07/10/2026
Meet Soumik Roy.
He's spending the summer with us as part of AGL's "What's the Big Idea?" internship, bringing fresh ideas, curiosity, and a healthy appreciation for the power of a sketchbook (and coffee).
We asked Soumik a few questions to learn more about what inspires him, the places he'd redesign, and why he believes great public spaces can compete with screen time. His answers remind us why we love this profession—it's equal parts creativity, problem-solving, and imagining what our communities could become.
Q: What drew you to landscape architecture?
A: I always wanted a profession where sketching in a park could count as work. Landscape architecture turned out to be exactly that plus a lot of problem-solving and creativity.
Q: If you could redesign any place in the world, what would it be? A: Parking lots. They take up so much space, yet they're often treated as an afterthought. There's huge potential to make them greener, more functional, and actually enjoyable places to move through.
Q: What's one landscape architecture project, park, or public space that inspires you?
A: High Line in New York. It took an old railway and turned it into one of the coolest public spaces in the world. That's the kind of transformation that makes me think, "Okay, this profession is pretty cool."
Q: Coffee, energy drinks, or pure determination?
A: Coffee gets me started. Deadlines bring out the pure determination.
Q: What's your "big idea" for making communities better?
A: Designing spaces so engaging that people accidentally spend more time outdoors than scrolling on their phones.
Q: When you're not designing, where can we find you?
A: Probably watching anime, experimenting with a new recipe, or convincing myself that cooking counts as another creative outlet.
We're so grateful to have Soumik on the team this summer and look forward seeing what comes of his Big Ideas! Can you guess where Soumik’s work this summer is being focused?
