“Landscape architects play a vital role in driving innovative and sustainable design solutions to the problems posed by the climate crisis.”

MH+D ASKS CUNNINGHAM TO TELL US MORE.

Q. Many of your gardens integrate native plants. What long-term benefits will we see if more people use native plantings?

A. There are many incredible benefits to working with plants that are “of a place,” particularly since many native plants have coevolved for millennia with fluctuating weather patterns specific to our region. A robust palette of natives is inherently more adaptive to seasonal drought and deluge cycles, and because of these unique adaptations, they typically require less maintenance than more conventional ornamental plantings. Native and indigenous plant communities provide habitat along with other essential ecosystem support, which nourishes food webs and increases biodiversity. They enhance air quality, sequester carbon, reduce the heat-island effect, and define critically important site-specific ecologies on the land. In short, native plants are directly tethered to context. Because of this, they possess dazzling multi-seasonal characteristics that connect people to the natural rhythms of the places we live.

Q. How will climate adaptation play a role in your work as your firm continues to create resilient landscapes that rise to the challenges posed by the climate crisis in New England?

A. I firmly believe landscape architects play a vital role in driving innovative and sustainable design solutions to the problems posed by the climate crisis—not just here in New England but worldwide. There are generalists and specialists in all fields. I’m proud to lead a firm devoted to creating domestic landscapes that embrace context, support site-specific ecologies, and enhance our patrons’ lifestyles.

In 2022 I founded MCLD Land Lab, a curated research farm in a repurposed equestrian facility in Arundel. We study residential ecologies by examining the interactions among living things and their environments. As we evolve this endeavor, we will explore how the influence of time, seasonality, and land stewardship impacts design thinking, craftsmanship, and management strategies in response to the climate crisis. Through experiments and observations with vegetation communities, we investigate vital connections among human, plant, and animal communities, emphasizing the importance of maintaining environmental health throughout placemaking.

As an educator, practitioner, and leader in our profession, I believe mentoring the next generation of designers is one of the most significant contributions I can make to landscape architecture. I have never believed more in the power of our field to advance the fight against climate change than I do now, and we must do all we can to attract students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures so that they can learn how to return to the places they’re from and help their communities. Everything is riding on this. We have so many opportunities to use the medium of landscape architecture to positively shape the places we live.

Q. What are some health benefits you have witnessed over the years from investing in good landscape design?

A. Anchoring day-to-day human experiences within the natural systems surrounding us can only enhance our connections to the land, which will establish positive land stewardship ethics within our neighborhoods. A thoughtfully designed landscape will encourage people to be engaged in the outdoors, and the pandemic only reinforced this. As our landscapes grow and evolve, we’ve watched our clients forge incredibly meaningful connections to their land that help reduce stress and encourage passive and active recreational experiences for their families and friends. I believe the cumulative impacts of good landscape design will make indoor–outdoor connections visible. If we can work together, one yard at a time, we can establish resilient landscapes that will thrive for generations.

MH+D is proud to partner with acclaimed architectural photographer Trent bell on his architecture, design, and photography podcast. To hear Bell’s conversation with Cunningham, please visit adppodcast.com.