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  • Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington 
  • Bachelor of Arts, American Literature, Middlebury College 
  • Licensed Landscape Architect, Washington 

Katy Saunders 

Associate 2 - Landscape Architect

PLA 




Katy is a landscape architect and urban designer who draws from a diverse background of design and planning projects. She was motivated to become a designer to help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change. A systems-thinker, Katy’s approach to urban design is deeply informed by the natural processes on which our cities and communities depend. 

Katy enjoys working collaboratively with clients and community members, helping them to grapple with complex challenges and create a more inclusive and positive vision of the future. At MAKERS, she has worked on streetscape and mobility projects, subarea plans, and several complex site planning projects. Katy’s professional interests include climate change mitigation and adaptation, community resilience, environmental justice, green infrastructure, and sustainable urban design.

  • Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington 
  • Bachelor of Arts, American Literature, Middlebury College 
  • Licensed Landscape Architect, Washington 

Get To Know Katy

What are you happiest doing when you’re not working? Introducing my three young children to the fields, forests, and waters of the PNW. 

What’s your favorite book or podcast? Life is too short for favorites, but the stories that I continue to think about well after reading include Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (no relation, unfortunately), Beloved by Toni Morrison, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, The Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, and anything by Zadie Smith. 

If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Rapid sequestration - Quickly capturing large amounts of carbon directly from the air and transforming it into playful public art.