Crossroads Seminar 2026

In 34 years of practice, Molly Bourne has championed the design of vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable public open spaces that enrich communities and nurture human connections. Molly utilizes technical expertise to effortlessly incorporate her vision into the urban landscape, creating realizations that honor and celebrate the shared public realm.
She is dedicated to elevated design thinking that advances the public good with a focus on reinvigorated waterfronts. Since joining MNLA in 1999, Molly has led award-winning, multidisciplinary teams on high-profile projects for waterfront parks, cultural institutions, and urban revitalization. As Principal at MNLA, she has elevated the firm’s design voice which is upheld by an iterative process, experienced collaboration, and exhaustive research and analysis. 

Viewing landscape architecture as a way to improve the human condition, Molly received her BA at the University of Florida. A Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Molly’s key projects include the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, the NY Climate Exchange, FiDi and Seaport Climate Resilience Plan, Waterline Square, Governors Island Park and Public Space, South Bronx Greenway Master Plan and Implementation and Canalside at Buffalo Inner Harbor.

Lisanne Corpel works as a researcher and project leader at the Research Group Climate-Resilient City. With a background in social geography and spatial planning, she focuses not only on the technical aspects of climate adaptation in urban areas, but also on spatial integration and the socio-economic implications of sustainable transitions. In addition, she coordinates the Climate-Resilient City minor program.

Zaš Brezar is founder and editor-in-chief of Landezine. Educated as a landscape architect (University of Ljubljana), he spent several years in practice, later establishing Landezine in 2009. He is focused on the production of space, specifically mapping, tracing and interpreting the course of landscape architecture and questioning its role in society and politics of public space. For his work with Landezine, he received Plečnik Medal in Slovenia in 2025.

Menghan Yu - First Prize winner Streetlife Design Competition (Team: Menghan Yu, Yangyi Li, Xinyi Zhang – University of Pennsylvania). Re-Envisioning Lives reimagines the proposed jail in Chinatown, New York City, not as a looming “jailscraper,” but as an open, community-centered urban landscape. The project replaces carceral monumentality with transparency, biodiversity, and shared public space, positioning landscape as a bridge between the facility and the city. The jury, including Sylvia Karres (karres+brands), Giulia Frittoli (BIG Landscape), and José Almiñana (Andropogon), recognized the team’s bold rethinking of incarceration through design. Following the competition, Menghan Yu joined the landscape department at BIG in Copenhagen.

Thomas Lub is Director of Streetlife America, where he leads business development and strategic partnerships across North America. With a background in urban design and architecture, Thomas has extensive experience in advancing street furniture and public-realm solutions that support landscape architecture and urban planning objectives. In his role, he fosters collaboration between designers, manufacturers, and clients to bring high-quality outdoor environments to cities across the United States and Canada.