Alum in Action: Jieya Yu featured as part of ASLA's Women in Landscape Architecture

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Jieya Yu (MLA '22)
Landscape Designer
Michael Vergason Landscape Architects

Alumna Jieya Yu (MLA '22) was recently featured in the American Society of Landscape Architects' Voices of Women in Landscape Architecture profile series which focuses on the experience and contributions of women in the profession. 

Yu is a landscape designer at Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and her diverse professional experiences in Seattle, Aspen, and Shanghai exposed her to a wide range of projects, including urban planning, parks, city streets, campuses, and commercial spaces. While at UVA, Yu developed a deep interest for cultural landscapes and in her work, she enjoys the process of uncovering the unique character of each place and translating intangible qualities into tangible, detailed designs.

For the ASLA's Voices of Women series, Yu shared what inspired her to pursue landscape architecture, who her role models are, and more. Excerpts from the Q+A are shared below.

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

My sensitivity and sensibility allow me to deeply connect with nature. I find immense inspiration in simple moments—lying on a lawn, feeling the earth beneath me, or tracing the path of leaf veins as they tell the life story of a 300-year-old tree. 

Landscape is where I feel most present, yet most connected to a broader world.

In this digital age, I’m drawn to creating physical spaces beyond the screen—places that can be touched, smelled, and felt. I want to build environments where people can fully experience the present and create lasting memories.

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

Beth Meyer, FASLA, my professor at UVA and lifelong mentor, introduced me to the world of cultural landscapes. She helped me discover my own design philosophy: to design with empathy and compassion. Through her guidance, I began to see the landscape as a multilayered medium, interweaving function, form, ecology, social responsibility, memory, and emotion. 

[Beth Meyer] encouraged me to explore the relationship between the tangible and intangible elements of place—how they come together to tell a story.

Beata Boodell Corcoran, ASLA, is my principal at Michael Vergason Landscape Architects (MVLA). I respect and appreciate her ability to balance all aspects of leading a landscape firm—focusing on the big picture and story while fully understanding the details, being proactive and inspiring to clients, and at the same time, caring and loving to those around her. She gives space for autonomy while offering sharp insight and just the right amount of guidance.

There are also many women whose work continually guides and motivates me: Sara Zewde’s community-centered design process; Kathryn Gustafson’s expressive, sculptural landscapes; Kate Orff, FASLA’s powerful big-picture planning and storytelling. And I want to give a heartfelt shoutout to my brilliant colleagues: Lan Hogue,  Jessica Fegley,ASLA, Yu Xiao, Associate ASLA, and Ana Quintana Zazurca, International ASLA.

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

I’m especially proud of our work on the newly opened Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As part of the city’s downtown revitalization, the park sits in the middle of new development comprised of a baseball stadium, a parking garage, and planned future additions like offices and apartments. Our design focuses on creating a welcoming, active gathering space in the heart of town.

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On what was once a post-industrial empty lot, we sculpted a sloped lawn that faces the ballpark, anchored by a granite seat wall that invites people to linger. The shaded plaza, supported by a soil cell system, offers a cooling threshold between the building and the lawn. With only a fence separating the park from the stadium seating, the space feels open and shared—connecting game-day excitement with everyday urban life.

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This park offers a new type of public space for Spartanburg. Families are now making downtown their weekend destination. 

My favorite element is the cheap berm seating beside the fence—informal, simple, and full of life. 

Thanks to the Spartanburg fans who fill this space with their energy and spirit.