Pete Cure is a 67-year-old Arizona native and has been involved in the Landscape profession for 47 years.
He graduated in 1975 with a degree in Architecture from Arizona State University and obtained Arizona State registration as a Landscape Architect in 1978. When he was a resident in the Town of Cave Creek for over 13 years, Pete was active in that community by serving on several government boards including Planning and Zoning, by helping the Town with desert landscape projects and zoning codes, by assisting in the building of Gateway Park, and even by serving as Vice Mayor for several years. Now as a resident of the Town of Clarkdale, Pete serves on the Town’s Park Commission, helping them develop new parks, Verde River access, recreation, and management issues, and establish some new sustainability guidelines.
He and his firm, Arterra, have received over 75 awards for their work from both local and national landscape design competitions.
In addition to their design abilities, they complement their projects with their construction department, which is licensed as a General Engineering Contractor (ROC 081991 – B-04).
Their experience runs the gamut from creative residential gardens to desert parks and roadway beautification to popular resorts like the Royal Palms Hotel.
Pete’s projects have been published in books and several magazines like Sunset and Phoenix Home and Garden, the latter of which featured him in their Masters of the Southwest series and bestowed him with the title of “Caretaker of the Earth.” He is the host of the TV show, “Step Outside” on Cox cable 7, with over 70 episodes that feature his talent and work. He has done extensive international travel which has helped him expand his knowledge of native plants throughout the world, and was part of a delegation of Landscape Professionals to China, a trip that made him keenly aware of our need to protect our natural resources.
His style of design is one of a “natural landscape”, working with native and regionally adapted plant material. He creates interactive garden spaces for his clients with a strong emphasis on permaculture and sustainability. By “zoning” our outdoor landscape spaces, we can preserve the natural environment and still create outdoor areas that are colorful and wonderful for us to be in and enjoy.