The Evolution of an Urban Design Curriculum in Landscape Architecture and a Community-Based Design Center

Authors

  • Frank Sleegers University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • John Robert Taylor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

This study investigates the evolution of the urban design curriculum at UMass Amherst from 2008 to 2013 that was catalyzed through the genesis of a community-based  design center in Springfield, MA. Four key areas in the context of community service learning as engaged scholarship are assessed. The findings illustrate 1) a positive evolution of teaching quality as the studios engaged community service learning in urban contexts and 2) measurable physical and planning impacts at the municipal and non-profit level.

Author Biographies

Frank Sleegers, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Frank Sleegers is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a diploma in Landscape Architecture from the Universität Hannover and a MLA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the Co-Director of the UMass Amherst Design Center in Springfield, MA and teaches urban design studios with a research focus on  investigating  processes of community-service learning, transformative public art and perception of urban landscapes.

John Robert Taylor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

John R. Taylor is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois.  His dissertation research focuses on the social and ecological dimensions of urban agriculture.  He earned a BA in philosophy from the University of Chicago, a BS in horticulture from Michigan State University, and a Master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan.

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Published

06/25/2014

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2014)

Section

Insights, Case Studies, and Applications

License

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