"Schjetnan and GDU have designed some of the most significant parks in Mexico, including Chapultepec Forest and Park, the second-largest city park in Latin America, known colloquially as Mexico's "Central Park." With a focus on equitable access to nature, the application of environmental knowledge, and the potential of postindustrial sites, GDU's work has expanded the notion of what parks can do in Mexico."
"The Oberlander Prize includes a $100,000 award and two years of public engagement activities focused on the laureate's work. Schjetnan is the third designer to win the prize. Landscape architect Julie Bargmann, whose D.I.R.T. Studio focuses on degraded sites, was the inaugural laureate in 2021. Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu, known for his work designing "sponge cities," was honored in 2023. ( Yu died in an airplane crash on September 23, 2025, in Brazil.)"
Mario Schjetnan and his firm Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) won the 2025 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize, including a $100,000 award and two years of public engagement. GDU designed major Mexican parks such as Chapultepec Forest and Park, emphasizing equitable access to nature, the application of environmental knowledge, and reuse of postindustrial sites. Schjetnan's career began with leading a government worker housing program that delivered over 100,000 affordable units, informing GDU's social focus. The Oberlander jury cited Schjetnan as a strong voice for social engagement and environmental justice combined with landscape architectural art.
Read at Fast Company
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