Schmidt Design Group
Schmidt Design Group is an independent landscape architecture and planning firm founded in 1983 in San Diego, serving government agencies, real estate developers, healthcare, education, and hospitality clients across the Western US with a 40-person team and a new Denver office opened in April 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Schmidt Design Group does
Schmidt Design Group, Inc. is an independent landscape architecture and planning firm founded in 1983 by Glen Schmidt, FASLA, and headquartered in San Diego, California. The firm delivers comprehensive landscape architecture services spanning master planning, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration for public parks, civic spaces, waterfront parks, residential master-planned communities, commercial campuses, healthcare and education facilities, hospitality venues, and streetscapes. It positions itself as San Diego's largest independent landscape architecture firm and operates with 40 employees, including 11 licensed landscape architects and professionals holding LEED, SITES, ISA arborist, playground safety inspection, SWPPP, and irrigation auditing credentials.
The firm's technical differentiation rests on integrated sustainable design, green infrastructure, and stormwater management — exemplified by Civita Park's system that captures and treats runoff from a 230-acre community through 165 feet of grade change, Cottonwood Creek Park's bioremediation and flood control across a 2,100-acre watershed, and Paradise Creek Educational Park's half-mile wetland restoration. A community-centered design process and a public facilitation practice, led by the founder with a stated unblemished record on controversial projects, form a second differentiation layer.
Revenue is generated through professional services on custom-scoped, project-based engagements across five primary segments: government/public sector (cities, counties, parks departments), private developers and commercial real estate (Sudberry, Pardee, Hines, Corky McMillin), healthcare (Sharp/Grossmont, BioLegend), education (SDSU, Mira Costa), and hospitality/entertainment (Frontwave Arena, Paséa Hotel, Stone Brewing). Distribution is direct, through enterprise field sales to public agencies and developers and via subconsultant relationships with architecture and engineering firms. In April 2026 the firm expanded geographically for the first time outside California, opening a Denver office in the RiNo District led by Principal Todd Schechinger to serve the Mountain West region.
Schmidt Design Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schmidt Design Group
- Legal name
- Schmidt Design Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://schmidtdesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Schmidt Design Group is an independent landscape architecture and planning firm founded in 1983 in San Diego, serving government agencies, real estate developers, healthcare, education, and hospitality clients across the Western US with a 40-person team and a new Denver office opened in April 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schmidt Design Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscape Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)
Keywords
Where Schmidt Design Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Schmidt Design Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Landscape Architecture Services: Comprehensive landscape architecture and planning services including master planning, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration for public and private sector clients
- Public Facilitation: Community engagement and public meeting facilitation services led by experienced professionals to achieve consensus on controversial projects
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Schmidt Design Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schmidt Design Group is a landscape architecture and planning firm that delivers comprehensive landscape architecture services spanning master planning, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration. The firm designs parks, civic spaces, urban developments, healthcare campuses, education facilities, mixed-use communities, and specialty projects such as skate parks, integrating sustainable design, green infrastructure, and stormwater management. Its offering is complemented by public facilitation and community engagement services to build consensus on complex or controversial projects.
Product overview
Schmidt Design Group is a landscape architecture and planning firm offering comprehensive design services as a unified service portfolio. The core offering consists of landscape architecture and planning services, supported by specialized service modules covering Parks and Open Space Design, Civic and Public Space Design, Education Campus Design, Streetscapes and Trails Design, Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Development Design, Healthcare and Wellness Facility Design, Workplace and Hospitality Design, Public Facilitation Expertise, and Skate Park Design. These service modules work together under the firm's philosophy of balancing artistic design with environmental stewardship to deliver integrated, sustainable outdoor environments for communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Landscape Architecture Services Comprehensive landscape architecture services spanning master planning, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration, with an emphasis on balancing artistic design with environmental stewardship for parks, civic spaces, urban design, and community spaces.
- Planning Services Strategic planning services for urban and natural spaces, including community planning, site planning, and master planning for developments and large-scale projects.
- Parks and Open Space Design Design of community parks, neighborhood parks, playgrounds, sports parks, and open space amenities for public agencies and developers.
- Civic and Public Space Design Design of civic spaces, waterfront parks, public plazas, and community gathering spaces for municipalities and public agencies.
- Education Campus Design Landscape architecture services for K-12 schools, higher education campuses, and educational facilities, including campus improvements and joint-use facilities.
- Streetscapes and Trails Design Design of streetscapes, pedestrian corridors, bike trails, and greenways for public agencies and developers.
- Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Development Design Landscape design for multi-family residential, mixed-use developments, and master-planned communities for private developers and homebuilders.
- Healthcare and Wellness Facility Design Landscape architecture for healthcare facilities, wellness centers, and therapeutic environments, including healing gardens and corporate healthcare campuses.
- Workplace and Hospitality Design Design services for corporate campuses, hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues, including arena and brewery landscapes.
- Public Facilitation Expertise Community engagement and public meeting facilitation services led by experienced professionals, including bilingual settings and consensus building for controversial projects.
- Skate Park Design Specialized design of skate parks and skate plazas, including world-class facilities and neighborhood skate spaces, with planning, design, and testing informed by in-house professional skateboarding experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- Civita Park captures and treats stormwater from 230-acre community through 165-feet of grade change via Civita Falls and Civita Creek
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Schmidt Design Group
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Schmidt Design Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Schmidt Design Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- City Parks AllianceminorSchmidt Design Group is a contributor to City Parks Alliance, supporting their mission to create, sustain, and advocate for public parks
- Groundwork DenverminorCommunity partnership supporting environmental improvement and neighborhood revitalization in Denver
- Paradise Creek ConservancyminorVolunteer integration for Paradise Creek Educational Park restoration including planting days during construction
- Nolen CommunitiesminorJoint participation in San Diego Design Week tours of Fox Point Farms agrihood project
- Agua Hedionda Lagoon FoundationminorEarth Day clean-up events, invasive species removal, native planting, and habitat restoration at Agua Hedionda Lagoon
- San Diego Design WeekminorWorld Design Experience partner for showcasing Fox Point Farms and design excellence
- San Diego Parks FoundationcorePro-bono conceptual and detailed design services for Linda Vista Community Garden; ongoing partnership providing parks foundation support
- Bayside Community CentercorePro-bono design services for Linda Vista Community Garden project addressing food insecurity and community nutrition
- Bayside Environmental Learning Center (BELC)corePartnership supporting urban agriculture and environmental sustainability programs at Linda Vista Community Garden
- San Diego Park FoundationminorSponsorship of Parks for People webinar on equity-driven park planning featuring NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver
- American Institute of Architects RDUKC CommitteeminorTodd Schechinger is a member of the local AIA Regional Design & Urban Knowledge Committee in Denver
- Urban Land Institute Urban Places CommitteeminorTodd Schechinger is a member of ULI's Urban Places Committee in Denver
- American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)minorTodd Schechinger is a member of the local ASLA chapter in Denver
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Schmidt Design Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is an integrated design practice spanning landscape architecture, urban planning, and architecture with a strong civic and campus portfolio, comparable in delivering large master-planned environments and university/healthcare campus work.
- James Corner Field Operations: Field Operations is a landscape architecture and urban design firm known for high-profile waterfronts and civic parks (e.g., High Line, Freshkills), comparable in master-planning and sustainable stormwater design but operating at a larger national scale.
- SWA Group: SWA Group is a leading global landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with a multi-office footprint and a portfolio of large-scale parks, campuses, and waterfronts, directly comparable to Schmidt's master planning and civic project work but at substantially greater scale.
- OLIN: OLIN is a nationally recognized landscape architecture, urban design, and planning practice working on signature parks, civic landscapes, and master-planned communities, comparable in design philosophy and project typology to Schmidt Design Group.
Direct peers
- Reed Hilderbrand: Reed Hilderbrand is a landscape architecture firm with a strong civic, campus, and cultural landscape portfolio, comparable in design quality, award profile, and master-planning service offerings.
- Hargreaves Associates: Hargreaves Associates is a landscape architecture practice with a national portfolio of parks, waterfronts, and campus projects, comparable in design philosophy, civic park specialization, and award-winning work.
- LandDesign: LandDesign is a multi-disciplinary firm providing landscape architecture, civil engineering, and urban design across the US, comparable to Schmidt in serving both private developers and municipal clients on community-scale parks and master plans.
- Design Workshop: Design Workshop is an award-winning landscape architecture and urban planning firm with offices across the Western US, directly comparable to Schmidt in regional focus, sustainable design emphasis, and park-and-civic project mix.
- MIG (Calyx): MIG is a planning, design, and communications firm with strong public engagement and civic landscape work, directly comparable to Schmidt's community-centered design and public facilitation capabilities.
Regional players
- LandArc (Land Architects): LandArc is a Pacific Northwest landscape architecture firm focused on parks, urban design, and community planning, comparable in regional boutique scale and civic project emphasis, though serving a different primary geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Schmidt Design Group social profiles
Digital presenceSchmidt Design Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schmidt Design Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Schmidt Design Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schmidt Design Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Schmidt Design Group
What does Schmidt Design Group do?
Schmidt Design Group is a landscape architecture and planning firm that delivers comprehensive landscape architecture services spanning master planning, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration. The firm designs parks, civic spaces, urban developments, healthcare campuses, education facilities, mixed-use communities, and specialty projects such as skate parks, integrating sustainable design, green infrastructure, and stormwater management. Its offering is complemented by public facilitation and community engagement services to build consensus on complex or controversial projects.
Is Schmidt Design Group a public or private company?
Schmidt Design Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Schmidt Design Group founded?
Schmidt Design Group was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Schmidt Design Group based?
Schmidt Design Group is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Schmidt Design Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Landscape Architecture Services are the primary driver. The others are public Facilitation.
Who are Schmidt Design Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sasaki Associates, James Corner Field Operations, SWA Group and OLIN. Direct peers are Reed Hilderbrand, Hargreaves Associates, LandDesign, Design Workshop and MIG (Calyx). LandArc (Land Architects) is listed as a regional player.
Does Schmidt Design Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schmidt Design Group.
What industry is Schmidt Design Group in?
Schmidt Design Group's product category is Landscape Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAD, Urban Planning & Master Planning. Its NAICS code is 54132 and its SIC code is 8711.