the late 1990s, there was a proposal by the Department of Water and Power to cover 13 reservoirs, including the Silver Lake Reservoir. The communities got together and negotiated for master plans on what could be done to meet the water quality issues as well as the community expectations. They didn?EUR??,,????'?????< She continues, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Applying Art and Passion to Landscape?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Making a Difference to the FutureLehrer feels that landscape architects are the ones who have the power to make a difference, but people need to understand what they do. ?EUR??,,????'?????< The bottom line is I?EUR??,,????'?????< Committed to her community and profession, Lehrer is actively involved in several organizations such as the Cultural Heritage Commissioner for City of Los Angeles. She is on the Board of Directors at TreePeople and the Collage Dance Theater. She is a member of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Hollywood Design Review Committee, and has served on the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council. Lehrer often lectures, traveling as far as Brazil and China to share her insights and philosophy on public landscape design. |
