25 Years Since 1993
For the Lakota family, it’s all about the people – in 1993, it all started with a dream to make great planning accessible to all communities. This year marks our 25-year anniversary. Join us in celebrating innovation, great work, and inspiring communities through a series of blogs on the 25th of every month. Follow us... Read More
Categories: 25 Lakota, Uncategorized
Biomimicry & Community Engagement: What Nature Can Teach Us About Building Strong Communities
Here at The Lakota Group, we’ve been talking about how to best engage communities so that the projects we work on are truly community driven. This conversation has been happening simultaneously with a personal exploration of biomimicry and how it can be applied to urban planning. Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature to... Read More
Categories: Around the Office, Ideas + Research
New Year | New People | New Work
We are beyond thrilled to welcome MORGAN HARTY to our growing team. Morgan is a landscape architect with an expertise in green infrastructure techniques focusing on stormwater management and water conservation. The New Year also brought new projects… We are kicking-off our work on CHICAGO’S GREEKTOWN MASTER PLAN, which seeks to maintain the cultural identity... Read More
Categories: Uncategorized
A Return to Democratic Space
So much discussion in recent months has focused on the division in our country; a discord that has played out across multiple platforms, including news outlets, social media, public protests, massive marches, and town hall meetings. In the midst of these events, I’ve looked back on the places I’ve visited and worked—red and blue states,... Read More
Categories: Around the Office
Welcoming the New Lakotans
We are very excited to welcome the New Lakotans! Jonathan Smith – Senior Landscape Architect Siraj Asfahani – Associate Rachael Smith – Associate Our Team is growing and we couldn’t be more excited about our new additions. Read More
Categories: Around the Office
Chicago River Green Ribbon Award
The Lakota Group’s Calumet & Southeast Chicago Lakefront Region Wayfinding Concept was awarded the Friends of the Chicago River Green Ribbon Award at the 2017 Annual Big Fish Ball. The Lakota team, in partnership with the Calumet Collaborative, Bluestone + Associates and sparc, inc., created this wayfinding concept to bring people together to experience the... Read More
Categories: Awards + Accolades
Street Marionette
Date: Monday the 19th | Time: 6:00 pm I open the door and the show begins. I walk the usual left, right, left with brief pauses during certain turns. I make sure not to stray away from my regular 3-foot wide path on stage; I feel anxious as I take my last turn. The performance... Read More
Categories: Ideas + Research
Rethinking Community Engagement
At Lakota, we pride ourselves on our community engagement and we work hard at it. Phone calls, surveys, and digital input have their place, but nothing beats walking around and talking to peoplereal—and by this, I mean busy, opinionated, complex, and completely human —people. There are hidden issues at play, ranging from how we do... Read More
Categories: Ideas + Research
Immediate Urbanism: Quicker, Cheaper & Way More Fun
Becoming aware: My daily commute is all of one hour, door to door. Within that hour, I drive, park, walk, ride the green line, and then walk the last half mile to get to the front door of my brick-faced office. If you are like me, and take the same route (or some version of... Read More
Categories: Ideas + Research