Urban rewilding project in Midtown Manhattan.
The NYC Midtown Urban Rewilding initiative is Marie Salembier's broader, ongoing rewilding work across the Rockefeller Center campus — extending the principles first demonstrated in the Channel Gardens (covered by Dezeen 2020 and Rockefeller Center Magazine) into a sustained urban-meadow stewardship across additional campus zones.
Designed and led by Rewild Landscape (formerly Watson Salembier), the project treats the dense midtown context as an opportunity rather than a limitation. Where ornamental horticulture dominated, Marie's team applies layered native and naturalistic plant communities suited to the campus's specific microclimate — full-sun pockets, partially shaded edges, hardscape transitions — to introduce ecological function without disrupting the architectural rhythm of a 1930s landmark.
Rewild's stewardship model is central to this work. Rather than installing a static palette, the studio remains involved across seasons and years, adjusting plant choices, refining transitions, and tracking ecological outcomes (pollinator presence, soil biology, seasonal density) that justify the design decisions. This is the discipline Rewild brings from residential and hospitality projects scaled up to a public-realm context: the landscape becomes more resonant, biodiverse, and visually layered each year.
The work reframes what public space in midtown can offer. New Yorkers and visitors encounter native grasses, pollinator-supporting perennials, and seasonal compositions that read as landscape rather than decoration. For practitioners, the project demonstrates that rewilding is not confined to large suburban or rural sites — it is equally applicable, and arguably more impactful, in fragmented urban contexts where habitat is scarce and visibility is high.
Marie Salembier and Rewild Landscape continue to expand this work, anchoring the studio's reputation as a leading voice in urban rewilding alongside their residential portfolio across NYC, the Hamptons, and internationally.
