Care + Time: Landscape Architecture and the Long Game
“The bulk of all land relations hinges on investments of time, forethought, skill, and faith rather than on investments of cash. As a land-user thinketh, so is he.”
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Hello! I’m Todd, the newest member of the design team at Indigenous Ingenuities. Before joining in June, I spent 16 years at Andropogon Associates — an award-winning landscape architecture and ecological restoration firm in Philadelphia. I started there right out of school and had the privilege of working on inspiring projects across the country, from public parks and school campuses to environmental education centers and new urban districts.
It was deeply fulfilling work with a truly talented team. But over time, I began to sense that something was missing from the traditional design process — especially when it came to creating landscapes that are meant to last. I found myself wanting more time on site, more connection to the communities we were designing for, and more continuity between the initial vision and the long-term life of a place. I was craving a model that kept me grounded — literally and figuratively — in the work: more local, more lasting, and more dirt under my fingernails!
In traditional landscape architecture practice, the process often follows a design–bid–build model: one team creates the plans, then a different team—often strangers to the vision—builds it. Yet another team takes over during the critical time of establishment, when the landscape needs the most specialized care. While most of the contractors I’ve worked with over the years have been fantastic, these separations can’t help but break the thread of care that landscapes truly need. What drew me to Indigenous Ingenuities is their design/build model—where the same team stays with a project from the first sketch to the last planting, and ideally long after that. It’s a more personal, more grounded, more hands-in-the-soil way of working. The types of projects I have been working on for the last two decades, primarily schools, public parks, and environmental centers / preserves, would benefit immensely from this different model of project delivery. We can design just like any landscape architecture firm, but then we will stick with it.
Put simply, what separates us from the more traditional route is Care + Time — a commitment not just to making beautiful places, but to being present with them, and the people who use them, as they all grow together.
Care means putting people at the center of every process. Our design/build/care teams work side-by-side — literally — with no silos between “the plan” and “the crew.” We review projects from multiple perspectives because the designers are on site, often with their hands on the tools. And we care not just about the land, but about those who have a relationship with it. We create opportunities for engagement, learning, and participation — cultivating deep care in the communities we work with. Our projects aren't just restored — they're tended, interpreted, and shared. We want more people who know how to care for landscapes, and we design to make space for that care to grow. Some people garden to grow vegetables or flowers, we want to garden gardeners!
Time is the other half of the equation. We design with the long view in mind: thinking through not only what a project needs now, but what it will need next year, next decade, and beyond. That means clear goals, honest conversations about cost and effort, and thoughtful phasing that allows projects to evolve. Our process builds trust by staying local, showing up often, and building relationships that last. We help plan for succession, for growth, and for resilience in the face of change. We return, we check in, we keep listening, and we adapt. Because in the end, that’s how landscapes — and communities — truly thrive: with care, and with time.