Kristen Reardon
With a background in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design, Senior Associate Kristen Reardon leads projects of all scales from public open spaces to residential terraces. Her work is informed by extensive risk analysis, particularly regarding climate resilience. Recent projects include a 35-acre urban nature preserve in Arverne East, Queens; the transformation of a parking lot into a resilient maritime dune ecology integrated with educational exhibits at the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center; a publicly accessible waterfront esplanade at the Durst Organization’s Hallets Point Development; the extension of New Jersey’s first stormwater park at Hoboken Southwest Park; and amenity terraces at residential buildings across New York. Kristen received her Master’s of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and her Bachelor’s in Landscape Architecture from Cornell.
Representative Projects:
Parks
Southwest “Resiliency” Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Jones Beach, NY=
Jones Beach West Games, Jones Beach, NY
Arverne East Nature Preserve, L+M Development Partners, Queens, New York
Seaside Park, Brooklyn, NY
Elmont Road Park, Hempstead, NY
Large Scale Sites Plans + Housing
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Halletts Point Waterfront Development, Queens, NY
25 Park Row, New York, NY
5th Avenue Development, New York, NY
Lexington Gardens, New York, NY
495 11th Avenue, New York, NY
Orient Point, Private Residence, Long Island, NY
Halletts Point 7, Queens, NY
Lecount Place High Rise, New Rochelle, NY
Equinox Hudson Yards Development Roof Tops, New York, NY
USTA National Tennis Center, Queens, NY*
White Plains Hospital, White Plains, NY*
Shenyang Senior Living Development, Shenyang, China*
Trails and Transit
Empire State Trail Manhattan Gateways, New York, NY
Hudson North Bay Connector, Hudson, NY
Climate Resilience Planning
A Vision for a Resilient East Harlem, New York, NY
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
Senior Associate Ryan Castro brings over 10 years of experience managing and designing a wide range of project types—from residential landscapes, to campuses and roof gardens, to urban design and master planning work. With a detailed problem-solving approach, he has worked on and coordinated dozens of urban parks in all phases of design through construction. At Starr Whitehouse, Ryan is currently supporting the ambitious reconstruction of the great lawn and lakeshore at Bear Mountain State Park. Ryan is passionate about immersive, engaging, and interesting spaces that create calm within the everyday chaos. He was a Presidential Scholar at Rhode Island School of Design, where he obtained his Master’s in Landscape Architecture, and holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology.
Representative Projects:
Parks and Playground Design
Dinosaur Playground Restoration, Riverside Park, New York, NY
Bear Mountain State Park Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Bartlett Playground, Brooklyn, NY*
Maple Playground, Queens, NY*
Lower Highland East Playground and Comfort Station, Queens, NY*
FDNY-EMT Yadira Arroyo Playground, Bronx, NY*
Playground 134, Bronx, NY*
Longfellow Playground, Bronx, NY*
Lyon Square Playground, Bronx, NY*
Little Claremont Playground, Bronx, NY*
South Rochdale Playground, Queens, NY*
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Destination Greenways! Leif Ericson Park to Verrazzano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
Destination Greenways! Plan, Queens/Brooklyn, NY*
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
116th Police Precinct Station House Landscape, Queens, NY
Barnard College, Manhattan, NY*
NYU Langone Tisch Courtyard, Manhattan, NY*
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
With a background in architecture, landscape architecture and urban design, Senior Associate Ankita Gupta brings wide-ranging design and implementation experience to the Starr Whitehouse team. As a project manager, Ankita coordinates complex efforts with intersecting stakeholders and approvals. She currently manages the Starr Whitehouse-led consultant team on NYC Parks’ Freshkills South Park, the first phase of reclamation at what was once the world’s largest landfill. In the Bronx, she is working closely with an interdisciplinary team of engineers to lead landscape design for the daylighting of historic Tibbetts Brook from Van Cortlandt Park deep into the surrounding neighborhoods. Other experience includes landscape designs for affordable housing developments in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as fitness parks, playgrounds, sports facilities, streetscapes, green infrastructure guidelines, climate resilience studies, hospitality landscapes, and master planning for mixed-use developments. Ankita received her Bachelor’s in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and her Master’s in Landscape Urbanism from the Architectural Association, London.
Representative Projects:
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Tibbetts Brook Daylighting, Bronx, NY
FDR Promenade, Manhattan, NY
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Flatlands Yards DOT Maintenance Facility Feasibility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Spring Creek 4C, Brooklyn, NY
Atlantic Chestnut Building 1-4 Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Compass Residences Affordable Housing, Bronx, NY
Greenpoint Hospital Redevelopment, Brooklyn, NY
Apex Place, Queens, NY
StuyTown Fitness Park, New York, NY
Story Avenue Apartments, Bronx, NY
NextGeneration Holmes Towers, New York, NY
Bellevue Hospital, New York, NY
NYCSCA 375Q Public School Playground, Queens, NY
Phipps Lambert Houses, Bronx, New York
Park Design
Freshkills South Park, Staten Island, NY
Governor’s Island, New York, NY
Aubrey Sabba is a registered landscape architect in Starr Whitehouse’s Atlanta studio. She brings 15 years’ experience on a breadth of project types from natural resource-based design for clients including the National Park Service and US Forest Service, to large and small urban parks, trail feasibility studies, and cemetery and community master plan documents. Her work on projects of various scales has taught her how to design for the big picture while focusing on critical details that impact experience of the landscape. At Starr Whitehouse she leverages this experience to support projects of all types for clients across the Atlanta metro region. Current work includes Roswell River Parks and a hospitality landscape in downtown Atlanta. Aubrey holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University where she published a thesis: Promoting Sustainable Greenroofs through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), that examined how LEED credits could better promote sustainable extensive greenroofs through the rating system. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science/Horticulture from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Roswell River Parks, Roswell, GA
Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin, NY
Atlanta BeltLine Enota Park Expansion Design Services, Atlanta, GA*
Woodruff Park Strategic Plan, Atlanta, GA*
Centennial Olympic Park Vision 2020, Atlanta, GA*
Flamingo Master Plan and Design Program, Everglades National Park, FL*
William Cameron Park 100 Year Master Plan and Renovations, Waco, TX*
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Georgia Tech North Avenue Visioning, Atlanta, GA
North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, GA
Belt-Shore Parkway Bridge Rehabilitation, Brooklyn, NY
South Fork Conservancy Trail Expansion Feasibility Study, Atlanta, GA*
Campbellton Crossroads Historic District Master Plan, Chattahoochee Hills and
South Fulton, GA*
Colorado Springs Utilities Trails and Trailhead Design, CO*
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School Expansion Feasibility Study, Atlanta, GA
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Canopy Walk and Nature Preserve, Atlanta,
GA*
One Museum Place, Atlanta, GA*
YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch Camp Chief Ouray, Granby, CO*
Walking Box Ranch, Searchlight, NV*
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
With a background in fine art and philosophy, Phil crafts the narratives and graphic materials that communicate Starr Whitehouse’s vision.
Associate and Landscape Architect Chris Anderson comes to Starr Whitehouse with several years of operations experience, gained working for the National Park Service and Gowanus Canal Conservancy. Building on this operational know-how, he has honed a versatile skill set geared towards construction, project management, and design team coordination. From overseeing the implementation of New Jersey’s first resilience park in Hoboken, NJ, to coordinating the re-design of 35-acre St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx, to managing the completion of six new gateway plazas across New York’s ambitious Empire State Trail system, Chris has become an invaluable member of Starr Whitehouse’s project management corps. Since relocating to the Upper Hudson Valley in 2020, Chris has been active in establishing Starr Whitehouse’s Hudson Studio, where he works with Director Gail Wittwer-Laird on projects for state, county, and local government in communities across the state. Recent work includes the DRI-funded reconstruction of historic Promenade Hill Park in Hudson, NY, the reconstruction of a community park and regional trout fishing hub for the New York Power Authority in Hamlin, NY, and over half a dozen projects for the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Bear Mountain State Park Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Waterfront Park Design, New York, NY
Scout Park, Hamlin, NY
Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin, NY
Battery Playscape, New York, NY
Hoboken Southwest Park, Hoboken, NJ
Thompson Park Master Plan, Watertown, NY
Promenade Hill Park Reconstruction & Plaza Redesign Hudson, NY
Bronson Park Vision, Hudson, NY
St. Mary’s Master Plan and Reconstruction, Bronx, NY
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
New Windsor Cantonment Accessibility Improvements New Windsor, NY
NYPA Reimagine the Canals Guidelines New York, NY
Harlem Greenway Link Study, New York, NY
NYS Parks Empire State Trail Gateways, Multiple Sites, New York State
Gowanus Greenscape Master Plan, Brooklyn, NY*
Fresh Creek Coastal Resiliency, Brooklyn, NY
NYPA Reimagine the Canals Guidelines New York, NY
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Woodstock Residence, Woodstock, NY
Bedford Green House, Bronx, NY
Mill Brook Houses, Bronx, NY
Coney Island Affordable Housing Development, Brooklyn, NY
Covenant House Young Adult Shelter, New York, NY
Cunningham Park Garage, Queens, NY
Crossroads Development Plaza, Bronx, NY
StuyTown Fitness Playground, New York, NY
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
Associate and Landscape Architect Yi Yang brings 7 years of experience with a variety of project types ranging from residential spaces to commercial, institutional, and public parks. She honed a wide array of skillsets from her work across different phases of projects, including solving design challenges, developing construction documentation, project management, and interdisciplinary design team coordination. Her recent work at Starr Whitehouse includes the rehabilitation of Belt Parkway, concept design for the Recreation Area at Tallman Mountain State Park, and overall landscape design for the redevelopment of the Green Point Hospital Complex. She has also been supporting the construction documents for the expansion and improvements of Bear Mountain State Park. Yi received her master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a registered Landscape Architect in New York State.
Representative Projects:
Belt Parkway Rehabilitation, New York, NY
Tallman Mountain State Park, Sparkill, NY
Greenpoint Hospital Redevelopment, Brooklyn, NY
Queens Plaza Park, Queens, NY
Atlantic Chestnut, Brooklyn, NY
Marsha P Johnson State Park, Brooklyn, NY
Freshkills South Park Master Plan and Phase 1, Staten Island, NY
TOS Riverside Park – Conceptual Park Design, Southampton, NY*
Hampton Boathouses – Townhouse Development, Southampton, NY*
Canoe Place Inn – Restoration of the historical Canoe Place Inn, Southampton,
NY*
* Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
Associate, Urban Designer and Assistant Studio Director Huanyu Chen plays a critical role in project visualization and production management at Starr Whitehouse. As Assistant Studio Director, Huanyu works closely with senior staff to improve project production and management workflows. Frequently called on to distill urban systems, client needs, and community desires into clear schematic designs, Huanyu brings deep expertise in graphic technologies and production management. He developed a digital model and GIS data to support the team’s resilience study and design of a new 7-acre waterfront park for Manhattan Greenway Harlem River; generated an updatable Lumion model to register real-time evolutions in the site design of Durst’s Queens Plaza Park Development; and developed rendered plans and perspectives to build consensus around an open-air market at the Luna Corporate Plaza in Sao Paulo. He also brings technical knowledge of NYC standards, including DOT’s Street Design Manual, NYC Parks Standard Details and DCP zoning. For Safe Routes to Transit – 86th Street, he coordinated inputs from the engineer, NYC DDC, and NYC DOT to design streetscape enhancement options. Huanyu completed his Master’s of Science in Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia University, where he focused on landscape infrastructure and reshaping the public realm, and Bachelor of Engineering in Urban Planning at Wuhan University, where he focused on spatial analysis.
Representative Projects:
Bear Mountain Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Waterfront Park Design, New York, NY
East Shore Shoreline Parks Resilience Plan, Staten Island, NY
Marsha P Johnson State Park Public Outreach and Park Design, Brooklyn, NY
Union Square Streetscape and Lighting Plan, New York, NY
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Jones Beach State Park, NY
Harlem Greenway Link 2, New York, NY
Freshkills South Park, Staten Island, NY
Arverne East Nature Preserve, L+M Development Partners, Queens, New York
New Windsor Cantonment Accessibility Improvements New Windsor, NY
New Rochelle Transit-Oriented Development, New Rochelle, NY
Broadway Boulevard Plaza, New York, NY
DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Mobility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Vine Street Waterfront Development, Philadelphia, PA
Queens Plaza Park Development, Queens, NY
Luna Corporate Park and Food Market, São Paulo, Brazil
Empire State Trail Canalway, Tonawanda, NY
Brooklyn Bridge Esplanade, New York, NY
Anderson Park, New Rochelle, NY
NYPA Reimagine the Canals Guidelines New York, NY
StuyTown Fitness Park, New York, NY
Seward Park Coops, New York, NY
375 Pearl Plaza, New York, NY
Elmont Road Park, Long Island, NY
Bedford Green House, New York, NY
Intergate.Manhattan, New York, NY
Carroll Park Community Vision Plan, Brooklyn, NY
Lower Manhattan Mobility Analysis, New York, NY*
Erie Canal Infrastructure Transformation Study, New York State*
*Work done before joining Starr Whitehouse.
Associate and Landscape Architect Tim Webster works out of Starr Whitehouse’s Hudson studio. Tim brings a background in residential, hospitality and institutional landscapes of the Hudson Valley and Berkshires, with experience executing projects from concept design through construction administration. At Starr Whitehouse, Tim has contributed to concept design for Brooklyn Greenways and applied GIS and visualization skills to a variety of projects. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship and was nominated for a Boston Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award. Tim also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Studio from Hunter College, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Representative Projects:
Park and Plaza Design
Public Square Park Renovation, Hudson, NY
Charles Williams Park, Hudson, NY
New Windsor Cantonment Accessibility Improvements New Windsor, NY
Letchworth State Park Pool Study, Letchworth NY
Fort Niagara State Park Pool Study, Fort Niagara, NY
Riverside Dino Playground, New York, NY
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Philmont Summit Lake, Philmont, NY
Catskill Hospitality Landscape, Catskill, NY
Flatlands Yards DOT Maintenance Facility Feasibility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Destination Greenways! Leif Ericson Park to Verrazzano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
Tibbetts Brook Daylighting, Bronx, NY
A native Staten Islander, Senior Urban Designer Madha Nawal applies her background in architectural design to support a range of projects at all phases. For NYC OMB and NYC DOT’s Greening the FDR Drive study, she leads the community engagement process and visualizes conceptual approaches. For The LINC, a new highway-to-linear-park-conversion project in New Rochelle, she developed schematic design studies. For the Yonkers Climate Action Plan, she completed urban analytics, mapping, and visualization studies. Madha received her Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from Northeastern University in 2022. Prior to joining Starr Whitehouse, she interned at WORKac and Handel Architects.
Representative Projects:
Climate Resilience Planning
Climate Strong Communities, New York, NY
Corona Cloudburst Hub, Queens, NY
East Shore Shoreline Parks Resilience Plan, Staten Island, NY
Yonkers Climate Action Plan, Yonkers, NY
GreenThumb Irrigation Plan & EIS New York, NY
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
East Village / Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study, New York, NY
The LINC Highway to Park Conversion, New Rochelle, NY
Williamsburg IBIA Development Public Realm, Brooklyn, NY
WORKac Water Works Exhibit, Bruges, Belgium*
River House Residence, Rhode Island*
Large Scale Site Plans + Housing
Clarkson Estates Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Hybrid Industrial/ Commercial Development, Brooklyn, NY
Park Design
Bear Mountain Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse.