A Man and His Environment

A half-century after the publication of his pathbreaking manifesto, Design With Nature, Ian McHarg’s work is more urgent, timely—and influential—than ever.

The Transformer

He turned an abandoned stretch of elevated rail tracks on Manhattan’s lower West Side from an eyesore to a treasured urban amenity, and put playing fields and green space where a garbage dump taller than the Statue of Liberty once sprawled. Now Penn Design alumnus and professor James Corner is creating a modern-day pleasure garden on the site of London’s Summer Olympics.

Mr. Olin’s Neighborhood

One of the most acclaimed landscape architects of his generation, the School of Design’s Laurie Olin has helped remake Penn’s campus, reclaim New York’s Bryant Park, and resurrect Independence Mall. Now he has joined forces with architect Frank Gehry to boldly reinvent the heart of Brooklyn. No urban development project in American history compares to their $4 billion vision. No wonder the locals are restless.