Nancy Prince
Nancy Prince, RLA, ASLA, is the chief of landscape architecture at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). In this role she establishes the design aesthetic and vision for the design department's large and highly varied portfolio of projects. She guides the work of 100 landscape architects and a number of consulting firms. Ms. Prince sets standards for excellence in design to ensure that park projects are innovative, enduring, accessible, resilient, and sustainable. Under her leadership, NYC Parks’ designs regularly win local and national awards and recognition. In recent years, Ms. Prince has spoken about design in the public realm at national conferences held by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, and the American Planning Association. Prior to filling her current role, she enjoyed many years of hands-on design of New York City’s parks and playgrounds. Her work has received the NYC Art Commission Award for Excellence in Design, the Rudy Bruner Foundation Award for Urban Excellence, and New York Magazine’s selection as Best Outdoor Playground. She holds a master’s degree in urban design from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and an M.L.A. from the University of Massachusetts. She also earned a B.A. in urban studies from Concordia University in Montreal.
Statement: Cornelia’s work made an impression on me over many years. I grew up in the Canadian cities of Montreal and Vancouver. Before being aware of the profession of landscape architecture, my sister and I played in Cornelia’s innovative Children’s Creative Center at Montreal's Expo ’67. Like much of the Expo, that fun and adventurous place was magical and memorable. The details of the play space are so vivid in my memory that I can recall and sketch them today, including a rocking boat in a small river. I recall the fun and challenge of climbing on logs and building with them. Robson Square in Vancouver and the Taiga Garden at the National Gallery in Ottawa are among my favorite works of landscape architecture. Both are innovative and evocative of their place and context. More than a dozen years ago, I got the chance to meet Cornelia. She talked with me about her early work on playgrounds in Philadelphia—a very inspiring encounter! I am thankful to The Cultural Landscape Foundation for establishing this prize, and I am so pleased to join many colleagues and friends in supporting it and honoring Cornelia.