Logan Chin and Natalie Mufalli (2026)

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Organization

Trust for Public Land – Atlanta Office

Short Biographies

Logan Chin and Natalie Mufalli
  • Logan
    • I am an undergraduate landscape architecture student at Rutgers University interested in ecological design, urban spaces, and community engagement. During my internship with The Trust for Public Land (TPL) in Atlanta, I worked on the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, contributing to community engagement, site research, public outreach, and social media. The experience gave me valuable insight into how landscape architecture can connect environmental planning, public space, and community needs.
  • Natalie
    • I am an undergraduate landscape architecture student interested in how public spaces can bring people together and create a stronger sense of place. During my internship with Trust for Public Land’s Atlanta office, I worked around the Chattahoochee River corridor and gained a deeper understanding of how public engagement can shape the development of a landscape and the health of the river. Working alongside communities and learning from the people who know these places best showed me how design can respond to local stories, needs, and aspirations. This strengthened my interest in creating public spaces that feel accessible and connected to the communities they serve.

Project Descriptions

  • Chattahoochee Brick
    • Planned:
      •  Memorial + riverfront park honoring victims of convict leasing, with trails, ecological restoration, and public river access.
    • Current State:
      •  Environmental cleanup and community-driven park design are underway.
Birdseye rendering of highway bridge over Chattahooche River with developed area in background.
  • McIntosh Reserve
    • Planned:
      • Enhancements to the existing riverfront park, including improved trails, recreation, camping, and additional boat ramps.
Wooden pavilion in wooded area.
Line of trees in front of grassy lawn with wooded area in background.
  • Lower Paul Park
    • Planned
      • New 26-acre riverfront park featuring trails, gathering spaces, natural areas, environmental education, and connections to the Atlanta RiverLands.
Waterway with industrial building to left, vegetation covered water edge to right with utility poles overhead running into the background.
Greenish water surrounded by vegetation with power lines overhead.

Final Reflection

  1. Let yourself slow down
    1. Our internship changed the pace of our lives for two months. We had time to observe, ask questions, travel to sites, talk to people, and experience landscapes instead of constantly rushing toward the next studio deadline.
  2. Design is more than drawing
    1. Designing for a community looks different from traditional ideas of design. It is not always about sitting down to produce drawings or develop a final design solution. Often, meetings are held, and conversation with the community must happen to move the design process forward.
  3. Pay attention to the scale of what you’re working towards
    1. The RiverLands vision involves projects that can cost millions of dollars and affect communities for decades. As future designers, there is a lot to wrap your head around when you realize the responsibility behind these decisions.
  4. Understand that the internship isn’t necessarily about finding your “mission”
    1. TPL’s mission is to connect people to the river through a network of parks and trails. Our mission as interns was to learn. We were learning how these enormous ideas become real projects and what role we might eventually play in making them happen.