Environments by Design

Ariana Cantu has spent 24 years as an organizer and social work practitioner, working alongside diverse populations to address issues of oppression, inequity, lack of access to basic needs, homelessness, and poverty. She is guided by a community-centered ethic, both for the profession in social justice work and in the classroom, to be engaged in activities that lead to the collective liberation of us all. Her role as an Instructor is to prepare students for leadership and adaptability in meeting present moment challenges by cultivating their strengths. Through an iterative learning environment that links theory to social justice practice in the field. Ariana was awarded the Global Innovation Fund Teaching & Curriculum Award from the University of Washington (UW) in July 2020 to work in partnership with University of Namibia faculty on a global student exchange.She, along with Mackenzie, was awarded the UW Community & Curriculum Innovation Scholars Award in November 2020. Ariana holds a Bachelor of Social Welfare and Masters in Social Work, both from the University of Washington.

Mackenzie has years of experience teaching both undergraduate and graduate level studios and seminars in landscape architecture, architecture, and urban design at the University of Washington College of Built Environments where her teaching focuses on addressing neighborhood change through community engagement. As a founding principal of Seattle based Broad Design Group her practice aims to design projects that embrace and celebrate authentic uniqueness, without ducking the complexities of the real world. Spanning art, architecture, and landscape, project typologies center on action oriented research, expanding project stakeholders, integrating community knowledge, and developing tangible sets of steps towards implementation. Mackenzie holds Masters of landscape architecture and architecture from the University of Washington, and a BA in political economy from UC Berkeley.