Who we are
PRAIRIEFORM is a landscape design and planning practice based in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, born out of and inspired by the short- and tall-grass prairie that once covered a significant portion of the United States.
Our landscape work
We work with clients to produce singular landscapes that reflect the clients' personalities, and their ecological and aesthetic sensibilities. Our emphasis is on creating forms that can gracefully unify the site and elegantly respond to the ever-contemporary problems of sustainability: water consumption, habitat loss, and increased urbanization.
This means landscapes that are big on visual impact but low on water (and hence on water bills); big on wildlife (butterflies, honeybees, and other things that go tweet or buzz) but elegantly placed within the neighborhood setting. They are at once rustic and modern, wild but formal. They contain spaces and places for relaxation, observation, and gathering.
Our landscape clients
Our clients tend to be those who want to invite a bit more nature into their yard or site but who aren't comfortable with the sometimes unkempt look of a pure prairie restoration. They want something that merges the formal with the wild. Oftentimes our clients are plant-lovers but who need someone to come in and envision a cohesive design that can unify their yard or site.
Our planning and urban design work
We work on a range of planning projects whose overarching theme is improving the quality of life for all urban residents, and that enhance the walking and bicycling experience in the city. We've provided design assistance for everything from parks design in some of the most park-poor areas of Los Angeles, to overseeing the improvement of the urban forest canopy in city neighborhoods.
Our planning clients
Municipalities, landscape architects, and urban designers hire us because of our strong graphic skills, solid practical experience in the planning world (PRAIRIEFORM's John Kamp worked as a city planner and urban design specialist for the City of Los Angeles for several years), and ease at solving complex spatial problems.