Merritt Chase is a landscape architecture and urban design firm founded by Chris Merritt and Nina Chase. We work locally and have been recognized nationally for our public space designs and research. We believe in the power and value of great urban outdoor places. Streets, plazas, gardens, parks, waterfronts, and campuses are the shared spaces that make cities lively and diverse, and we are dedicated to positioning these urban landscapes as the foundational building blocks of cities. With the urban landscape as our medium, we approach each project as a unique opportunity to think intentionally about history, culture, and ecology to create meaningful public spaces in cities.

Our work is a collection of diverse projects that builds momentum for the transformation of the public realm. We work at multiple scales and phases of projects from conceptual master plans to constructed spaces, from temporary installations to permanent landscapes. Regardless of scale, budget, or phase, we work with a community to design both a process and a project to explore the potential of the public realm. We engage, test, and question how public spaces can be unique to their region and reflective of the communities that inhabit them. We work through a clear design process to realize innovative and thoughtful public spaces. Our approach results in constructed landscapes deeply informed by research, history, and community process.