For the past 25 years, Douglas Olson has directed O2 Planning + Design’s work in landscape architecture, planning, urban design, and landscape ecology. His work emphasizes contemporary design, ecological urbanism and regional landscape ecology. At scales ranging from detailed site construction to broad scale regional plans, his work intends to inspire and refresh, enrich our understanding of history and nature, while at the same time, adding vitality and ecological responsiveness.
Douglas holds a Doctor of Design degree specializing in regional landscape planning from Harvard University, a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Manitoba, and a Diploma in Forest Technology. He has served as an instructor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. A member of both the Canadian and American Societies of Landscape Architects as well as the International Association of Landscape Ecology, he is also a founding member and Chair of the SAFE Design Council, a not-for-profit aimed at reducing the risk of crime through informed design.
In recent years, Douglas has pioneered projects in the field of Geodesign—coupling GIS modeling with design and planning processes. He has demonstrated that landscape architects, working from fine to broad scales, can direct large, interdisciplinary projects founded on design and creativity and supported by analysis, science and technology. He received the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Lifetime achievement award in 2017.
