ILLUSTRATION by SERGE BLOCH

Landscape architect Michael Dollin approaches urban design with an artistic edge

It was 1989, at the height of a national recession. After nearly 10 years of working with large corporate design firms, Michael Dollin decided to take a leap of faith and start his own landscape architecture practice in Phoenix. Although he and his wife, Sheri, were preparing for the birth of their second daughter, and the real estate market was in a slump, he was confident in his abilities as a designer and collaborator.

Almost 19 years later, Dollin has a portfolio that boasts projects ranging from the Barry Goldwater Memorial, University of Phoenix Stadium, and Phoenix’s Heritage Square and Science Park, to residential jobs that showcase his affinity for hip gardenscapes that incorporate environmentally responsible design. “We can make our environments more functional and habitable by using plants that offset carbon emissions and that use water prudently,” he notes.

Dollin says he has always had an interest in urban planning and architecture, and aptly named his company Urban Earth Design. “It was tough at first, and the work was slow in coming,” he recalls. To supplement his income, he taught urban design and landscape architecture at Arizona State University. Many of his students went on to become planners, landscape architects and real estate developers. To this day he is affiliated with the College of Design.

Photo by Michael Dollin Specimen cacti and drought-tolerant plantings frame the entry to a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Growing up in the fertile environs of Cincinnati, Dollin developed a love for plants and an interest in art and entrepreneurship. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona and gaining experience in several multidisciplinary firms in Texas and Arizona, he started his own business. Since then, Dollin has built up Urban Earth Design to include eight talented designers who work on jobs ranging from high-end residential properties to downtown revitalization projects.

Virginia A. Simpson, a member of the Paradise Valley, Arizona, town council, remembers collaborating with Dollin on the Barry Goldwater Memorial. “I saw him transform a flat dirt canvas into a three-dimensional vision befitting the story we wanted to tell,” she reports. “The result was unique and beyond our expectations. No wonder my husband and I hired him for our own backyard.”

Dollin’s company has amassed numerous awards, and recently he gained national attention for projects across Arizona and in Nevada and New Mexico. Currently, he and his staff are preparing to launch a line of “green” outdoor furniture.