Taking a Critical Lens to Urban Planting: Explore Design Challenges and Strategies - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Gentry Lock is a Principal and Project Manager at Stantec with over 20 years of experience leading complex public‑realm projects in New York City. She provides strategic leadership for multidisciplinary teams delivering integrated landscape architecture, urban design, and engineering solutions for public clients including the NYC Economic Development Corporation and NYC Parks. Gentry is recognized for guiding projects through rigorous public review and approval processes while advancing high‑quality, collaborative design outcomes. She serves on the board of Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit organization advocating for safer, more sustainable transportation and public spaces.

Claudia West is a leading voice in the emerging field of ecological planting design. Known for her passionate advocacy of plant-driven design, Claudia is a widely sought out speaker and consultant who applies the technologies of plant systems to bring essential natural functions back into our cities and towns. She has worked on all sides of the green industry—as a designer, a grower, installer, and land manager—grounding her innovative work in pragmatic solutions that address the realities of our urbanizing world. She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Planting in a Post-Wild World.

Nancy Prince PLA, FASLA, is the Chief of Landscape Architecture at NYC Parks. Nancy guides the work of 100 landscape architects and consulting firms working on a large and varied portfolio of projects. She sets standards for excellence in design to ensure that park projects are innovative, enduring, accessible, resilient, and sustainable. Ms. Prince has spoken about design in the public realm at ASLA, AIA and APA national conferences. She holds a master’s in urban design from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts.