Marinda Griffin
Southwestern Medical District Urban Design Associate
Marinda Griffin is an Urban Design Associate for the Southwestern Medical District project with the Texas Trees Foundation, a private nonprofit focused on urban forestry, green infrastructure, and sustainable design. The Foundation’s strategic approach is based on research driven data to mitigate the environmental challenges and related public health concerns that trees can alleviate.
As Geographer and native Texan, Marinda has a unique background. She has spent the last decade working in different aspects of urban development, from aquatic habitat restoration to commercial real estate and mixed-use, redevelopment projects. Successful at qualitative and quantitative research, she has experience in economic impact analysis, storytelling/brand enhancement, and data visualization and map-making.
Most recently she worked for Trademark Property Company, where she conducted demographic and market research for proposal development, redevelopment, and rebranding projects with a team of interns; coordinating research to assist properties in transitioning from retail-centric shopping centers to mixed-use, through exploration of innovative retail concepts (i.e., pop-ups, experiential constructs, place-making enhancements, etc.).
At the University of North Texas, where she finished her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geography, she worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Department of Geography and the Environment for courses like Urban Geography, Earth Science, Geology, and Conservation & Resource Management. She also worked as a research associate for the Center for Economic Development and Research where she supervised a graduate research team and multiple economic impact studies for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
At UNT, she also won the Terry Jordan Award for Cultural Geography for her thesis research. Marinda’s master’s thesis focused on theories and practice in place-making, and the ways in which encounters with nature can assist refugee communities in overcoming some of the negative experiences associated with displacement and resettlement.
Before that Marinda spent valuable time as an intern with the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, or LAERF), and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
She is also a member of the American Planning Association, the Congress for New Urbanism, and the Regional Center for Expertise on Sustainability (RCE North Texas).
She loves all things urban planning, “Show me an article with smart growth or place-making in the title and I’m hooked!” On the weekends you will find her hiking a state park, crafting, or cooking a huge meal from scratch.