Glenn LaRue Smith is principal of the landscape architecture/urban design firm PUSH Studio. He has 34 years of experience in landscape architecture and urban design with a portfolio of design work that encompasses urban waterfronts, zoo design, theme park, mixed-use, urban plaza, and park projects. Smith has worked for major landscape architecture firms on the east and west coast, managing a multi-million dollar portfolio of urban design and community-based development projects.
Tragedy, protest, insurrection, and political turmoil have led to a renewed awareness of racial injustice and democratic instability. These issues create new challenges for users and designers of public spaces in America. Cultural spasms have resulted in contested public spaces — sites of killings, protests in streets and parks, and forgotten burial grounds. These spaces need a new form of environmental justice.
