Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Portfolio

Clare Smith

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture 2025

Clare Smith e. smithclare107@gmail.com p.770-688-0540

I spent my childhood in a Montessori school where the natural world often served as my classroom, textbook, and teacher. The landscape taught me math, science, ecology, and community simply through immersion.

Instead of a typical playground with swings and slides, we spent our recess in the forest designing and building our very own neighborhood. Stick forts, transportation paths, civic spaces, storefronts (where the only acceptable currency was pine straw!), and community gardens of moss spanned the forest that we called our playground. Little did I know that during my elementary school recess, I was practicing something called landscape architecture.

Today, using the landscape as an educational tool is the heart of my design philosophy. All outdoor spaces have ecosystems, histories, and characteristics that landscape architects can harness to create landscapes that are functional, beautiful, and impactful. I believe that looking holistically at the landscape in this way is crucial to the positive impact achievable through landscape architecture. My playground community taught me about the impact of the landscape, and I strive to create designs that do so for others.

EDUCATION University of Georgia • Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, College of Environment and Design • Minor in Historic Preservation • GPA: 3.95 West Coast Field Study Croatia and Slovenia Study Abroad

May 2025

July 2023 May 2022

AWARDS • • • • •

2024 GA ASLA UGA CED Student Award 2023-2024 Dean’s Leadership Award 2023-2024 Robert D. Nicolls Travel Scholarship 2023-2024 Neel Reid Memorial Scholar Zell Miller Scholarship

EXPERIENCE University of Georgia, Athens, GA Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (Grading, Drainage, and Storm water) • Guides class of 60 students for 6 hours per week to complete hands-on storm water management labs • Develops assignments for incorporation into the class curriculum

Aug 2024-Present

EDSA, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL Landscape Architecture Intern • Collaborated with senior associates and principles on conceptual design, presentation materials, graphic representations, and digital renderings • Assisted in the development of landscape architecture projects including planting plans, construction documentation, irrigation plans, and site plans

May-Aug 2024

Serenbe, Chattahoochee Hills, GA Landscape Designer • Engaged directly with the Serenbe community to design a biophillic artist-in-residence campus for their nonprofit organization “Art Farm” • Researched and wrote the Chattahoochee Hills city integrated pest management plan • Mapped community hiking trails and created installable trail head maps

May-Aug 2023

Serenbe’s Art Farm.

Summer Internship 2023 Chattahoochee Hills, Ga Art Farm will one day be a place for artists to live, work, and grow in their crafts that enrich the world in which we live. This design fosters creativity and collaboration through design studios, housing, contemplative spaces, and a performance venue.

Perform.

Gather.

Play.

Create.

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Zones.

Existing Structures Existing Vehicular Circulation Existing Pedestrian Circulation

N

Pollinator Zone

Event Zone

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Residential Zone

Performance Zone

Concepts.

Existing Structures Existing Vehicular Circulation Existing Pedestrian Circulation N

Tertiary Paths

Proposed Buildings

Proposed Decking

Green Space Pollinator garden

N Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Spaces.

NTS

Wishbone Boardwalk and Pollinator Lung Garden

Contemplative Spaces

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Master Plan.

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

N Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

The Artists’ Deck.

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Bird’s Eye View.

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Connecting the Dots.

Fall 2024 Atlanta, Georgia As the busiest travel hub in the world, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has the opportunity and responsibility to pilot the biodiversity movement in airport landscapes. Connecting the Dots serves as a design toolkit focusing on making Atlanta a leader in biodiversity and the busiest airport for all species: animals, plants, and humans alike.

By offering toggleable design solutions that can thrive in an ever–changing environment, Connecting the Dots provides a comprehensive plan to address the world’s biodiversity crisis, creating a spectrum of evidence-based design solutions that can be implemented step-by-step in dynamic airport landscapes.

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Zones.

Runway Green

Interstate

Airplane Taxiway and Runway

Impacted Green Space

Secondary Roads

Day-lit Water Ways

Older Growth Forest

Parking Lots

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Zones.

Gray

Green Parking Lots

Runway Green

Secondary Roads

Old Growth Forest

Airplane Taxiway and Runway

Impacted Green Space

Interstate

Riparian Zones

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

The Southern Outer Piedmont.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

Piedmont Region

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Design Goals and Strategies.

Echinacea laevigata, smooth coneflower

Increase Biodiversity • • •

Habitat restoration/conservation Design for native species with an emphasis on endangered ones design fro riparian habitat restoration along the Flint River and any surrounding waterways

• • •

Improve Connectivity for all Species • • •

Create green corridors that connect preserved green space establish wildlife crossings accross/under roadways design public green space where people can interact with native species

Federally threatened species Attracts pollinators Attracts Birds because of their seeds, so refrain from planting near runways Rhus michauxii, Dwarf Sumac

• • •

Adhere to / Challenge the FAA Guidlines Adhere To..

• Safety Standards Challenge..

• Seperation between airport activities and the natural environment

Wildlife Bridge Under Road

Federally endangered with only two known populations in Georgia Successful in rocky and urban conditions Prefers sunny climates

Rain gardens to hold runway runoff

Baptisia arachnifera, Hairy rattleweed • •

Federally endangered, only occurring in two Georgia counties Attracts pollinators Pityopsis ruthii, Ruth’s golden aster

• • •

Ruth’s golden aster Federally Endangered Prefers rocky crevices

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Illustrative Master Plan.

Eagan Park

Glenrose Hights

College Park Mountain View

Trail Head Green Parking Lots

Preserved Eco-commons Wildlife Crossings

Restored Stream Buffers Green Roofs Pollinator Planting

Forest Park

Aviation Airtrails

Williamsburg Park

N

Art Farm | Summer 2023 | Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

Restoration.

Why use Native Plants?

false indigo

eastern redbud

red maple

butterfly weed

christmas fern

tulip poplar

hickory

loblolly pine

elderberry

golden rod

gay feather

wild hydrangea

witch hazel

live oak

virginia pine

native sedge

wild flowers

witch hazel

virginia sweetspire

black-eyed susan

american holly

christmas fern

eastern redbud

american beech

• Ecosystem health and biodiversity • Support of native pollinators • Resilience of cecoregion specific conditions • Natural beauty and heritage

The Harm of Invasive Species • They dominate ecosystems due to the lack of natural controls • This impacts native species that are reliant on these ecosystems

English Ivy

Chineses Privet

Nandina

Wisteria

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Aviation Airtrails.

10 miles of trail and connected green space

8 Accessible Trail heads

4 “ecocommons” of preserved, old growth forest

Human/Nature Interaction Along Riparian Zones

Connection to Pheonix Trail 9 Wildlife Bridges

Restored Stream Buffer

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Runways.

According to the FAA...

Before...

“Taxiway shoulder markings indicate the paved area of a taxiway that is not intended for aircraft use. This is typically the area outside of the taxiway edge markings.”

34’ Asphalt shoulders Turf Medians Little opportunity for biodiversity

After...

• • •

• •

FAA recommended 25’ shoulders implementing permeable pavers Pollinator plantings that provide habitat for animalslike bees, beetles, moths, and hummingbirds

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Airport Developement’s Impact on Wildlife.

1

Habitat Fragmentation • •

2

•

Increased vehicular traffic raises the risk of wildlife fatalities Species struggle to cross roads, leading to populations declines

Barrier Effects •

4

Wildlife Crossing Banff National Park, Alberta Canada

Wildlife Fatalities •

3

Highways divide ecosystems, creating isolating patches of habitat Prevent species from accessing resources mating opportunities, and migratory routes

Runway 5 285 Highway Crossing Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta Georgia

Some species are particularly sensitive to barriers, leading to population declines or extingtions in isolated areas

Land Use Changes • •

The construction of interstates often leads to urbanization and changes in land use Degrades habitats and reduces biodiversity

• • •

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Built in 2006 Longest highway crossing by any airport runway in the United States Shows the capacity for the Atlanta Airport to invest in the large-scale infrastructure necissary for wildlife crossings

• • •

Built in 1996 Reduced wildlife collisions by 80% 11 species of large mammals in Banff have used the structures more than 200,000 times

Green Parking.

Conventional Parking Lot • Contributes to Urban Heat Island Effect • Increases and Pollutes Stormwater Runoff • Disrupts Habitat • Generates Large Carbon Footprint • • • •

Impermeable and heat absorbing Asphalt Lack of Shade Relying on stormwater infrastructure Little habitat

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Atlanta, Georgia

Green Parking Lot • Decreases runoff through rainwater absorption • Contributes to biodiversity • Low carbon footprint • Encourages electric vehicle usage • Down-lighting

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo Palo Alto, California

• • •

Permeable pavers where possible Light colored concrete Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) like rain gardens and bioswales

•

Habitat within stormwater BMPs

Existing

374 acres of Conventional Parking Lots 70% Asphalt Parking Spots, 30% Asphalt Driving Aisles Over 505 Million Gallons of Runoff per Year

Illustrative Plan

Proposed

Eagan Park

Andropogon glomeratus

Carex amphibola

Carex bicknellii

Carex cherokeensis

Sorghastrum nutans ‘indian steel’

Glenrose Hights

College Park

Trail Head Mountain View Preserved Eco-commons

Green Parking Lots

Wildlife Crossings Green Roofs

Restored Stream Buffers

Aviation Airtrail

Pollinator Planting Forest Park

Williamsburg Park

Green Parking Planting Options

374 acres of Green Parking Lots 70% Permeably Paved Parking Spots, 30% Asphalt Driving Aisles As Low as 227,250,000 Gallons of Runoff per Year

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: The busiest airport for all.

Connecting the Dots | Fall 2024 | Atlanta, Georgia

The Sugar Hill Bridge.

Fall, 2024 Los Angeles, CA Submitted for 2024 Street-life Design Competition

Group Members: Adeline Carlton Jolie Pickren Sarah Adams Tatum Michael

Sugar Hill’s thriving Black community managed to exist despite systemic efforts to prevent Black people from buying homes in much of Los Angeles.

Because Black people were willing to pay more since there was far less property available to them, many White people in the Sugar Hill community violated the covenants by selling to Black homeowners.

The West Adams Heights Improvement Association sued their Black neighbors for violating racially restrictive covenants in an attempt to have them evicted, even though white sellers violated the covenants.

The “Sugar Hill Case” took place in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 5, 1945. The court ruled in favor of the Black homeowners, stating that restrictive covenants violated the California Constitution and the 14th Amendment, which mandates equal protection under the law (an argument that had never before been successful).

Following the success of the Sugar Hill Case, the 1950’s brought another threat to the community - freeway construction.

California’s 1950’s attempt to modernize often resulted in freeway construction cutting through communities of color.

By 1965, Sugar Hill’s main gathering place, Berkley Square, was replaced by the Santa Monica Freeway, forcing many people of color to surrender their homes. The Sugar Hill community was left divided, broken, and lost.

“I really felt very secure in the community” “I remember my father being so upset. ...I remember meetings with homeowners in Berkeley Square” “People like Hattie McDaniel fought these restrictions so that her family was able to live there” Rha Nickerson Former Sugar Hill Resident “I watched the tractor bulldoze these homes down” “ I never quite experienced the same safety and Comfort that Sugar Hill provided” “We learned how to drive in Berkeley Square because the streets, there was no traffic. It was so comfortable then” Van Nickerson Former Sugar Hill Resident Loren Miller, Civil Rights Attorney Represented the Black homeowners In the Sugar Hill Case

Hattie McDaniel, American Actress, Singer/Songwriter, and Comedian Sugar Hill resident and first African American woman to win an Academy Award Norman Houston, Entrepreneur First Black Resident of Sugar Hill and leader in the movement for housing justice for Black Angelenos.

The Sugar Hill Bridge | Fall 2024| Los Angeles, CA

Sugar Hill’s Legacy.

JOY

GROWTH

EXPRESSION

COMMUNITY

EQUITY

Through community gatherings such as concerts at the McDaniel House.

Through advancements in the civil rights movement and the development of Black culture and history in Los Angeles

Through Sugar Hill’s influential actors, performers and Musicians such as Hattie McDaniel , Duke Ellington, and Marvin Gaye

Through the safety and comfort expressed by the Nickerson siblings

Through the historic legal battle of the Sugar Hill Case

Sugar Hill found joy through gathering, performing, and connecting with each other.

The Sugar Hill bridge re-fosters this joy through playscapes and gathering spaces for events, art shows, and social connection.

Sugar Hill fostered advancements and growth in Los Angeles’ Civil Rights Movement. With a more literal interpretation of the word, the Sugar Hill bridge pays homage to this historical growth through a community garden and dense vegetation.

Home to Black actors, singers, musicians, and comedians, Sugar Hill was rooted in artistic and cultural expression. In order to foster this legacy, the Sugar Hill Bridge has space for public art, farmers markets, and gathering spaces.

The Black Homeowners of Sugar Hill fought for their homes in the name of an equitable world. The bisection of Sugar Hill by the Santa Monica Freeway hindered their progress, Sugar Hill was a safe, comfortable, and the Sugar Hill Bridge provides community for people of color in a accessible and equitable amenities to world where it was hard to come by. reconnect a lost community.

Having been divided by the Santa Monica Freeway, the Sugar Hill Bridge reconnects the neighborhood in hopes of someday restoring the strong community that once existed.

Existing Horticulture

Inventory and Analysis.

[ASPARAGUS FERN] Asparagus aethiopicus

[ENGLISH IVY]

Hedera helixbe

[BRISTLY OXTONGUE]

[FIELD MADDER]

[CALIFORNIA FAN PALM]

[SKELETON WEED]

[PINCUSHION PLANT]

[TREE OF HEAVEN]

Helminthotheca echioides Sherardia arvensis

Chondrilla juncea

Navarretia prostrata

Thermal Analysis

Higher Temperatures

Lower Temperatures

Washingtonia filifera

Our initial analysis of existing plants in and around the site location prove it to also be a “lost environment.”

These invasive plants often form dense, monotonous landscapes that lack the ecological richness and resilience of the native habitat. This has lead to erosion, altered soil composition, and loss of habitat for pollinators, birds, and small mammals.

Ailanthus altissima The temperature outside can significantly influence our mood and sense of joy. Extreme heat or cold can lead to discomfort, reducing our comfort and likeliness to use a site. Pleasant temperatures tend to create a comfortable environment, encouraging outdoor activities and social interactions. Weather plays a crucial role in shaping our emotional well-being.

Plants help regulate outdoor temperatures by absorbing sunlight and releasing moisture through transpiration, which cool the surrounding air. Trees provide shade, reducing heat absorbed by surfaces. The Sugar Hill Bridge provides dense planting to foster a comfortable, inviting environment.

The Sugar Hill Bridge | Fall 2024| Los Angeles, CA

Inventory and Analysis.

Sugar Hill is most famous for its legacy of artists, actors, and musicians. Creative pursuits allow people to explore different sides to their aptitude, which is a great way to explore personal identity.

Sugar Hill bridge provides a space for artistic exploration, collaboration, and community building.

Planting Goals fort m o B

Surrounding Sugar Hill, there are few open green spaces that are available to the public.

The Sugar Hill bridge introduces over 2 Acres of public green space accessible to all.

Expression

iod

iversity

ability ain

Sus t

There are several schools within walking distance of the Sugar Hill site. The Sugar Hill bridge connects surrounding students and teachers with resources like tutoring, career guidance, college counselors, and classroom tools, ensuring that no child is left behind.

Growth

h ermal C T

Equity

Landcape Zones Education Religion Residential Commercial Church Our Site The Mcdaniels House Vehicular Circulation Shared Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation School within 3 miles of our site

Theatre within 3 miles of our site

Music within 3 miles of our site

Art within 3 miles of our site

The Sugar Hill Bridge| Fall 2024 | Los Angeles, CA

Native pollinator plants welcome bees, butterflies, and birds into the site.

Drought - tolerant plants were chosen to require less maintenance and watering in times of drought.

Trees will provide shade for the site to reduce the heat, providing thermal comfort.

Master Plan.

Bridge Entrance

Santa Monica Freeway

Pocket Parks Meandering Recreational Path Direct Linkage Exhibit Space Community Center Playscape Community Garden Event Space Artist Inspired Shaded Walk Bridge Entrance

N The Sugar Hill Bridge | Fall 2024| Los Angeles, CA

Immersion.

B

A

A C

Children and Adults explore the local art instillation.

B

C

Bikers and walkers enjoy the pedestrian linkage provided, as well as the shade under the artistic shade structures.

The Sugar Hill Bridge| Fall 2024 | Los Angeles, CA

Residences sit and listen to a local pianist alongside the community garden.

Firefly Park.

Spring 2022 Athens, Georgia

The Firefly Trail is a proposed 39-mile trail connecting communities across Northeast Georgia. Firefly Park activates The Mark apartment complex trail head, connecting University of Georgia Students with a natural amenity.

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Inventory.

Busy Road

Trail Head

Apartment Complex

Oconee River

Preserved Forest

Firefly Trail

Planting Exploration

N

Betula Nigra

Quercus Phellos

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Rhus michauxii

Baptisia arachnifera Verbesina alternifolia

Master Plan.

Hand Drawn Hand Rendered

Firefly Mosaic

Study Lawns

Shade Arbors Grass Meadows

Event Space

N

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Shade Arbors Firefly Mosaic

Study Lawns

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Experience.

The Mark

River Birch

Shaded Seating

Boardwalk Wingstem Ruth’s Golden Aster

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Programming.

Recreation • • • •

Biking Running Walking Playing

• • • •

Roller Blading Skateboarding Scootering Skateboarding

Gathering • • • • •

Academics • • • •

Club Meetings Socials Run Clubs Bike Clubs Events

• • •

Celebrations Weddings Happy Hours

Outdoor classes Study tables Study Lawns Educational Native Planting

Firefly Park | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Myers Quad.

Athens, Georgia Spring, 2022

Myers Quad is a home and recreational space to students at the University of Georgia. This design incorporates elevation changes, water features, and gathering spaces for students to create, play, gather, and relax.

Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Myers Hall

Rutherford Hall Mary Lyndon Hall

Goals 1. Improve thermal comfort through denser planting and water features 2. Program the space to incorporate performances and gathering, while maintaining the current active recreational use 3. Increase seating throughout the site

Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Master Plan.

Hand Drawn Hand Rendered

Existing Stage

Recreational Lawn Sunken Study/Performance Lawn Noise Reducing and Cooling Water Features

Study Plaza

N

Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

A

A’

Rutherford Hall Amphitheater Seating Sunken Study/Performance Lawn

A Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Noise Reducing and Cooling Water Features Gathering Plaza

A’

Trees and Heat Mitigation.

Heat islands are areas of urban development that consist of high levels of impervious pavement.

The lack of vegetation and shade coverage results in heat reflection and absorption, causing much higher temperatures than landscapes with vegetation and water bodies.

According to the USDA, tree canopy cover reduces temperatures 11 – 19 degrees Fahrenheit compared to communities with no tree cover.

“Athens, Ga. – Inner cities as well as suburbs show distinctly warmer temperatures—known as the urban heat island effect—than rural areas as a result of land use and human activities, which can affect rainfall, air quality and public health.”

UGA Today Magazine, 2015

Apple Valley, Georgia

15

M

ile

Degrees Fahrenheit

65

Temperature Lows from September 29th-October 5th 2024

64 62 60 58 56

s

Sunday

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Athens, Georgia Athens, Georgia Apple Valley, Georgia

N Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Shade Analysis. *Diagrams show the shade coverage on the site in early October at 12pm.

Myers Hall

Existing Conditions

Rutherford Hall • • •

• • • • •

Entirely exposed to the sun Strong heat island effect High energy costs

25% Shade Coverage 11 Total Shade Trees Uncomfortable temperatures Lack of comfortably shaded seating and gathering spaces Strong heat island effect

Myers Quad | Spring 2022 | Athens, Georgia

Myers Hall

Rutherford Hall • • •

Proposed Conditions

• • • • •

Shaded by proposed shade trees Lower heat island effect Lower energy costs

50% Shade Coverage 25 Total Shade Trees Lower temperatures A majority of comfortably shaded seating and gathering spaces Lower heat island effect

Visualization.

Field Sketching and Watercolor Portland, Oregon & Seattle, Washington Summer 2023 Visualization has always been a passion of mine.

At an early age, I participated in regular art classes and found it to be my passion. Lucky for me, I found landscape architecture where I can use this passion n in the workplace, both digitally and by hand.

Visualization | Summer 2023-Fall 2024

Rocky Mountain Lodge.

Spring 2024 Lumion and Photoshop

Scan for Rocky Mountain Lodge Video!

Visualization | Summer 2023-Fall 2024

Landscape in Motion.

Spring 2024 Sketchup and Photoshop

Landscape in Motion takes the rugged landscape of the Grand Canyon and abstracts it into a visual that emphasizes the dynamic movement of the Colorado plateau that formed it. Although seemingly still, billions of years of movement and change created this national treasure.

Scan for Landscape in Motion Video!

Visualization | Summer 2023-Fall 2024

Thank You.