Designing for a Living Future: How our Spaces Serve the Wider Community and Ecology

Gardens are more than just beautiful backdrops—they’re living, breathing systems that have the power to support both people and the wider ecology. When we approach a design, we’re not just thinking about aesthetics or trends. We're thinking about function. About life. About what it takes for a space to sustain itself and give back—to the homeowner, to the community, and to the ecosystems we’re all part of.

We like to ask one simple question:How can this space serve more than one purpose, and how can it serve life?

In our work, we’ve come to understand that three key elements are essential for creating a truly self-sustaining landscape:

1. Shelter: Rest. Recover. Protect.

Every thriving ecosystem offers shelter. It’s where birds nest, insects overwinter, and humans retreat after a long day. Shelter is not just about shade or structures—it’s about microclimates, wind protection, layered plantings, and habitat creation. It’s about offering rest and resilience to all forms of life.

In a Milpa garden, shelter might look like:

• A canopy of trees that buffers heat and wind.

• A densely planted understory for native birds and insects.

• A quiet bench nestled into the garden, inviting humans to pause and reflect.

Shelter provides protection, but more than that—it invites connection.

2. Food: Grow. Nourish. Thrive.

Gardens should feed. Not just us, but pollinators, birds, soil life, and the wider web of biodiversity. Food-bearing landscapes bring nourishment and abundance—key values in any future-facing design.

We incorporate food into our gardens in ways that are:

• Edible: Fruit trees, nuts, herbs, perennial vegetables, and edible natives.

• Attractors: Plants that feed bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

• Regenerative: Systems that build fertility over time and are suited to the ecological forces on the land.

By designing with food in mind, we shift the garden from being a consumer of resources to a provider of life.

3. Water: Slow. Percolate. Support.

Water is life—but too often, our built landscapes treat it like a problem to remove. At Studio Milpa, we see water as an invitation. Rather than letting rain rush off into drains, we ask: how can we keep water on site, and let it work for us?

This might look like:

• Swales and rain gardens that slow runoff and recharge groundwater.

• Permeable surfaces that let water seep into the soil.

• Careful grading and planting that prevent erosion and support deep hydration.

When we slow water down, we replenish life—not just for the plants, but for the soil organisms, the trees, and everything that depends on them.

Designing with Purpose

These three elements—shelter, food, and water—are the foundation of every truly sustainable landscape we create. They’re not design trends. They’re timeless principles rooted in ecology and care.

At Studio Milpa, our role is to help translate these ecological realities into beautiful, functional outdoor spaces that work with nature—not against it. Whether we’re designing a residential backyard, a rural property, or a community garden, these are the questions we come back to:

• Who does this space support?

• How will it evolve over time?

• What legacy will it leave?

Because every garden, no matter how small, has the potential to be part of something bigger.