“...Belong to your place by knowledge of the others who are

Your neighbors in it: the old man, sick and poor,

Who comes like a heron to fish in the creek,

And the fish in the creek, and the heron who manlike

Fishes for the fish in the creek, and the birds who sing

In the trees in the silence of the fisherman

And the heron, and the trees that keep the land

They stand upon as we too must keep it, or die.

This knowledge cannot be taken from you by power

Or by wealth. 

Be still and listen to the voices that belong

To the streambanks and the trees and the open fields.

There are songs and sayings that belong to this place,

By which it speaks for itself and no other.

No place at last is better than the world. The world

Is no better than its places. Its places at last

Are no better than their people while their people

Continue in them. When the people make

Dark the light within them, the world darkens.”

— Wendell Berry

We design spaces that fit the ecology of a place: integrated, cohesive environments healing a century of fragmentation. As designers, we strive to emulate and embrace the culture of such place through preservation and integrity. Rooted to the Arkansas Delta through five generations, Ecological Design Group was founded on such principles and has since established offices in three of the six distinct ecoregions of Arkansas: the Ozarks, the Delta, and the Arkansas River Valley. Comprised of landscape architects and engineers, our goal is to create or preserve spaces which re-connect the environment with the social, cultural, and political aspects of our society. Our designs utilize water (one of our greatest natural resources) as a common thread for existence regarding all life. With the incorporation of stormwater driving site design along with the principles of ecology, our spaces are responsible environments with a safe, functional and appealing public aesthetic. Our mission includes embracing the culture of our rural communities through preservation and activation. The rural communities of Arkansas provide opportunities for authentic experiences, local food systems, cultural immersion, and ecological tourism. Rural communities have undergone a fragmentation, but our work’s common threads knit a cohesive fabric. Our projects foster healthy, balanced relationships between people and their environment, while adapting to change over time, enhancing community, and socio-economic well-being.