Designed experiments are tools for integrating research and monitoring into design and for fostering cross-disciplinary exchange. Designed experiments embed ecological research into urban design to study and shape buildings, landscapes, and the infrastructure of human settlements – are intended to increase the impact of ecologists working in urbanized and engineered ecosystems. Designed experiments provide a means for organizing relationships among ecologists, designers, engineers, decision makers, and citizens, an opportunity for testing ecological hypotheses, and a platform for experiential learning among multiple participants – all of which have the potential to aid in overcoming barriers to the goals of applied urban ecology. Designed experiments provide a new approach to urban ecology. This approach, bridges disciplines through creative partnerships between designers, ecologists, and city agencies to combine hypothesis driven research with public park design. This model produces an urban research platform facilitating experimentation to guide urban forestry, urban design, and land management.