David Rubin

Member since: 2026

Proposed by: Four Counties Garden Club, Zone V

Seconded by: The Garden Club of Philadelphia, Zone V

Founding principal of Philadelphia-based DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, the 2011 recipient of the GCA/Prince Charitable Trusts Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture, and 2024 Elvira Broome Doolan medalist for his holistic and innovative approach to urban design and development, David Rubin uses an empathic and interdisciplinary approach to integrate art, science, sociology, geography, and history into landscape design. His ability to incorporate diverse voices into the process and his innate understanding of human interaction ensures that the landscape infrastructure embraces not only the unique character of the region but also the character of its constituents. He has characterized the mission of his firm as one of "empathy, working at multiple scales on behalf of others to inform communication in the most positive way--to use problem-solving to save the world."

His socially purposeful work spans the US from California to Maryland and globally from British Columbia to Saudi Arabia. It includes an array of designs from grand-scale public projects to private residential gardens. A passionate and engaging presenter, Rubin is a GCA Gold Star Speaker.

Writing in support of Rubin for the GCA's Elvira Broome Doolan Medal, Peter May, associate regional director for lands and planning at the National Park Service (now retired), noted: "He brings his empathetic approach to all that he does, and his capacity to actively listen to all voices, to problem-solve while establishing alignment, and his skills at making history relevant to 21st-century society reflect his strengths."