As a landscape architect, Achva Benzinberg Stein has helped bring a new focus on issues of ecology and community to the discipline. As an educator, she has strived to ensure that her students see firsthand the value in doing projects for the public: "Designing imaginary projects for the glorification of the instructor cannot provide a lasting contribution." Thus it was a class of students she led at USC, where she is director of the University's Landscape Architecture Program, who helped design a park in an underserved neighborhood near the university.

In addition to teaching, Stein is principal of Achva Benzinberg Stein & Associates, whose activities have ranged from commercial projects to environmental planning on regional state levels. While Stein's work has shifted its focus to landscape restoration rather than design, she continues to do both. Her recent efforts include projects for Blessed Rock Senior Citizens Housing in El Monte, California, the Buena Vista Housing for Mentally Challenged Families, and the Carmelito Garden Community Garden for the Carmelito Housing Project in Long Beach, California.

Stein has received a number of awards for her work, including the American Society of Landscape Architects' Communication Award in 1998, ASLA Design Awards for Uhuru Garden and Shaye Residence, and a research award from Progressive Architecture.