Reimagining the Curb: 2025 Park(ing) Day Celebration

Every September, Park(ing) Day reminds us of the power of small acts to transform our cities. What began in 2005 as a single reclaimed parking spot in San Francisco has grown into a global movement, where communities reimagine everyday asphalt as places for gathering, creativity, and joy.

At McCullough, we look forward to this day each year — a chance to step outside our studio, connect with neighbors, and show what’s possible when design puts people first.

This year, we’re embracing the theme of public art and bringing joy alongside our Design Center partners RDC, Hollander Design Group, and ULI San Diego–Tijuana. Together, we’re transforming a row of parking spaces into an open invitation for art, conversation, and community.

What to Expect

• Public Art Installations: Experience work by McCullough’s own Mahalakshmi Balachandran, local urbanist Frank Wolden, and RDC.

• Interactive Mural: Grab a brush and help us bring a large stencil design to life with color.

• Community Voices: Hear from Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (District 3) and David McCullough on the importance of art, joy, and public space in building stronger communities.

Event Details

• Friday, September 19, 2025

• 11 AM – 3 PM (with remarks midday)

• The Design Center – 3605 Fifth Ave, San Diego (corner of Fifth & Brookes Avenues, Hillcrest)

We invite our San Diego community — friends, colleagues, neighbors, and curious dreamers — to stop by, share some joy, add your mark, and share in the energy of Park(ing) Day.

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Expanding Horizons: Now Licensed in Hawaii and Nevada

David McCullough, ASLA, PLA
Principal Landscape Architect

At McCullough, we believe that design flourishes when boundaries are expanded—geographically, creatively, and collaboratively. That’s why we are thrilled to share exciting news: David McCullough is now a licensed landscape architect in the states of Hawaii and Nevada.

This milestone not only reflects David’s dedication to the profession but also opens new doors for McCullough to bring our vision of grit, soul, and style to more communities. From desert landscapes to island environments, these regions offer unique opportunities to merge ecology, culture, and creativity in ways that inspire and challenge us.

David shared his excitement, saying:

“Landscape architecture is about responding to place with honesty and imagination. Expanding our licensure to Hawaii and Nevada allows us to dive into extraordinary contexts—from the rugged desert to the lush tropics—and continue doing what we love: designing landscapes that connect people to nature and to each other.”

As a firm, we see this as the beginning of an exciting new chapter. These licenses not only strengthen our ability to serve clients across the Western U.S. but also encourage us to keep exploring bold, soulful design opportunities.

We look forward to the creative journeys ahead, and to shaping spaces that celebrate the richness of these remarkable landscapes.

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McCullough Heads to New Orleans for ASLA 2025 Beyond Boundaries

This October, McCullough is joining landscape architects from across the country at the ASLA 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture: Beyond Boundaries, taking place October 10–13 in New Orleans. The annual ASLA conference is the largest gathering of landscape architects in the world, a space where designers, planners, educators, and advocates come together to share ideas that shape the future of our communities.

In attendance from McCullough will be David McCullough, PLA, ASLA, Principal Landscape Architect and Jiayao Tang, ASLA, Junior Associate.

We’re especially proud that our very own Catherine McCullough, FSMPS, CPSM, President/CEO/CMO of McCullough, will be a featured speaker. Catherine will join two other accomplished leaders in the session:

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SAT-A10: The Found-Hers: Professional Perspectives at Three Stages of Practice

• Saturday, October 11, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT

• New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Room 220–222

Alongside Claire Agre, ASLA, PLA (Partner, Unknown Studio, Baltimore) and Kimberly A. Tryba, ASLA (Principal, LILA Studio LLC, New York), Catherine will share candid perspectives on starting, growing, and transitioning a design practice. Through case studies and interviews, this session dives into the realities of building a firm: the exhilaration of the beginning, the complexities of the middle, and the considerations for the future.

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What you’ll take away:

• How a clear mission and vision guide firm growth and direction

• Lessons from weathering the dynamics of business and market realities

• Why being open to failure is key to learning at every stage

• The mentors, tools, and resources available to support firm owners

For McCullough, this conference is more than professional development, it’s about connection. It’s about learning from peers, sharing our own stories, and sparking conversations that push the boundaries of what landscape architecture can be.

We invite our clients, colleagues, and friends to join us in New Orleans, whether you’re attending the full conference or stopping by Catherine’s session. Together, let’s celebrate the role of landscape architecture in shaping resilient, joyful, and people-centered places.

Learn more about the conference here: ASLA 2025 Beyond Boundaries

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Public Art: Transforming Everyday Spaces into Places of Connection & Joy

David McCullough, ASLA, PLA
Principal Landscape Architect

Urban spaces are often designed around cars—streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, serving primarily as channels for movement. Yet with thoughtful design interventions, these same spaces can offer far more. They can become places of delight, connection, and community transformation.

Public art is one of the most powerful tools for this shift. A mural on a blank wall, a sculpture in a plaza, or an interactive installation in a forgotten corner can change the way people experience their city. Art does more than beautify; it creates landmarks, sparks conversations, and strengthens cultural identity. It turns overlooked spaces into destinations and ordinary routes into memorable experiences.

Red Door Interactive Corporate Headquarters, San Diego, CA

When paired with flexible, people-first design elements such as movable seating, greenery, and adaptable layouts, public art helps transform utilitarian environments—like parking lots—into vibrant hubs of social activity. Even the most functional spaces can become dynamic places where communities gather, interact, and thrive.

1640 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA

Cities like San Diego and Los Angeles are leading the way in integrating public art into urban design through transformative projects such as the downtown San Diego C Street Arts Corridor, the Santee Arts District, the San Diego State University Main Campus Arts District, and the San Diego State University West Campus Arts District. These initiatives showcase how thoughtfully curated public art, combined with flexible, human-centered design, can redefine streets, campuses, and neighborhoods. Well-designed murals, sculptures, and interactive installations both beautify spaces and offer a deeper connection between people and their environments.

The ripple effect of these interventions extends beyond aesthetics. Research shows that well-designed, art-infused spaces increase foot traffic, boost local economies, and encourage a stronger sense of belonging. These transformations prove that small changes can lead to profound impacts on how people live and connect within their cities.

Park(ing) Day 2024

Park(ing) Day 2025: Reimagining a Space Outside The Design Center into a Civil act of Joy

This philosophy comes to life during Park(ing) Day, an annual global event that challenges communities to rethink how parking spaces can be used. This year’s theme is “Curb the Power: Micro Acts of Civil Joy”. On Friday, September 19, 2025, McCullough, along with additional Design Center neighbors, will transform spaces outside our office into a temporary parklet featuring different forms of art, greenery, seating, and creative expression.

The installation will showcase how small interventions—like public art in various forms, or “micro acts of joy” — can shift perspective and spark new conversations about the future of urban spaces. For a single day, a typical car space will become a people space, highlighting the opportunities that lie in designing cities around community interaction and public art rather than vehicles.

We invite our San Diego community to stop by, experience the transformation, and imagine with us how small “civil acts of joy” can create lasting, positive change.

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Designing Landscapes That Thrive: A Q&A with Kira Becker & Tianchi Zhang

At McCullough, sustainability is a philosophy that guides our design decisions, from the first site analysis to the final plantings. To explore how this philosophy comes to life, we sat down with two of our talented Landscape Associates, Kira Becker and Tianchi Zhang, in the Los Angeles office. They shared their insights on crafting landscapes that are not only low-maintenance but full of life, color, and purpose.

Q: How do you approach designing landscapes that are both sustainable and require minimal maintenance?

Kira Becker, ASLA
Associate, Los Angeles Office

Kira: “I start by looking at what’s already there and considering what can remain and what can be repurposed in any way. For instance, if we have to remove trees, I’m always looking for opportunities to repurpose them on site to fulfill lumber requirements for the new design such as benches, trellises, decorative elements, etc. Even concrete or old hardscape materials can be reused in creative ways.  Very early on in the project I try to determine how we can work with what’s existing on site whether it’s to keep it in place or repurpose it in a creative way, and then get the client involved and excited about it.”

Tianchi Zhang, MLA, ASLA Associate, Los Angeles Office

Tianchi: “Exactly. Sometimes repurposing materials adds cost upfront, but it can save money long-term. Also, if a tree is to be removed, it can be turned into mulch or wood chips reduces future purchases. We will need to consider the health of the trees — an arborist can help determine if a trunk is safe to reuse. And to be sustainable and low-maintenance, it’s not just materials; plant selection, soil management, and irrigation all factor in. Choosing low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants helps reduce ongoing care. And working with existing soil on site to keep the cut and fill as balanced as possible is another approach to be economically sustainable. Sustainability is really about looking at every detail, from demo to maintenance, and finding creative, practical solutions.”

Q: What native plants or materials work best in Los Angeles’ climate?

Tianchi: “It really depends on the project and the client. Not every native plant thrives in every part of California. Some low-maintenance species aren’t strictly native but perform better in certain microclimates. It’s a balancing act between ecological integrity and practical performance.”

Kira: “Like Tianchi mentioned, just because a plant is “California native” doesn’t necessarily mean it is native to the particular area and microclimate that you’re working in. I often will consult with the CalScape website to determine native plants that are local to the specific area. It provides you with a list of hyper-local species that thrive in a particular zip code. Then I cross-check that list with what nurseries actually carry, so we’re not specifying plants that will be impossible to source. A number of native species are not readily available at plant nurseries, and so it’s critical to determine what’s commonly carried to avoid sourcing issues during installation.”

Top Low-Maintenance Native Plants for Los angeles

• California Lilac (Ceanothus) – drought-tolerant, attracts pollinators

• Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla) – low water, aromatic foliage

• Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) – evergreen, bird-friendly

• California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum) – bright blooms, minimal care

Q: How do you educate or persuade clients about the long-term benefits of sustainable or low-maintenance landscaping?

Kira: “It depends on the client and what sustainability means to them. Sustainability is such a broad term and can mean a million different things. For example, with affordable housing or college campuses, those clients will likely prioritize maintenance costs and durability. Often, the easiest sell is showing how low-maintenance plants and materials reduce ongoing costs. The harder sell is convincing the client to repurpose existing materials or to select environmentally conscious products that might add cost upfront. But when clients do resonate with environmental sustainability, it can become a defining feature of the project.”

Tianchi: “Sometimes it is easy to educate the client about the benefit when it clearly aligns with their short-term saving. However, it can save in a long run in most of the cases – like Kira mentioned, repurposing is slightly more expensive upfront, but it is often cost-effective compared to new materials. In addition, shade coverage, smart plant selection, and reflective hardscape materials all contribute to sustainable, cost-effective landscapes. Ultimately, sustainability is a broad topic — it encompasses ecology, water use, long-term maintenance, and even the joy people experience in a space.”

Talking Sustainability with Clients

• Show cost savings over time for low-maintenance plants.

• Highlight repurposed materials and environmental impact.

• Provide examples of shade and comfort benefits, not just aesthetics.

Q: How do you approach sustainability in materials and products beyond plants?

Kira: “We try to select vendors and products that reflect sustainable practices. For example, we’ve worked with a number of vendors that use recycled plastics in furniture or play structures. We try our best to avoid slow-growing tropical hardwoods that contribute to deforestation, and instead will consider thermally modified wood that’s durable and sourced responsibly or even repurposed lumber as decking from companies like Angel City Lumber or San Diego Urban Timber. There are many layers to a design, and every choice, from concept design to construction, can be an opportunity to make the project more sustainable.”

Tianchi: “Yes, and sometimes the simplest interventions are the most sustainable. Enhancing what’s already there, rather than demolishing everything, reduces emissions and increase resource use. Sustainability can be embedded in every layer of the design, from big concepts to small details.”

Q: What future trends do you see in sustainable landscape architecture for urban environments, specifically Los Angeles?

Tianchi: “One trend, that is happening right now in the educational marketing sector, is engaging the users of a space, like students on a campus, to inform design. For example, shade trees and flexible green spaces are increasingly prioritized because people actually want and use them. Besides, educational projects in several school disctricts are becoming more open to alternative materials, giving designers more freedom to create greener spaces.”

Kira: “I see a shift toward circular design that prioritizes recycling and repurposing of existing materials. Future generations are likely to gravitate towards adaptive reuse over starting from scratch as much as possible. The largest obstacle is the upfront cost, but the long-term environmental benefits are something that I believe future generations will place value on. I predict we are going to start seeing some groundbreaking creativity within the circular economy space in the next 15-20 years.”

Future-Proof Your Landscape

• Involve community or users in design decisions.

• Prioritize adaptive reuse over demolition.

• Choose durable, recyclable materials for long-term sustainability.

Q: Why are you passionate about sustainability?

Tianchi: “I’ve loved the idea of landscape and planning since my first year of undergrad. Designing landscapes is a way to make the world happier and more beautiful. Sustainability lets me extend that impact — creating spaces that endure, thrive, and delight people while respecting natural resources.”

Kira: “For me, sustainability isn’t just about meeting codes or requirements.  I personally find meaning in the act of working with what’s there - realizing the value of what already exists, repurposing materials, and minimizing waste. I believe the most sustainable practice is extending the life of materials and spaces through reuse and adaptation, rather than constant demolition and new construction.

At McCullough, sustainable design is a blend of creativity, practicality, and care. Thanks to Kira and Tianchi, and our whole team, our landscapes not only survive, but thrive, delighting the people who use them and respecting the planet we all share.

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