Mary Quinlan CSLA, AALA, MLA, B.Sc.
Director
City of CalgarySixteen years of professional practice as a Landscape Architect has afforded Mary extensive experience working with municipalities, developers, and the general public. This background allows her to understand a range of perspectives and to communicate in a way that allows people to appreciate and understand that it is possible to make development greener while raising the profile of sustainability in the planning process. As a City of Calgary employee Mary is helping internal and external representatives see matters facing our City as opportunities for environmental resiliency through a design-driven perspective.
As a Landscape Architect Mary not only respects the engineering and water treatment benefits of stormwater design, but she also appreciates how these designs can contribute to a community through increased green infrastructure, habitat, and amenities. Mary is a proponent for the introduction of low impact development at the outset of community development to support large-scale drought management and watershed protection. Mary advocates for the cross-functional collaboration of Staged Master Drainage Plan (SMDP) review and approval which allows elements including irrigation, LID, topsoil volumes, and plant species selection to align with each distinct development. She believes that this approach is also advantageous for small scale design of private lots which increases public education and attention to environmental protection while providing community wide social and economic benefits. The effective implementation of stormwater management principles and practices at the outset of the community planning process is key to the enduring success of our developing communities.