We are landscape architects and urban designers.

We are dedicated to planning and designing
meaningful and memorable public places.

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.

We invite you to connect with us to learn more. 

Merritt Chase is a woman-owned business and is Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certified. 

Chris is a landscape architect and founding Principal of Merritt Chase. His work focuses on the design of culturally significant public landscapes in complex social, ecological, and infrastructural contexts. His clients include public agencies, communities, institutions, and private developers. His previous project experiences with Sasaki range from urban design master plans to detailed site designs. Chris has received recognition for his work with awards from the Urban Land Institute, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Chris is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Purdue University. He currently serves on the Curatorial Advisory Committee for Exhibit Columbus.

Nina is a founding Principal of Merritt Chase. As a registered landscape architect, Nina works to position public spaces as the foundational building blocks of communities. Born and raised in West Virginia, Nina is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and West Virginia University. She is formerly an Associate at Sasaki and the Senior Project Manager at Riverlife. Nina’s work has received national recognition from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Landscape Architecture Foundation, and the Architectural League of New York. Nina's professional experience is additionally informed by a commitment to the design community through teaching, writing, and volunteering. Nina frequently lectures and serves as a design critic nationally and internationally. Nina is formerly an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon's School of Architecture and an emeritus board member of the Landscape Architecture Foundation. Nina is currently the Co-Chair of the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council and a member of the Lawrenceville Corporation Board.

Alex is a landscape architect and Associate with Merritt Chase. Alex’s work expresses the natural and cultural histories of places. His designs strive to provide coherence with the past while creating equitable landscapes that meet the challenges of today. Before joining Merritt Chase, Alex was a project manager and design leader at Reed Hilderbrand, where he honed his design and construction administration experience on a variety of project types and scales with precision and sensitivity to meet the unique needs of each project. Recently he worked on two public parks that were federally funded by the Rebuild by Design and National Disaster Resiliency competitions. The parks seamlessly integrate into historic communities, providing opportunities for recreation and protection from chronic flooding. Alex’s professional work has been recognized by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and as a student, his work received an national honor award from the ASLA. As a graduate of The Ohio State University and resident of the Midwest, Alex is dedicated to revealing the stories of Middle American landscapes and beyond.

John is an Associate and registered landscape architect with Merritt Chase. He has experience managing a wide range of projects from strategic master planning design guidelines to small-scale design and construction administration of public spaces throughout the United States. Before joining Merritt Chase, John was an Associate at Oehme, van Sweden and a Planning Professional at HOK, in Washington D.C. In addition to being involved in ASLA and lecturing nationally, John teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses on digital design technologies and construction at the University of Maryland. John studied landscape architecture and urban design at Harvard's Graduate School of Design and West Virginia University. Raised on a farm south of Pittsburgh, PA, John's design sensibilities draw from a family history of craftspeople and his current experimentations with wood and metal ranging from architectural installations to tableware.

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Danica is a landscape designer with Merritt Chase. Her design work and research examine interconnected ecological and social systems in the public realm. Previously, Danica worked at Reed Hilderbrand and SCAPE, where she gained experience planning and designing vibrant places that build on the history, culture, and ecology of a site. Danica is a graduate of the Harvard GSD and the University of California, Davis. Her research on the agricultural landscape change of olive tree cultivation in Italy was supported by the Penny White Project Fund. Her work has received recognition from the Sierra Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and she is the recipient of the Peter Walker & Partners Fellowship for Landscape Architecture. Danica’s approach to landscape architecture is shaped by the synergy between practice, teaching, and service. She is a former adjunct faculty member at Boston Architectural College and Co-Chair of the BSLA Emerging Professionals Committee.

Gabriella is a landscape designer with Merritt Chase. Her work has ranged from practice and research, across disciplines, scales, and mediums. Prior to joining Merritt Chase, Gabriella was a design leader and project manager at Eponymous Practice and Reed Hilderbrand where she worked on high-profile, large-scale projects. Gabriella holds both Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) and Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design (MLAUD) degrees from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and a BA in Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Architecture, where she earned a certificate in historic preservation. Gabriella is a former Co-Chair of the BSLA Emerging Professionals Committee. She also created watercolor illustrations for Silvia Benedito’s book Atmosphere Anatomies and collaborated with Rosetta Elkin on the Tiny Taxonomy exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, contributing drawings and research.

Paityn is a landscape designer with Merritt Chase. Her design work focuses on communicating and interpreting complex ideas and translating them into simple designs and concepts. Paityn’s expertise includes master planning, design, and public outreach. Her interest in landscape architecture originates from her desire to use design as a tool for seeking equity and inclusivity in public spaces. Paityn is a graduate of the Ohio State University. While there, she was an active board member of the National Organization of Minority Architects Students and received a William A. Behnke ’51 Associates, Inc. Minority Scholarship and Knowlton Studio Award in 2018. Paityn has also been a panelist at the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter 2021 conference; the panel discussion was Authentic Engagement is More than Outreach, how actively involving the community can achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes, relationships, dialogue, or action. Prior to joining Merritt Chase, Paityn worked at Environmental Planning and Design and The Neighborhood Design Center.

Craig is a registered Landscape Architect and Associate with Merritt Chase. He is nationally experienced, having worked on projects in over 20 states while working in offices in Indianapolis, Denver, and Nashville. Most recently, he worked with Anderson+Bohlander as a senior project manager, focusing on urban infrastructure and infill, historic industrial reuse, green roofs and neighborhood scale urban design. Early career roles in landscape construction equipped Craig with first hand knowledge of how sites are built, allowing him to troubleshoot design concepts before breaking ground. He earned his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Urban Design degrees from Ball State University. As both an urbanist and naturalist, Craig’s work seeks to find connection and balance between the built environment and the natural world. He is active with the Indiana Native Plant Society, Indy Urban Acres, the Indianapolis Parks Alliance and INASLA, where he serves on several committees and volunteers his time. He is also a certified Indiana Master Naturalist and scout leader, where he works to inspire the next generation of outdoor stewards.