Rebecca Hinch

Education

MLA, University of Virginia
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Through & Practice and Psychology, University of Virginia

Biography

Rebecca is a recent graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Virginia, where she developed interests in inclusive public spaces, narrative-driven planting design, and new models for maintenance in landscape architecture. With a background in policy and research, she is passionate about making outdoor spaces that connect with and provide services to the broader public, including the plants, animals and other nonhuman entities that we share space with.

Prior to graduate school, Rebecca attended the University of Virginia’s College of Arts & Sciences to obtain Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Environmental Thought & Practice and Psychology. She combined ideas from the two programs of study to complete a thesis project that explored the influence of psychological predispositions on the perception of outdoor spaces. From 2014-2015, Rebecca also conducted research for the School of Architecture’s Center for Cultural Landscapes. In 2016, Rebecca moved to Brooklyn, NY to work for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). While at TNC, she completed a research fellowship that included assessing domestic and international cities' urban forestry strategies, as well as considering the potential for greater civilian engagement in urban forest maintenance.

As a graduate student, Rebecca became an active member of both teaching teams and student groups at the School of Architecture. She was a teaching assistant for a variety of foundational courses, including the Summer Design Institute of 2020. Rebecca led the Student Association of Landscape Architecture and Design during the 2019-2020 school year, which included a successful campaign to raise the hourly wage for student teaching and research assistants. She also assisted in reviving design research and experimentation at Milton Land Lab, a rural floodplain site owned by the University in Albemarle County. In 2021, she received the ASLA Certificate of Honor “in recognition of a sustained level of outstanding performance in the study of Landscape Architecture and the promise of significance in the profession.”

Rebecca currently lives in Richmond, VA, where she works as a landscape designer at Waterstreet Studio. At Waterstreet, her project list includes a range of public, commercial and private residential landscapes that are designed with a site-specific and ecologically sensitive approach. She is open to freelance work for the right project.