Stantec Q&A: Cathy Sears, Landscape Architect

“Our best works are those places that don’t appear to have been designed at all.”

Cathy Sears is the leader of Stantec’s landscape architecture practice, a member of the prestigious College of Fellows of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), and a past president of the CSLA organization. As we close out April—World Landscape Architecture Month—Cathy, who is based in Calgary, AB, shares her insights about her profession and its importance.

Q: What are the key characteristics of a successful landscape architect?
A: The scope of the profession is so broad I would have to say to love what you do because that is what you will do best.

Q: How did you get your start in the profession?
A: My first “real” job was with the BC government working for the Department of Lands, Parks and Housing, but it was the interview that I will always remember. It was for a summer position. I hadn’t finished my degree and really didn’t feel very confident. The manager of the department himself interviewed me and after we went over some of my projects, he asked which project I thought was my best …. I responded that I actually thought none of them were very good then sighed realizing I surely must have just blown that interview. He said that was the answer he was looking for because we should always strive to improve and he hired me.

Cathy and her mentor,
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

Q: Who or what has inspired you the most in your career?
A: Knowing that, as landscape architects, we can make meaningful contributions to our communities, from very large-scale, open-space policies right down to the smallest of details of a well-designed hand railing, captures the essence of “what” inspires me. As to “who”? I truly admire and respect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. She is the Grand Dame of landscape architects in Canada and has been a great mentor and role model for me. Her embrace of and endless enthusiasm toward making our communities better places to learn, live and work, brings vitality to our profession and has evolved a greater appreciation in the community for our natural environment, sustainable urban design, and the integral value of the art and culture of landscape.

Q: What place or venue best illustrates the impact of a landscape architect? Why?
A: I think some of our best works are those places that don’t appear to have been designed at all—places where people seem to move and collect naturally; they find a place to sit and talk protected from the wind or have lunch in the sun; they wait to meet friends at a designated spot; they come on bikes or roller blades and as a family to take in a weekend festival; they pose for pictures, pick up a game of hacky sac and delight to discover goslings darting across the water to a safe island in a pond. I think when we can create places that people make their own and can feel comfortable in then we have had a very positive impact.

Q: What is the biggest challenge to the landscape architecture profession right now?
A: We are challenged in advocating for ourselves and for our profession, both in Canada and the US. At a global scale we need to further professional education and advocate for high professional standards and ethical practice. It is a relatively small profession and needs to grow.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about landscape architects?
A: There are a few. The one I most enjoy after first introductions is being asked to identify the plants and pests in someone’s garden.

Q: Do you have any advice for how to juggle, work, volunteer and home life?
A: It helps if you can occasionally still put in a few university-style “all nighters!”