Scott Payne received his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Urban Design. During his time in school, he worked at the City of Flagstaff’s Sustainability Office helping with the City’s first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Throughout his three years there, his passion for alternative transportation and urban design led him to pursue a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona. While earning his master’s, he balanced multiple jobs in Los Angeles, including managing an urban garden dedicated to teaching at-risk inner-city girls how to grow and cook their own food; and starting his own landscape design business focusing on culinary, native, and pollinator gardens for restaurants, resorts, and residences throughout California.

He has been greatly influenced by nature-based design through his study abroad opportunities in Italy and New Zealand, where he witnessed eco-centric communities and permaculture practices while WOOFing around the globe. Through these experiences, as well as volunteering with Native tribes throughout California, he has developed a passion for celebrating and empowering Indigenous and underserved communities. In his free time, he enjoys painting, gardening, backpacking, cooking, and beach volleyball. Scott strives to design landscapes that heal local ecosystems, provide inclusive open spaces, and create spaces that serve as unique creative reflections of San Diego’s patchwork of communities.