Shanti Nagel

Shanti Nagel is the founder of Design Wild, a landscape design firm that strongly believes the relationship between humans and the natural world is essential for individual health, the strength of communities, and the life of ecosystems. She works at the intersection of landscape design, humans, and community well-being. At the age of 20, Shanti founded an organic vegetable farm operating a CSA and market garden, an later moved from rural to urban agriculture, managing one of NYC’s largest urban farms. Shanti is a graduate of the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, a trained horticulturist, and a skilled landscape designer. For the last decade, she has dedicated herself to designing naturally wild and incredibly durable gardens in the heart of Manhattan for public space, community parks, affordable housing, and private residences. Collaborating across the country she works to develop collective vision, and foster community, and consults on farm and landscape projects to create high-functioning open space. Shanti is inspired by the magic of plants to transform the world, bring peace of mind, and guide us to a future on Earth.