Margie Ruddick is a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

-based

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

. In 2013 she won the Cooper Hewitt

National Design Award The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are various awards funded and bestowed by the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. There are seven official design categories, and three additional awards when applicable. Any supplement ...

for landscape architecture. Her projects include designs at Queens Plaza Dutch Kills Green, Urban Garden Room,

New York Aquarium The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating Public aquarium, aquarium in the United States, located on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan, i ...

Perimeter Project, Shillim Retreat and Institute, Casa Cabo, Baja California, and Bay Garden, Florida.

Biography

She was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and earned her undergraduate degree from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

before completing her graduate studies at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Career

Her design work includes urban and international projects that combine

ecological restoration Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair ...

with

cultural sensitivity Cultural sensitivity, also referred to as cross-cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness, is the knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of other cultures and others' cultural identities. It is related to cultural competence (the skills needed fo ...

. One of her projects is the redesign of Queens Plaza in New York City, which aimed to transform a challenging urban space into a more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly environment. Internationally, Ruddick has worked on projects such as Living Water Park in

Chengdu, China Chengdu; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; previously romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth most popu ...

, which is considered the first ecological park in China, designed to clean polluted water biologically. She also contributed to the Shillim Institute and Retreat in the Western Ghats of India, focusing on reforestation and ecological restoration. Ruddick has taught at several academic institutions, including Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, Yale, Princeton, and The University of Pennsylvania. She is also the author of ''Wild by Design: Strategies for Creating Life-Enhancing Landscapes'' (2016), in which she outlines her design principles and approach to landscape architecture.

Awards

In addition to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, Ruddick has received 1998 Waterfront Centre Award and the 1999 Places Design Award for her work on Living Water Park. She has also been awarded with the Rachel Carson Women in Conservation Award in 2006 and was named one of the top ten women in green design by the Green Economy Post in 2010.

References

American landscape architects National Design Award winners Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from New York (state) Bowdoin College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni {{US-architect-stub