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Shannon Simms has spent 15 years transforming underutilized public sites into vibrant places for people, with particular expertise in active transportation and creative use of rights-of-way.

As landscape architecture lead for TriMet’s SW Corridor Urban Design, Simms coordinated multiple firms to deliver visionary preliminary designs for an 11-mile corridor of bicycle, pe-destrian and transit station spaces in a $12 million design effort. She led the design and delivery of the $3 million St. Helens Riverwalk Phase 1, which opened in summer 2025, demonstrating exceptional leadership throughout the complex, multi-year project.

Simms has made a name for herself rethinking public rights-of-way as places for people. Her work includes Portland’s Green Loop Concept Studies, the Street Plaza Design toolkit, and ongoing design of West End Street Plazas. Her Green Loop work received an award from the Oregon chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

In 2025, she directed Mayer/Reed’s pro bono design and fabrication of a whimsical installa-tion for Mill Ends Park in downtown Portland that earned national attention in Landscape Architecture Magazine.

Simms served as vice president of member services for ASLA Oregon from 2017 to 2019, receiving the chapter’s 2019 President’s Service Award. She has taught as adjunct instruc-tor at the University of Oregon and frequently provides studio critiques for architecture and landscape architecture students.

Simms also has volunteered with local organizations and events such as Portland Parks Foundation Paseo, Portland Winter Light Festival, Cycle Oregon Gravel Ride, and Friends of Trees planting days.