Sarah Siegel Receives the 2026 Robert N. Allsopp Urban Design Fellowship
Biography
Sarah Siegel (BCSLA, CSLA, ASLA) is a Vancouver-based landscape architect, artist, and adjunct professor at UBC SALA. Her design practice is focused on the purposeful integration of functional ecology into cities, consideration for the effects of time and maintenance on vegetation in the public realm, and an empathetic approach to accessibility and inclusion.
Before founding SOFT SCAPE Landscape Architecture in 2025, Sarah was a Principal at Hapa Collaborative, where for fourteen years she led numerous significant public space and park projects across the Vancouver region. She began her career at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates in Brooklyn, NY, contributing to Toronto’s groundbreaking Lower Don Lands redevelopment which combined flood protection, ecological planning, and urban design.
Sarah earned her MLA from the University of Toronto, a horticulture certificate from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. As a continuation of her practice, SOFT SCAPE approaches design with a thoughtful restraint—creating functional, calm landscapes that fit intuitively into their surroundings while generating their own resonance. Meaningful, technically robust planting and the artful manipulation of landform are Sarah’s primary design tools.
Project: Sponge Park, Square Peg: Fitting Flood Mitigation into the Practical Realities of Urban Parks
Seasonally flooded parks, often referred to as “sponge parks,” are emerging as an important tool for addressing urban flooding caused by changing rainfall patterns and aging infrastructure. However, their implementation faces several challenges, including integration with existing stormwater systems, maintenance responsibilities, public safety concerns, and increasing demands for multifunctional park programming. Additional barriers include fragmented coordination between municipal departments, uncertainty around funding and ownership, and a lack of established metrics for evaluating long-term performance and public value.
This research will examine a series of constructed case studies that incorporate stormwater storage within public park spaces. Through interviews with planners, landscape architects, engineers, and other project participants, the study will explore how these projects addressed common implementation challenges and balanced stormwater and flood management objectives with recreational, social, and ecological functions.
By documenting lessons learned and successful approaches, the project aims to provide practical guidance for municipalities, landscape architects, and allied professionals seeking to expand the role of parks in urban flood resilience without compromising their broader public benefits.
The results from this research will be synthesized into a report featuring written analysis, diagrams, and case study documentation. The report and related content will be presented at relevant conferences for landscape architects and parks planners.
Special thanks to the 2026 Robert N. Allsopp Urban Design Fellowship Jury: Robert Allsopp, Christine Abe, Eha Naylor, Nastaran Moradinejad, and Leo Desorcy.
Portfolio
Burrard Slopes Park Masterplan, Vancouver, BC
Completed 2025
A master plan for a new park in Vancouver. Extensive public engagement and a coordinated team of engineers and designers helped to guide the design. Significant areas of rain gardens are planned for the park.
Principal at SOFT SCAPE and Hapa Collaborative.
Image Credit: Hapa Collaborative
Foot of Lonsdale Plaza, North Vancouver, BC
Completed 2018
An urban waterfront plaza which supports events and everyday enjoyment through a unique ‘mega bench’ and tidal plane water feature.
Project lead with Hapa Collaborative
Hamersley Park, North Vancouver, BC
Completed 2021
A neighbourhood park set in a forested ravine. A frequently wet lawn area was transformed into a rain garden feature.
Project lead with Hapa Collaborative
Riley Park, Vancouver, BC
Completed 2016
A new neighbourhood park with a toddlers’ play area, farmers market plaza and community gardens.
Project lead with Hapa Collaborative
šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énk Square, Vancouver, BC
Completed 2017
Renewal of Vancouver’s most hard-working urban plaza – a space for events, public protests, and the daily life of downtown Vancouver. Plaza drainage is directed into a zone of structural soil beneath a grove of maple trees, watering the trees and providing temporary stormwater storage.
Project lead with Hapa Collaborative