LAURA RAZO, MLA, ASLA

Senior Associate, Los Angeles

As a first-generation college graduate, Laura earned both her BSLA and MLA degrees from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. These opened bounds beyond her horizon in both instances. Growing up in what are now considered under-resourced and socially disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles, Laura learned at an early age to appreciate parklands and the serenity they brought with them.

Laura started her professional career in a multidisciplinary firm and has worked with firms ranging in size all the way down to boutique style. She spent over 13 years in the industry before returning to Cal Poly, Pomona, for her graduate studies, which focused on environmental planning with an emphasis on design and master planning, wildfire prevention, water conservation, and ecological/regenerative systems. From 2008 to 2019, Laura was an independent consultant working with various firms and companies throughout the LA basin, as well as a nonprofit playground organization, Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration (formerly Shane’s Inspiration). Laura’s work portfolio includes streetscape and transit corridors, parks, sports fields, playgrounds, open spaces, schools, plazas and courtyards, trails, commercial use, single-family residential and high-end residential plus high-density and multi-use development which provide plenty of laterally transferable knowledge for unifying a community environment. These project types contribute toward sustainability, mobility, accessibility, sense of place, visual character, community value and enhancement of quality of life, and most of all, human connection to nature. 

In 2019, Laura veered slightly in her career path. She left the landscape architecture consulting world for a full-time position at an environmental compliance firm for approximately six years. In that time, she learned a new facet in the life of a project. She learned the intricacies of CEQA and NEPA documentation such as Categorical Exemptions and Exclusions (Cat Ex’s), Mitigated Negative Declarations (MNDs), Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), feasibility studies, Aesthetics and Visual Resource Assessments, Cultural Resources Assessments and Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Forms. While there, she earned a supervisor role to lead the compliance and cultural resources teams consisting of analysts, architectural historians, and archaeologists. Learning to navigate these neighboring professions provided a challenge while it also helped her gain appreciation for other disciplines and helped Laura hone her mentoring skills. In the process, she discovered her love for cultural landscapes. Furthermore, learning that her experience met and exceeded the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards Professional Qualifications as a Cultural Landscape Specialist was a welcome bonus.

In addition, Laura has been an instructor at the UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program (UCLA ExLA) since 2010 teaching various courses such as Introduction and Intermediate AutoCAD, Introduction and Advanced SketchUp, and Graphics Communication (two of a three-part series) courses. Together with the UCLA ExLA department, Laura spearheaded the SketchUp course and development of the course curriculum in 2011 which has since evolved and continues to be part of the course offerings. She also participates in the UCLA ExLA student portfolio review sessions and the yearly charrettes team, mainly as the post-charrette booklet advisor providing input and mentoring students on real world process, layout, graphic communication and legibility of overall deliverables.

Her diversified experience has taught her that people, high-quality work, detail, and professionalism matter, and that being trustworthy and reliable while remaining open and flexible builds client confidence, ensures long-term value, and strengthens relationships.

A little-known fact about Laura is that she has traveled throughout Mexico and Europe, as well as climbed Mt. Whitney twice.