Ann Ferebee's interest in design began in the late 1950's with a reporter's job on the staff of Industrial Design. In the early 1960's she launched Design and Environment, with a special focus on landscape architecture and the design of public space. She also taught the history of modern architecture and design at Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design. In 1979 she founded the Institute for Urban Design, a membership organization for landscape architects, architects, and planners, of which she is now director emerita.