Kimberly Garza & Erik Prince: Small Moves, Meaningful Change | Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning Lecture
Join us for an evening with Lifchez Professors of Practice in Social Justice Kimberly Garza (BA Landscape Architecture 2006) and Erik Prince, principals of Atlas Lab, a mission-driven landscape architecture, urban design, and public art practice. Through a series of research initiatives and built projects, this lecture explores the role of the designer as an instigator, storyteller, and builder of conscious change in cities.
About the Speakers
Kimberly Garza is principal of Atlas Lab Inc., a woman- and minority-owned, mission-driven landscape architecture, urban design, and public art studio. With a steadfast commitment to effecting conscious change in the built environment, Garza spearheads initiatives that foster accessible, positive, and progressive impacts on communities. With 20 years of experience in the field, Garza is a seasoned landscape architect, artist, educator, and keynote speaker. Her portfolio spans private and public developments nationwide, with her work being internationally recognized, published, and exhibited.
Garza’s dedication to innovation and leadership has earned her accolades, including being named the 2023–2024 Landscape Architecture Foundation Fellow for Innovation and Leadership, as well as being recognized as a 40 Under 40 Urban Innovator by NextCity.org and a 40 Under 40 Honoree by the Sacramento Business Journal. She holds a bachelor of arts in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Erik Prince is a principal at Atlas Lab, Inc., a woman- and minority-owned, mission-driven landscape architecture, urban design, and public art studio. Prince shapes the firm’s approach to culturally and ecologically responsive design. His work translates regional narratives into layered, sensory experiences, revealing how movement, memory, and cultural history shape the ways people inhabit and perceive place.
Prince’s work spans resilient planning, urban parks, public landscapes, and art installations. His experience includes the Grand Bayway for the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge, Boulder Civic Area, and numerous public art projects that explore innovative fabrication and material expression. At Atlas Lab, he has guided major projects including the River District Strategic Plan, Mill Street Pedestrian Plaza, Sacramento Waterfront, and Capitol Mall, reimagining streets and public spaces as social, restorative, and climate-responsive landscapes.
Prince holds a BS in landscape architecture from Colorado State University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he graduated with distinction and received the Jacob Weidenmann Prize, the Department of Landscape Architecture’s highest award for design.
This lecture is sponsored by the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning.
Bauer Wurster Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. If you require accommodations to fully participate in this event, please contact Christina Hausle.