In this week’s conversation, I speak with Sara Zewde, principal of Studio Zewde, the Harlem-based landscape architecture, urban design, and public art firm. Sara is Assistant Professor of Practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Hebbert Award for Contribution to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT and the Silberburg Memorial Award for Urban Design. Sara was named the 2014 National Olmsted Scholar by the Landscape Architecture Foundation, a 2016 Artist-in-Residence at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and in 2018, was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's inaugural "40 Under 40" list. Most recently, she was named a 2020 United States Artists Fellow. We explore her voluminous and wide-ranging design methodology - a practice that’s powered by site interpretation, cultural narrative, and a dedication to the craft of construction. Zewde’s philosophy centers on shaping the spaces she designs to reflect and respect their psychological impact on those who will inhabit them.