Marco Esposito, PLA
“I’m driven by a sense that most of what is built in the world these days doesn’t add up to much. We live in a time of unusual wealth, which unfortunately seldom translates into civic drama or beauty.”
Marco Esposito, PLA, is a landscape architect and urban designer with four decades of experience, focused on creating walkable cities and neighborhoods that are bold in form, complex in use, and well-used by residents and non-residents alike. Marco’s passion and enthusiasm—as well as his skill in creating striking, well-used, award-winning places on complex sites—stems from a lifelong love of cities and neighborhoods, fostered by world travels that have shown him the full range of what is possible. Recent built projects include the Civic Center Commons for Elk Grove, the Library & Cultural Arts Center for Yorba Linda, the Global Plaza outdoor living room for Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Nordic Events Venues for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Recent and ongoing master plans include the Brabazon District and Lake Park in Bristol UK, a waterfront park in Singapore, and San Jose State University. Projects currently on the boards include Bay Street Plaza in Emeryville, College of Marin’s Library and Social Slope, and Burlingame Town Square.
INSPIRED BY
Streets and buildings juxtaposed with natural beauty – the pattern of these elements determine much of the power of a place; the sheer beauty and excitement of San Francisco, Vancouver, and the Riviera, as well as smaller gems like Lugano and Amalfi; Hong Kong, where the man-made vertical sculpture of Manhattan collides with the tropical beauty of Hawaii.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture with High Honors, University of California, Berkeley (1984)
AFFILIATIONS & REGISTRATIONS
Member, Urban Land Institute (2009-Present)
Member, American Society of Landscape Architects (1989-Present)
Member, San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (1998-Present)
SELECTED AWARDS
AIA San Mateo County Merit Award – Cañada College Kinesiology and Wellness Center, 2022
Community College Facility Coalition, Award of Excellence for Specialized Facility – College of Marin New Miwok Center, 2022
Community College Facility Coalition, Award of Honor for Project in Design – College of Marin Integrated Learning Resources Center, 2022
AIA East Bay Merit Award – Cañada College Kinesiology and Wellness Center, 2021
American Public Works Association, Sacramento Chapter, Project of the Year Award – Elk Grove District 56 Community Center, 2021
California Park & Recreation Society Excellence in Design/Facility Design, Yorba Linda Library & Cultural Arts Center, 2021
AIA California Honor Award for Urban Design – Downtown Dublin Preferred Vision, 2021
ASCE Community Improvement Project of the Year – Yorba Linda Public Library & Cultural Arts Center, 2021
Engineering News-Record Award of Merit for Best California Cultural/Worship Project – Yorba Linda Public Library & Cultural Arts Center, 2021
Engineering News-Record Award of Merit for Best California Higher Education/Research Project – Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness Building, 2021