Ignacio Bunster-Ossa, FASLA

Bio

Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa is an internationally recognized landscape architect with long-standing experience in the design of sustainable urban places. A recipient of numerous awards, Ignacio’s work is noted for the design integration of green infrastructure, community engagement and public art. Among noted works are the Georgetown Waterfront Park in Washington, D.C.; the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus and Hoover-Mason Trestle in Bethlehem, PA, and the Trinity River Corridor Project in Dallas. Ignacio is the co-author of Green Infrastructure: a Landscape Approach, and author of Reconsidering Ian McHarg: the Future of Urban Ecology, published by Planners Press in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and member of its Climate Change Committee, Steering Committee member of PHEAL (Planning for Health Equity, Advocacy and Leadership), and Advisory Board member of the McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami (FL), a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Loeb Fellowship in Environmental Studies from Harvard University.

Motivation to serve on Leaders Council 

Climate Change poses a severe challenge to the southeastern US. Land planning and design, especially where disadvantaged communities are affected, is increasingly becoming a critical concern. Finding solutions requires knowledge of place, and the ability to connect with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Diversifying the professions of planning and design, with a focus on adaptive resilience, is essential to meet the imperative of the day.