We love this city for its mixture of historic and contemporary architecture and gorgeous views of the Ohio River valley. Louisville also boasts the most-developed Olmsted parks and parkways system. But as we’ve found in SWT Design’s other two locations, this city has its own unique environmental challenges.
In 2019, SWT opened a studio on the cusp of Shelby Park and Germantown. The paint has barely dried, but Senior Associate Paul Toenjes has local roots that go back to the early 2000s. The studio has since moved into Butchertown Market in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood.
“Before I began a career in landscape architecture, I was an elementary school teacher in Louisville. I enjoyed teaching, but I found that what mattered most to me was the environment my students interacted with every day.
“Louisville is poised for substantial growth as other urban epicenters become more cost-prohibitive, but we’re still seeing too many of Louisville’s young talent moving away before or after college. As we’re navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve already seen budget cuts for parks and recreation, libraries and other ‘non-essentials.’ It’s quite possible that we’ll see even greater impacts.
“We’re also dealing with longstanding ecological challenges. Our urban canopy is declining at the rate of 54,000 trees lost per year, and our air quality is among the worst in the country.
“These are big challenges that require multiple industries coming together. Louisville has much to preserve and many opportunities to bring people together in our natural and urban spaces. SWT is here to play our part.”
We love helping our clients answer big questions such as these, and we’re proud to have a presence in this city.
We believe responsible landscape architecture must work with the grain of nature and the needs of our city. From Kentucky and Missouri to Louisiana, Wisconsin and beyond, we tailor each project to the needs of ecosystems and communities.
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