What Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates does

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc (MVVA) is a privately held landscape architecture firm founded in 1982 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with additional offices in Cambridge, Denver, and Los Angeles. The firm specializes in large-scale public park, waterfront, and urban landscape projects, with practice areas spanning landscape architecture, master planning, ecological restoration, flood-resilient waterfront design, stormwater management, material reuse, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and innovative play landscapes. Notable technical capabilities include the caliche gravity wall system developed for the Waterloo Greenway in Austin and the integration of flood bypass tunnel infrastructure with creek ecology at Waller Creek.

MVVA operates a professional services model, generating fee-based revenue on a project-by-project basis through direct commissions and competitive procurement from public-sector agencies, educational institutions, conservancies, and selected corporate clients. The firm serves as lead landscape architect on major multi-disciplinary teams, typically leading sub-consultants in engineering, ecology, and architecture. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and reputation-based, with industry awards (ASLA, Fast Company, NYT) serving as primary demand-generation levers.

The firm's portfolio includes more than 40 major projects spanning North America and select international engagements, including Brooklyn Bridge Park (NYC), Biidaasige Park at the Port Lands (Toronto, $1.4B tri-government investment), Waterloo Greenway (Austin), The 606 linear park (Chicago), the Obama Presidential Center (Chicago), Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park (Detroit), Dorothea Dix Park (Raleigh), and campus master plans for Princeton, Harvard, Wellesley, Cornell, and the University of Toronto. Key client segments are government and municipal agencies, educational institutions, conservancies and development authorities, with a smaller portfolio of corporate and private commissions.

Name

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Legal name

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc

Website

https://mvvainc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is a Brooklyn-based landscape architecture firm specializing in large-scale public parks, waterfront restorations, and campus master plans for government agencies, universities, and conservancies across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Park design
• Urban planning
• Waterfront design
• Campus landscape planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Design Services: MVVA generates revenue as a professional services firm, providing landscape architecture design, master planning, and site design services on a project-by-project basis for public-sector clients, institutional clients, and conservancies. Projects range from park master plans to construction-phase administration, typically on multi-year engagements. Revenue is fee-based and project-driven, dependent on public budgeting cycles and competitive award processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is a professional landscape architecture firm providing design, master planning, and construction-phase administration services for large-scale public parks, waterfronts, campuses, and urban landscapes. The firm delivers services on a project-by-project basis for government agencies, universities, conservancies, and cultural institutions, with engagements typically spanning multi-year timelines.

Product overview

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is a landscape architecture firm offering comprehensive design and planning services. Their portfolio spans park and public space design, campus landscape planning, waterfront development, urban frameworks, and environmental infrastructure. MVVA's projects range from iconic urban parks like Brooklyn Bridge Park to large-scale campus master plans and flood protection landscapes. Rather than a software product, MVVA provides professional landscape architecture services delivered through collaborative design processes with engineers, architects, and community stakeholders. Their work integrates ecological restoration, public recreation, flood resilience, and urban connectivity across projects throughout North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Design Services Comprehensive professional landscape architecture services including park design, waterfront development, urban planning, campus landscapes, and infrastructure projects delivered to public and institutional clients through collaborative design processes with engineers, architects, and community stakeholders.
• Park and Public Space Design Design and implementation of urban parks, waterfront parks, and public recreational spaces for government agencies, cultural institutions, and conservancies, including Brooklyn Bridge Park (85 acres, 5 million annual visitors), Maggie Daley Park, and Gathering Place for Tulsa.
• Campus Landscape Planning University and college campus planning, landscape master plans, and implementation for higher education institutions including Harvard University (209-acre framework), Princeton (520 acres), Wellesley College, and University of Toronto (2025 Toronto Urban Design Award of Merit).
• Waterfront and Flood Protection Design Waterfront revitalization, flood protection infrastructure, and ecological restoration projects for government agencies and development authorities, including Biidaasige Park at the Port Lands ($1.4B tri-government investment) and Corktown Common (16 acres).
• Urban Planning and Framework Plans Large-scale urban design frameworks, master plans, and planning documents for city districts and development areas, including the YZD Runway Roadmap for the former Downsview Airport redevelopment into a sustainable city (commissioned 2024 by Northcrest).

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million annual visitors at Brooklyn Bridge Park
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Spirit of SpaceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Spirit of Space produced a short film spotlighting Teardrop Park, showcasing MVVA's landscape architecture work through multimedia storytelling.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at UT Austin collaborated with MVVA on native plantings and maintenance strategy for Waterloo Greenway projects including The Confluence and Waller Creek Framework Plan.
• The Trust for Public LandmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024The Trust for Public Land collaborated with MVVA and the City of Chicago on The 606 linear park project, helping establish guidelines for designing, implementing, and managing the new neighborhood amenity.
• NorthcrestmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Northcrest selected MVVA to lead the YZD Runway Roadmap for the redevelopment of the former Downsview Airport in Toronto into a sustainable city.
• CNNminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024CNN covered the transformation of the abandoned Downsview Airport into a $30 billion sustainable city development, featuring MVVA's landscape planning work for the YZD project.
• University of Texas at AustinmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018MVVA completed the Waller Creek Framework Plan for the University of Texas at Austin in 2019, addressing creek corridor safety, habitat, and campus connectivity across 437 acres.
• Schlaich Bergermann PartnermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Schlaich Bergermann Partner designed the new pedestrian bridge across Interstate 190 connecting Buffalo to Ralph Wilson Park, collaborating with MVVA on the park's landscape design.
• Adjaye AssociatesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Adjaye Associates served as Design Architect for Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park Detroit, working with MVVA on the design of sport houses and other park structures.
• LimnoTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017LimnoTech provided hydrology and river ecology consulting on multiple MVVA projects including Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park Detroit, Buffalo Bayou East, and Eastern Market Neighborhood Framework, supporting stormwater management and flood resilience design.
• Waller Creek ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013The Waller Creek Conservancy commissioned MVVA to lead the Waterloo Greenway project after a multi-round competition process in 2013, serving as the client and public steward for the 1.5-mile creek corridor transformation.
• Thomas Phifer & PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Thomas Phifer & Partners won the Design Waller Creek competition jointly with MVVA in 2012, and the two firms collaborated on the Waterloo Greenway project in Austin, TX.
• Waterfront TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Waterfront Toronto served as the client for Corktown Common and the broader Lower Don Lands Framework Plan, commissioning MVVA for landscape architecture on these major flood protection and park projects.
• ARUP TorontocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2010ARUP Toronto served as site engineer and pavilion MEP engineer on Corktown Common, collaborating with MVVA on the flood protection landform and park design.
• AECOMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2010AECOM provided civil and marine engineering for the Lower Don Lands Framework Plan, collaborating with MVVA on the 280-acre Toronto waterfront transformation.
• James Carpenter Design AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010James Carpenter Design Associates served as artist and architectural designer on Harbourfront Centre at York Quay, working with MVVA on the Toronto waterfront project.
• Tod Williams Billie Tsien ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects collaborated with MVVA on the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University and multiple other projects, integrating landscape and building design.
• Steven Holl ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Steven Holl Architects collaborated with MVVA on Princeton's Lewis Center for the Arts (Arts and Transit Neighborhood), integrating architecture and landscape design across multiple campus projects.
• AECOMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 1999AECOM served as civil, marine, and MEP engineering consultant on Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of MVVA's flagship projects spanning over two decades of collaboration from master plan through construction.
• Architecture Research OfficecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1999Architecture Research Office partnered with MVVA on the Brooklyn Bridge Park master plan phase, contributing architectural expertise to the project's urban design vision.
• Great Eastern EcologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Great Eastern Ecology provided ecological consulting throughout Brooklyn Bridge Park's design and construction, supporting the park's diverse ecologies, wetlands, and nature-based play spaces.
• Steven Handel (Ecology)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Steven Handel served as ecology consultant during the Brooklyn Bridge Park master plan phase, contributing expertise in ecological landscape planning for the waterfront transformation.
• Margie Ruddick LandscapemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Margie Ruddick Landscape provided ecological landscape planning for Brooklyn Bridge Park, complementing MVVA's design with specialized expertise in naturalistic planting and ecological restoration.
• Domingo Gonzalez AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 1999Domingo Gonzalez Associates provided lighting design for Brooklyn Bridge Park, collaborating with MVVA throughout the multi-phase construction of the waterfront park.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PWP Landscape Architecture: Berkeley-based landscape architecture practice known for campus and public-park work; comparable in scale and project type to MVVA's institutional and university portfolio.
• OLIN: Philadelphia- and New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm of comparable scale; competes for prestigious public-space and university commissions similar to MVVA's portfolio.
• SWA Group: Large, long-established landscape architecture and urban design practice with offices across the US and Asia; comparable in scale and project types, frequently competing for waterfront and campus commissions.
• Sasaki Associates: Watertown, MA-based interdisciplinary design firm with a strong landscape architecture practice; comparable to MVVA in working on university master plans and large public waterfronts.
• James Corner Field Operations: New York-based landscape architecture firm of comparable scale and prestige, known for High Line and large public-realm projects; most direct competitor to MVVA in the North American landscape architecture market for public-sector commissions.
• Hargreaves Jones: Landscape architecture firm with a strong portfolio in urban park design and waterfront master planning; comparable in product offering and target public-sector client base.
• Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects: Charlottesville- and New York-based landscape architecture firm of similar prestige, focused on cultural landscapes, parks, and restorative design; a close peer in size and project category.

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Multidisciplinary design firm that practices landscape architecture alongside architecture and interiors; broader scope than MVVA but competes for similar cultural and civic commissions.
• Stantec: Large multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm with a landscape architecture practice that competes in municipal, campus, and waterfront work; broader service portfolio than MVVA.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure and professional services firm with a sizeable landscape architecture practice; competes with MVVA on bundled, large-scale infrastructure-driven public projects and currently serves as an engineering sub-consultant on Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michael-van-valkenburgh-associates-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates