You’re invited to next week’s Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design Spring 2026 Lecture. We’re pleased to welcome Maria A. Villalobos Hernandez, Ph.D., ASLA, a landscape and urban designer, Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Director of the Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program.
Her work operates at the intersection of ecology, culture, and civic transformation, advancing landscape architecture as a framework for environmental regeneration and social justice.
Fluent in five languages and working across diverse cultural contexts, Villalobos explores participatory liberation through design, botany, art, and environmental stewardship. She holds a Master in Design Studies from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from the École Nationale Supérieure de Paysage in Versailles. In 2017, she became the first woman to receive the top prize at the Venezuelan Architecture Biennale for the rehabilitation of the Botanical Garden of Maracaibo.
At IIT, Villalobos leads Collective Design Studios that connect research, design, and community engagement. Her studios have advanced transformative projects such as the Englewood Agro-Eco District and the Bronzeville Trail on Chicago’s South Side, moving from research to construction in just four years and earning her the 2022 CELA Excellence in Design Studio Teaching Award. In 2025, she received the Robert Tylor Award for her work on restoring the Englewood and Bronzeville Trail in Chicago.
Her scholarship reflects a deep commitment to landscape history and cultural identity. She co-authored Intangible Heritage: Expeditions, Observations, and Lectures by Roberto Burle Marx and Collaborators, which received a Best Book Award at the International Architecture Biennial, and is co-authoring the forthcoming book Maurice Cox: The Heart and Soul of the City. At IIT, she co-leads a National Science Foundation–funded initiative addressing inequities in stormwater infrastructure.
Villalobos is also a national leader advancing equity in the profession, serving as Board Member for the National Association of Minority Landscape Architects, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Recruitment for the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, and Co-Chair of the Illinois ASLA Executive DEI Committee. Through her practice and research platform, Botanical City, she mobilizes public and private partnerships to connect landscape, ecology, culture, and civic life.
Be part of the conversation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 5:00 PM in PCA 135 for an engaging lecture and discussion.
