Alyssa Schwann

Alyssa Schwann is an environmental designer who taught landscape architecture at the University of Manitoba for many years. Growing up in small northern communities in Saskatchewan, she became committed to addressing issues of community development. Now based in Vancouver, B.C., she co-directs a landscape architecture and public art practice, along with a non-profit foundation undertaking research, design, and advocacy in the areas of cultural landscapes, landscape conservation, and ecological wisdom.

Alyssa’s professional experience includes public art and environmental design in Canada, Britain and the Netherlands, with projects in North America, Europe and North and South Africa. She spent several years at the renowned office of West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture in the Netherlands as a project leader and landscape architect, with a focus on parks, gardens and public space, including the high-profile urban design projects for Toronto’s Central Waterfront and Governors Island, NY. Prior to West 8, Alyssa worked for Chris Blandford Associates in London, U.K. on large-scale urban design and infrastructural projects, environmental impact assessments, and historically listed parks and gardens. As a public policy researcher –which began through a fellowship with Action Canada in 2013 – she continues to consult with northern tribal governments.