InSites MAGAZINE 20 2 0
The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
CO N TEN T S Page 02
Page 24
Welcome from the Department Head
Community Design Teams
Page 03
Page 25
City of Kanab Charrette & Senior Capstone
Student Awards
Page 05
Page 26
Recreation & Open Space
2020 Scholarships
Page 07
Page 27
Residential Land Planning & Development
Internship Highlight
Page 09
Page 28
Planting Design
Celebrating 80 Years of LAEP
Page 11
Page 29
E-Studio
LAEP Speaker Series & Sponsors
Page 13
Page 31
Urban Systems Theory & Design
Incoming Grads
Page 15
Page 32
Regional Landscape Analysis & Planning
Faculty News
Page 17
Page 33
Bioregional Analysis & Planning
LAEP Advancement Board & Alumni in Memoriam
Page 19
Page 34
Study Abroad: History of Landscape Architecture
2020 Distinguished Alumni
Page 21
Page 35
Study Abroad: Slovenia
Department News Highlights
Page 23
Page 36
Student ASLA Chapter
News Article: Virtual Reality & the Future of Design
COVER IMAGE: Juniors in LAEP 3100, Recreation & Open Space, visited Jackson Hole’s historic Mormon Row. While there, the clouds broke and the sun came out, providing for some great photo ops!
INSITES
2
PASSING THE BATON Keith Christensen, Interim Department Head
Landscape resilience is the ability of a landscape to sustain
concert with significant increases in funded scholarship
desired ecological functions, biodiversity, and critical
and recognition among our faculty. A new opportunity
landscape processes over time, under changing conditions,
for distinguished practitioners to reside at LAEP’s Canyon
and despite multiple stressors and uncertainties. Landscape
House while sharing their experience and expertise with
resilience is a key aspect of practice students in landscape
our students is just beginning. Our department has been
architecture and environmental planning need to understand
highlighted as a Community-Engaged Department by USU
and demonstrate in their work. This past Spring 2020
for continuing to include community-based practice in our
semester, I am proud to tell you that our students and
mission, culture, and learning.
faculty demonstrated the principles of landscape resilience
LAEP’s momentum is an outcome of the quality of our
in the way they met the challenges brought about by the
students, commitment of our faculty, contributions of our
COVID-19 pandemic: changing conditions with multiple
alumni, and the dedication of our leadership. After more
stressors and uncertainties.
than a decade at the helm of LAEP, Dr. Sean Michael is stepping away from the role of LAEP’s department head
Within days, LAEP’s faculty and students were asked to
to pursue new opportunities and challenges. We have
move their studio-based learning into a remote environment
benefited greatly, and will continue to benefit, from his
as USU responded to these changing conditions. This was
tireless advocacy and vision for LAEP. Thank you Sean!
an unprecedented situation for LAEP, a design program dedicated to studio-based learning and culture. LAEP’s
As we look to Fall semester, passing our 80th year as a
response is a testament to the creativity, commitment, and
Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental
resilience of our students and faculty who maintained their
Planning, conditions continue to change. Yet LAEP will
learning by demonstration and doing, close collaboration,
be open for learning, making a difference, increasing
and community-focused project work. We came together
our forward momentum, distinguishing our people and
(virtually) and helped each other learn, share, and succeed.
profession, and demonstrating the resilience to sustain
As we look to the coming Fall semester, conditions continue
critical landscape education and practice.
to change. We are responding to the ongoing pandemic, sustaining our studio culture and adding to it with remote
Please join with us. It’s awesome to be a member of the
instruction and activity. But there are other changes in LAEP
LAEP family.
as well. Our graduate student facilities are being renovated this summer to meet the needs of our expanding numbers of graduate students. Our PhD program in landscape architecture and environmental planning is growing, in
ST U D I O S
3
IN S IT E S
CI T Y OF
KANAB
Capstone Studios and Charrettes are features of our program
Director Kelly Stowell. There were six teams with specific
intended to accomplish two broad objectives. First and
focus including the “Necklace Team” seeking to tie together
foremost, the Capstone acts as a bridge to practice, providing
the geographies and content.
seniors with self-initiated leadership opportunities to lead and manage a large planning and design project connected
The Core Team explored the need for a vital and walkable
with a sponsor/client. The second objective is to connect
downtown, making Highway 89 its main target. The
the entire department, all classes and faculty, in a week-long
Residential Team looked at the need for affordable forms of
collaborative charrette effort. This builds studio culture and
housing in three locations. The Coral Cliffs team investigated
opens relationships among the studio body.
conservation easements and creating small amounts of development in order to preserve scenery. The Jackson
This year the opportunity to return to Kanab, Utah presented
Flats Reservoir team used the wildlife acumen of Professor
itself with Professors Carlos Licon, Todd Johnson and
Emeritus Craig Johnson to establish strong awareness of
Jake Powell directing the effort. Jake Powell’s experiences
habitat and natural systems to guide the facilitation of
in Kanab and his LAEP Extension focus afforded us the
recreation activities. The Necklace Team offered its own
opportunity to work with leaders of the City under the direct
string of parks and ties each of the other team’s efforts into
sponsorship of the Center for Education, Business and the
an Olmstedian vision for Kanab.
Arts. The Charrette was heartily supported by Executive
INSITES
C H ARRETT E & CAPSTONE
4
ST U D I O S
5
IN S IT E S
RECREATION & In fall 2019, Dr. Ole Sleipness and Professor Dave Evans taught the Recreation Design and Open Space Planning studio, with assistance from senior Travis Lindberg. Both Ole and Dave have built relationships around collaborative design engagement, and jumped at the chance to extend this work into the studio. As usual, undergraduate and graduate students engaged in a range of project scales and types, while developing and refining their technical skills in site engineering, circulation design, and graphic representation—all while tackling contemporary design challenges through community engagement projects. Realizing the value of analog drawing and diagramming in achieving deeper design thinking, the first project—a small-scale pocket park—was done entirely by hand, with the exception of final board composition. This approach provided a good reminder of the timeless benefits of robust discussions of design ideas with a pen in hand. The course’s community engagement projects included a series of community parks in Mantua, Springdale, and Logan. These projects provided students with the opportunity to interact with community partners, while strategizing ways for active and passive recreation to enhance the local quality of life. As a counterpoint to these urban projects, students also experienced the vast landscapes of Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole through a field trip led by Ole and Careers Coordinator Tanya Rice. To engage the landscape, the class stayed overnight in Jackson to learn first-hand about planning and development issues in western gateway communities. The trip also focused on landscape architecture’s rich history of early national park design and continued practice in these compelling settings. Students documented and captured their observations through photography and sketching. The experience provided a rich opportunity for sharpening students’ observational skills within one of the most breathtaking public lands settings in the world. While Ole is currently preparing for a sabbatical, Prof. Evans is lining up projects for the coming fall that will provide students with a new set of design opportunities. He’s looking forward to future collaboration with colleagues, alumni, community partners, and of most of all: LAEP’s outstanding students.
INSITES
OPEN SPACE
Field trips provide hands-on learning of how recreation design and open space planning fit within large-scale landscape systems.
6
ST U D I O S
7
IN S IT E S
RESIDENTIAL LAND PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
INSITES
8
LAEP 3120 is designated as a Community Engaged Learning
Rather than travel in the Spring of 2020, we took the
(CEL) course. Community-Engaged Learning is a teaching and
opportunity to engage with our USU community. Campus
learning strategy that helps USU students graduate as citizen
planner Jordy Guth identified the property at 1100 North
scholars, and integrates meaningful community service with
and 1200 East (where the USU trailer park was located for
instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience,
many years) as a site for future family housing and recreation
teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
facilities. The 3120 students did a great job of preparing
COVID-19 restrictions limited our ability to engage with
family housing concepts for this 10-acre parcel. Designs
communities during Spring of 2020. We look forward to
included a variety of housing typologies and densities, as
connecting with future partners when circumstances allow.
well as parking variations and a range of active and passive recreation amenities. The COVID-19 pandemic placed LAEP students in a difficult position to work on studio projects remotely, with very little notice. The 3120 students were amazing, rising to the occasion and producing some impressive portfolio-worthy projects.
ST U D I O S
9
IN S IT E S
INSITES
10
PL A NTI N G DESIG N Students in the Planting Design studio worked to develop
conceptual designs for the site. Their task was to develop a
several master plan alternatives for the Homewood House
formal colonial garden, conservatory, labyrinth, educational
Conservation Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The brainchild
landscape, reception area, and productive farmland. The
and dream of Don and Brenda Wadley, Homewood was
Wadleys were enthused by the energy that the students
designed after the original Homewood colonial estate built
brought with them and their passion for the project.
by Charles Carroll in 1801 outside of Baltimore. After a long career in the State Department that took them across
Over the next several weeks, teams of students prepared
the globe, the Wadleys were inspired by their visit to the
several alternative master plans for Homewood. Creating
Homewood estate in Baltimore and returned to Don’s
a landscape that respected the Colonial style of the home
childhood home and farm to recreate the house in Utah.
while incorporating all of the required elements proved challenging. Working with the compartmentalized and
The Wadley farm was established in 1900 and is a Utah
somewhat disjointed colonial style, traditionally driven by
Centennial farm; however, like many historic farms along
practical functional concerns, was made more difficult by the
the Wasatch Front, it has been surrounded by suburban
triangular shape of the site bisected by a ravine.
development. The Wadleys believe that preserving Utah’s farming tradition is important for future generations, and
At the close of the semester, the Wadleys visited USU
part of the goal of the Homewood House Conservation
Campus to attend the final presentations of the designs by
Center is to both preserve the farm and provide educational
the students. The Wadleys were impressed by the work that
outreach and research opportunities for the public. To
the students completed, saying that the students developed
further this goal, the Wadleys asked LAEP students in the
ideas for Homewood that exceeded what they had ever
Planting Design studio to create the master plan and planting
considered for the site. Now, armed with design ideas, Don
schemed for Homewood that would respect the colonial
and Brenda are ready to move ahead with the dream of
heritage of the home, the agricultural heritage of the farm,
creating a special place of heritage and learning in the heart
and further the educational goals of the Center.
of Utah County.
Thirty students spent an abnormally frigid October day at Homewood walking the site and developing early
Students in LAEP 3500 visited Homewood House. They braved unusually cold temperatures to explore the five-acre site. All watercolor illustrations are prepared by student design (Cassidy Frost, Miranda Mann, Josh Quigley, and Jed Sorce).
ST U D I O S
11
IN S IT E S
E-STUD I O The Spring 2020 E-Studio garnered the interest of nine
300 South and 200 East in Salt Lake City. The program of
juniors, two seniors, and two graduate students. E-Studio is
uses on this small urban site could include retail, office,
intended to allow students in a three credit class to try their
and residential with a highest and best use outcome.
hand at taking design strategies to a deeper level. Reading
Criteria for being selected include a defensible proforma
from the problem solving literature of design and business,
that will support sound architecture, lively public realm
the students explore concepts that include how to frame
and sustainable design. Each of the three submissions
“value propositions” and how design can “leverage” broader
garnered strong attention from the fifteen Salt Lake City
benefits to end-users and clients. This will prepare them to
jurors. Cervantes and Quigley along with two University of
be practice-ready in design settings where the objectives are
Utah MRED (Masters of Real Estate Design) students were
high-minded and where collaboration with other professions
recognized as finalists and gave a virtual video presentation
is necessary. The E-Studio gives students an opportunity to
to the jurors in SLC. LAEP Advancement Board member and
broaden their perspective and challenges them to go beyond
alumnus Kurt Altvater has given his consummate assistance
anything they have yet done. To have such high numbers of
to the students and was able to attend the final presentation
juniors taking on the Utah Real Estate Challenge speaks to
from his computer. The team finished in second place,
the courage of that class. For them, benefits of the steeper
receiving a $10,000 prize.
experience parlay throughout their internship experience and the senior year. Graduate students Zach Warner and Nicholas LeSchofs and seniors Corrin Jones and Rob Lozanoff sought out a competition in Paris. It’s goal was to repurpose a segment of a defunct transportation line to enliven the arrondissement 18. It became densely populated with a cityscape that had not changed since the middle ages. The challenge here was to design and augment the public space by converting it into community platform near the historical Ornano Street, which has a pre-existing garden and restaurant (Le Recyclerie and Jardins du Ruisseau) that attracts visitors and local commuters looking for a local collaborative area. The results of that international competition are pending. Juniors involved in the UREC Competition included Conner Howard, Jordan Goff, Kali Clarke, Jacob Mortensen, Josh Quigley, and Amy Cervantes. The venue for this year’s competition moved to a site at the northwest corner of
INSITES
12
IN S IT E S
ST U D I O S
13
U RBAN SYSTE M S THEORY & D ESI G N The senior Urban Design Studio produced two projects for the
The four student teams worked collaboratively to address the
Community Design Team (CDT) program during fall semester
identified urban design goals. The Helper Overall team prepared
2019. The first project was the preparation of the Helper City
analysis and design recommendations at the city and regional
Plan, which addressed the region, districts and neighborhoods
scale for the arts, recreation, growth, infill, housing types,
of the city. Helper is a small, diverse community with a strong
regional transit and more. The North Main Street team focused
historic identity and an arts-based economy. Project two was
on a new visitors’ center, arrival and wayfinding, site design
the Riverton 2050 Plan, which established a future vision for
for infill housing and street character. The Main Street team
the transformation of the Riverton downtown. During a period
developed streetscape, park, hotel, and plaza design concepts for
of rapid growth in recent years, most of the historic character of
the historic downtown, and the Price River and 100 West team
Riverton was lost.
designed a new arts district along 100 W, designed improved pedestrian and vehicular access, and envisioned new public open
Project #1: Helper City Plan
space and river edge uses.
Helper City and the American Institute of Architects prepared an SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) Report in 2017.
Project #2: Riverton 2050 Plan
Building on the SDAT recommendations, the students formed
In Riverton, five student teams prepared urban design concepts
four teams that addressed an array of issues at the regional,
for the five neighborhoods surrounding the Old Dome Meeting
district, neighborhood and site scale. Accommodating growth,
Hall and Riverton City Park. The Riverton 2050 Plan is a vision
improving community character, clarifying public access,
for new public facilities, mixed-use development, walkable
wayfinding design, and economic development are at the heart
streets, public gardens, an interconnected trail system, and a mix
of the Helper City Plan, anchored by the city’s history, arts,
of housing typologies connected through greenway design and
recreation, authenticity and creative vision.
pedestrian access. The vision of the plan is to create a walkable,
INSITES
mixed-use urban center that accommodates growth and re-creates an identifiable downtown. The Riverton 2050 Plan is a tool for informed public discussion as the lands surrounding the park and old dome transition over time. Adding public facilities like a new library, a museum with a center for the arts, a swim facility for all ages, and an urban village oriented to food education and production, strengthen the public core of the new downtown. Proposed retail, office and housing uses, with a range of affordability, oriented to a broad demographic and built around public open space anchor the vision of the plan. The learning embedded in the Helper City Plan and the Riverton 2050 Plan adds to student preparation as they graduate into an urban-oriented market. Through these projects the students served two communities in need and helped to fund the student ASLA through the CDT program. The Helper City Plan and the Riverton 2050 Plan will be added to the LAEP Library, and support future studio and thesis research.
14
ST U D I O S
15
IN S IT E S
R EGIONAL
Students visited the surrounding areas to better understand the ecological diversity, public lands issues, and regional context
INSITES
16
L ANDS CAPE A NA LYSIS & P LA N NING It is not often that a new city is created in Utah. Even less
Bluff, and identify and plan opportunities for the area’s
often is a town created in a more dynamic region than San
future.
Juan County. San Juan County is located in the Southeastern corner of Utah and is home to the newly established Bears
The class built upon a Southeast Utah Corridor plan
Ears National Monument. This quiet, remote, rural area
completed by USU LAEP Extension and a previous LAEP
is experiencing expansive growth in tourism as attention
6100 course taught in the spring of 2013. Students traveled
from the public lands debate has placed a spotlight on this
to Bluff to conduct a site visit, host a community workshop,
once relatively unknown region. In the fall of 2018 the City
meet and gather insights from the new city council and
of Bluff was incorporated and became Utah’s newest city.
planning commission, and experience the stunning physical
The new city of Bluff was born into a region with cultural,
and cultural landscapes of Southern San Juan County.
ecological, economic, and political dynamics that exert
The nine MLA students in the course started by analyzing
tremendous pressures, and present unique opportunities for
the biophysical and social landscapes of the region using
this new town.
GIS data, survey information, personal interviews, and open access data. Based on the findings from the analysis,
Leaders from the town of Bluff approached LAEP Extension
the class then selected a suite of design and planning
in the fall of 2018 looking for assistance in identifying
interventions to propose to the town of Bluff. The students
regional pressures and planning for the community’s future.
work identified the regional scale physical and social
This effort evolved into students in the LAEP 6100 Regional
influences on the town of Bluff and established a vision that
Analysis and Planning studio, led by Extension Specialist
encourages Bluff to embrace its unique identity.
Jake Powell, working with the city of Bluff to analyze the surrounding Southern San Juan County, Utah region to
This course was a partnership between the town of Bluff, the
identify regional challenges that are impacting the city of
LAEP Department, LAEP Extension, and DesignBuildBLUFF.
ST U D I O S
17
IN S IT E S
BIOREGIONAL
ANALYSIS & PLAN NING This year’s Bioregional Planning Fall 2019 course embarked
its citizens and exacerbating natural and man-made hazards
on a new project to wrestle with the future of the Wasatch
such as bad air, limited water, wildfire risk, and earthquake
Front. The course was an intense initiation into planning
risk. Growth will likely replace agriculture and outdoor spaces
methods, theories and frameworks that are intended to help
with sprawling development.
the student understand and evaluate long-term impacts of decisions and policies created today. Much of the course was
To gain insight into the public process, the class organized a
spent working on a relatively new planning process as part of
Geodesign Workshop with dozens of professionals invited
the International Geodesign Collaboration. Students worked
from outside the department to partake in a collaborative
through numerous iterations of posters, spatial analytics and
design process. The students organized the workshop,
value statements to come up with the studio project theme,
in partnership with GeodesignHub, integrating students
Wasatch Front Planning 2050: Growth Meets Hazard.
from LAEP’s Introduction to GIS course, and over a dozen individuals from outside the university with other faculty
As if long-range planning is not hard enough, students
experts participating in the activity. The students prepared
worked on integrating the unpredictability of natural hazards
for the workshop by generating a number of different
into the mix. Some of these hazards are very visible to the
models, ranging from process models (the way systems
public (e.g. air quality), but earthquakes, floods, fire, and
function) to change models (quantitative geospatial metrics).
liquefaction (combination of earthquakes, soils and water)
After the workshop ended, students spent the last three
are not always on the radar of the general public and are
weeks of class pulling together the variety of different
sometimes difficult to characterize in planning processes,
planning ideas to develop different possible outcomes
as these risks are not easy to quantify and the when and
for these scenarios (no adoption, early adoption and late
where of their impact are uncertain. Juxtaposed to these
adoption). Each of these scenarios were assessed across the
risks is the 3rd fastest growing region in the United States
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to identify
with a 47% population increase from 2010 to 2018. It is also
the impacts of each. The results of this project will be
unique: a metropolitan area boasting world-class skiing and
part of the International Design Collaboration Conference
hiking, flanked by the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau.
February 2021.
The draw from these natural features, combined with a high birthrate and high immigration from other parts of the United States, has put the population of the Wasatch Front on track to double by 2050. This growth presents both opportunities and challenges, straining the valley’s ability to provide for
INSITES
Top: Students hosted a GeoDesign workshop with professionals from government, industry, academia, and NGOs, as well as students from Dr. Keun Park’s GIS for Environmental Planning course. Bottom: Maps highlighting possible housing density trajectories used to explore the balance for a thriving ecosystem, housing, agriculture, water, and public spaces.
Early Adopter 2050
Non Adopter 2050
18
19
IN S IT E S
History of Landscape Architecture
DE STINATION:
Portugal The History of Landscape Architecture course is normally
Students were introduced to the important stylistic
a three-credit semester class that fulfills an LAEP as well
movements, individuals, sites, and developments in world
as a General Education Breadth Humanities requirement.
history that have shaped the landscape – and how the
However, during spring semester 2020, 12 USU students
landscape has in turn shaped the world’s societies. Using
(5 of which have LAEP majors) completed the course during
Lisbon and the surrounding area as a backdrop, students
spring break and spent eight days in Lisbon, Portugal to boot!
saw firsthand the impacts that topography, geology, climate, culture, and other historic influences have had on a place.
For the first time, LAEP 2300 was offered in an intense study abroad format that immersed the students in the beauty,
The itinerary was packed and ranged from 2,200-year-old
climate, history, and culture of the famous Portuguese city
Roman ruins and a 1,000-year-old Moorish fortress to
of Lisbon. Professors Ben George and Dave Anderson led
modern city planning and famous ‘starchitecture’. Everyone
the trip (which went off without a hitch), with students and
had a great time experiencing the city by Metro, train, and A
faculty returning to Logan just before COVID-19 restrictions
LOT of walking, which helped everyone work off the many
were announced.
many famous Portuguese pastries that were consumed!
INSITES
20
21
IN S IT E S
ST UDY ABROAD: S LOV ENI A CHANDLER CHRISTENSEN, BLA ‘21 Ljubljana. If you’re the average person, like I was, you have
city center comes to life at night as the restaurants and bars
no idea where that is, what it looks like, or even how to
along the river open and friends meet up for a drink and
pronounce it. The correct pronunciation is “Lyoo-blyah-nuh”.
some food. Time seems to move slower. The hustle of the
Or “Loob-lee-ah-nah” for those of us with little European
American life is seemingly nonexistent. Locals enjoy taking
language background. Yes, the ‘j’s are silent. How cool is
their time, delving into conversation, and enjoying a nice
that? Geographically, Ljubljana is located in central Slovenia.
burek, a Slovenian pastry.
If you haven’t googled where that is already, the country of Slovenia is bordering the north-east edge of Italy. It is a
School is different. There is a great deal to learn from the
stunning land of green pastures, mountains, rivers, and a very
unique perspective and beliefs of the Slovenian people.
cute little coastline.
But learning is not exclusive to class. Travel opportunities are around every corner, and in turn, so are learning
Life in Ljubljana is laid back, quiet, and very European. In
opportunities. The study-abroad experience is exciting,
the mornings the streets are busy with bicycles and public
different, and challenging. All in all however, the study-
transit. Noontime is the perfect time to go people watching
abroad experience is worth it!
as families and individuals hit the streets to visit their neighborhood cafe for a light lunch and some coffee. The
CASSIDY FROST, BLA ‘21 Our time in Slovenia definitely did not go the way that I
to be more understanding, and makes us better people. I’m
envisioned it, returning to Utah earlier than anticipated in
grateful for the 4 weeks that we had and the cities we were
the wake of a pandemic. I was able to learn so much from the
able to experience. Coming home early was disappointing,
short amount of time that we did have. I met people whose
but because of it, I have a fire to keep traveling and learning.
outlook on life changed my own and experienced a culture
Ljubljana is such a unique, beautiful place that will always
full of tradition. I believe travel broadens our minds, allows us
hold a piece of my heart.
INSITES
22
23
IN S IT E S
STUDENT ASLA CH APTE R The student chapter of the ASLA hosted an array of
The incoming 2020-2021 student ASLA officers include:
extracurricular and social programs during the 2019-2020
President-Kali Clarke, President-Elect-Hallee Kinikin, Public
academic year. These successful programs—‘Genius Hour’
Relations Specialist-Gabby Hawkes Blackburn, Professional
luncheon presentations, community BBQ’s, the LAEP
Development Coordinator-Josh Quigley, Treasurer-
Christmas Party, and the student’s collaboration with the
Alison Gowans, Outreach Coordinator-Helen Lea, Events
ASLA Utah chapter through the mentorship program, Winter
Coordinator-Chandler Christensen and Secretary-Landis
Social and portfolio review night—all enriched student
Wenger.
learning and professional networking. Professor David Anderson serves on the ASLA Utah A successful student ASLA CREATE 2020 differential tuition
Executive Committee and continues to strengthen the LAEP
proposal allowed the department to send fourteen students
connection to the professional community. Professor David
to the National ASLA Conference in Los Angeles, California.
Evans serves as the faculty advisor to the student ASLA.
During the conference, the LAEP students won second place in the school spirit award competition, which earned ten free student registrations to the next conference (slated for 2021). Building on that success, the student chapter applied for and was awarded a CREATE 2020 funding that will pay for registration, travel and housing for fifteen students total to the next conference.
INSITES
24
COM M UN I T Y D ES I G N TEAM S The Community Design Team (CDT) program generates cost-
a mixed-use, walkable urban center. In the Recreation and
recovery fees that support the student chapter of the ASLA
Open Space studio, the students completed a collection of
and match graduate students to funded thesis opportunities.
master plans for a memorial park in Springdale, and for two
The CDT projects are service-learning experiences that
neighborhood parks in Mantua. In the Analysis and Design
advance leadership and management skills, enrich portfolios,
studio, the studio prepared schematic design concepts for
and provide exposure to community engaged planning and
a u-pick farm with indoor dining and shopping facilities in
design experiences. The fees generated help the student
Wellsville.
ASLA host extra-curricular social and educational programs and connect the students to the Utah ASLA chapter through
The CDT program matches LAEP graduate students to
the mentorship program and social events.
funded thesis projects. Recent matches include a parksystem master plan update, a water-wise planting document
During the 2019-2020 academic year, the CDT program
for real estate investors, and a main street revitalization plan
developed project opportunities for several studio classes. In
for a rural Utah city.
the Urban Systems, Theory and Design studio, the students completed the Helper City Plan, an analysis, planning and
Professional Practice Associate Professor David Evans
design document that won a 2020 Student ASLA Honor
serves as the faculty advisor to the CDT program, and Travis
Award from the ASLA Utah Chapter, and the Riverton 2050
Lindberg served as the student program manager for the past
plan, a vision for the revitalization of the downtown into
two years.
25
20 20 S TU D E N T IN S IT E S
AWAR DS Student ASLA Awards
U ND ER GRA D MER I T AWA R DS Patricia Beckert
Survier Castillo
Ethan Balls
Travis Lindberg
UND ER GRAD H O NO R AWA R D S
G RA D UAT E M ER I T AWA R D
Madison Pong
GRADUATE HO NO R AWARD Jim Anglesey
Nicholas LeSchofs
INSITES
26
Scholarships
Jessica Clements 75th Anniversary Scholarship
Kali Clarke
GAIA Scholarship
Cassidy Frost
John K. Nicholson Memorial Scholarship
Anna Farb
Laval Morris Travel Fellowship
Helen Lea
Derek Jenson David Bell Scholarship
Lloyd Sutton David Jensen Scholarship
Anna Brown
Amelia Theobald
Chandler Christensen
Ian Kola
Danyel Mezzanatto
Kenzy Fogle
Danyel Mezzanatto
Craig Johnson Scholarship
Huculak Aggie Family Scholarship
Trent Thomas
John K. Nicholson Memorial Scholarship
Lindsay Lloyd
Laval Morris Travel Fellowship
Jackson Family Scholarship
Kenji Shiozawa Scholarship
MLA Class of 1981 Scholarship
John K. Nicholson Memorial Scholarship
Kenji Shiozawa Scholarship
Professor A.A. Heravi LAEP Faculty Scholarship
Amy Cervantes
Diversity in Landscape Architecture Scholarship
Courtney Dunn
John K. Nicholson Memorial Scholarship
Jacob Mortensen
Kenneth G. Volkman Scholarship
Saul Karamesines
Utah ASLA Memorial Scholarship
27
IN S IT E S
INT E R N S H I P HIGHLIGHT JORDAN GOFF, BLA ‘21 This summer I had the opportunity to intern at MGB+A in Salt Lake City. Summer 2020 had a rough start as we all know, which for me meant starting my internship working remotely. It certainly was not what I was expecting, but I was grateful that the firm found ways for me to help, even with the difficult circumstances. After about a month of working remotely, I was able to start working in the office in Downtown Salt Lake. One of the biggest things I have learned this summer has been about the business/marketing side of our industry. A lot of the tasks I’ve been assigned have been related to marketing to potential clients, which is something we don’t have the chance to put into practice very often in school. In the LAEP studio, projects just kind of show up on your desk, but in the real world you have to go get them! I feel far more familiar now with the RFP/RFQ process, as well as marketing to private clients. I have also become a lot more familiar with the public approval process and how public projects are funded. I have also had the opportunity to work on a few conceptual level design projects that I’ve really enjoyed, as well as putting together a construction document set for a small aesthetic upgrade project in the Salt Lake area, which will probably be under construction by the time InSites Magazine 2020 is published.
SHARE AN OPPORTUNITY If your firm is hiring or you’re aware of another opening that may be of interest to our students or recent grads, please get in touch by visiting: laep.usu.edu/alumni/student-placement
INSITES
Celebrating The 2019-2020 school year marks the 80th year of the LAEP
Department. Over the last 80 years we’ve grown in many ways. It all started in 1939 with the creation of the Department of Landscape Gardening and Floriculture. At its establishment, Laval Morris was the sole professor and served as the Department Head.
Over the last 80 years, LAEP has grown in numbers. Four students were enrolled in the program the first year it was offered. This year, 156 students have an LAEP program declared as their major or graduate program. As a result, we have over 1,500 alumni who support LAEP students and programs in various ways.
And we couldn’t forget the professors who make it all possible. Throughout the years, LAEP professors have established a legacy of teaching excellence. We are fortunate to have professors who are devoted to their students and the communities they serve.
T h a nk you to everyo ne who ha s he l p e d m a ke LAEP a fami ly ove r the l a s t 8 0 ye a r s . We wouldn’t b e L AEP without YO U.
28
29
IN S IT E S
SPE A KER SERIES Forster Ndubisi
Creating Resilient Urban Spaces
Craig Johnson Lecture
Forster Ndubisi is a professor of landscape architecture and urban planning in Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture. Dr. Ndubisi is a fellow in both American Society of Landscape Architects and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. His background is in ecology, landscape architecture, regional planning and resource development with special interests in ecological design and planning, interdisciplinary design education and growth management. Raised in Nigeria, he has taught at the University of Georgia, and Washington State University, and has studied collaborative design with First Nations communities in Canada.
Simon Bussiere Aloha & Design
As an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai‘i, Simon’s studios and seminars focus on exploring ecological patterns and processes as the key drivers of urban, community and landscape form. His professional experience spans the environmental design spectrum. Stemming from an arts, ecology and design/build background, with expertise in conceptual design, visualization, community engagement and construction, his work bridges ecological principles with contemporary design strategies. He is currently developing a research and design laboratory based in Honolulu to simulate and study dynamic environmental systems in the Hawaiian archipelago.
LAEP Social Justice Day
McKenna Drew, Brett Hoffer, Tyson Murray, & Stephanie Tomlin Emerging Professional LAEP Alumni Panel
LAEP alumni can be found making a difference in places across the country and the world. But finishing your degree and finding your place in the workforce can be a big adjustment. We were fortunate to be joined by 4 recent graduates of the LAEP department who shared their experience and answered the burning questions.
Karen Phillips & Perry Howard Segments: Similarities & Differences
Karen Phillips and Perry Howard, both African-American landscape architects, grew up during the 60s in different parts of the South. Service to underserved communities seems to be a common theme throughout their career development and work. They both attended majority white universities for their undergraduate education, and later met while attending Harvard Graduate School of Design. Together Karen and Perry will share an exploration of the segmental development of their careers and their impact on the profession of landscape architecture.
INSITES
30
THANK YOU SPONSORS! The LAEP Speaker Series provides an invaluable opportunity for our students and faculty to foster relationships and make connections with industry professionals. Through hosting this event, we strive to cover a wide array of topics that help us remain relevant in our approach and expose our students to the diversity of the industry. With the support of generous sponsors, we are able to elevate the quality and value of these experiences for our students. Thank you to the following sponsors for their support during the 20192020 school year:
Platinum Sponsorship ($1,000):
Silver Sponsorship ($500):
If yo u o r yo ur comp any are intere s te d in p rov idin g s u p p o r t fo r f u t u re S p e a ke r S eri es event s, v isit our web site: lae p .u s u .e du /s s -s p o ns o r. P l eas e co nt act Alyssa at alyssa.s t as t ny@u s u .e du w it h any q u e s t io ns .
31
IN S IT E S
INCOMIN G GRADS Motahare Abrishami (PhD)
Philip Fernberg (PhD)
Bentley Flandro (MLA)
Jordan Goff (B+MLA)
Motahare’s main areas of interest are in the network analysis, urban remote sensing, and satellite image analysis.
Philip looks forward to further developing methodologies of tangible landscape modeling and tactical design strategies for coastal adaptation in Viet Nam in his PhD.
Heading into the MLA program, Bentley is excited to learn more about sustainability, urban planning, and creating spaces that create community.
Jordan chose landscape architecture His interests include planting design, social justice, urban planning, branding, and wayfinding, and sustainability.
Logan Hall (MLA)
Derek Jenson (B+MLA)
Devin Macfarlane (B+MLA)
Valerie Novack (PhD)
Logan spent two years as a landscape designer before pursing an MLA. He is passionate about bringing the beauty of nature into the built environment.
Derek gained a true passion for design and the environment after starting the BLA program. He looks forward to working with the professors as he deepens his education.
Devin aims to make a positive difference in the world by helping develop places that are sustainable, equitable, and memorable.
Valerie is a disability policy researcher focusing on inclusive infrastructure and emergency management practices.
Randall Smith (MLA)
Lilian Taft (MLA)
Jessica Zuban (MLA)
Randall’s love for plants and landscape design started with the very first class of his very first semester. He hasn’t looked back since.
A couple of miscellaneous jobs led Lilian to horticulture and work at a small, organic gardening company as a landscaper and then as the nursery administrator.
Focused on creating productive and resilient landscapes, Jessica volunteers as a permaculture designer and is passionate about whole-systems health and regenerative agriculture.
FAC U LT Y N E WS
INSITES
32
LAEP Professors Receive USU Presidential Award for Community-Engaged Faculty LAEP Professors Dave Anderson, Dave Evans, and Jake Powell received the Community-Engagement Faculty Award. The trio was nominated for their extraordinary efforts to serve communities across the Intermountain West through a unique blending of landscape architecture and planning studio projects that are built upon partnerships with mayors, city planners, non-profits and individual citizens. This recognition truly speaks to the superb Extension efforts taking place in our Department and particularly to the wonderful faculty members who lead the charge in getting involved in the communities around us. Excellent work to everyone who has taken part in these efforts.
New Grad Program Director We are pleased to welcome Professor Carlos Licon as the new LAEP Graduate Program Director. Carlos has been a part of the LAEP family for over a decade and will be a great fit for the position. Amongst other responsibilities, the Grad Program Director works to recruit new grad students and advises grad students in our programs. We have full confidence that Carlos will be successful in this new role!
Promotions We are fortunate to have the best faculty around. This year, Keith Christensen has been promoted to full Professor and Ole Sleipness has been promoted to Associate Professor. Congratulations are in order as these professors are recognized for their hard work, dedication, and expertise in their subject matter. We are proud to have them as members of the LAEP Department.
33
IN S IT E S
LAEP ALUMNI ADVANCEMENT BOARD The LAEP Advancement Board meets twice each year, once during Fall semester and once during Spring semester. These meetings are typically held on USU campus in Logan, Utah, providing opportunities for Board Members to brush shoulders with students and, for many, get back to their Aggie roots. This year was a bit different. The Fall 2019 Board meeting was held in Salt Lake City at the joint facility of ASLA Utah and AIA (American Institute of Architects) Utah. This unique partnership has been in the works for quite some time and Utah is currently the only state with a shared facility between the two organizations. This partnership provides an opportunity for greater collaboration between the two fields. We see this as an exciting step in advancing our professions. Thank you to both organizations for hosting us in such a beautiful facility! The Spring 2020 Advancement Board meeting was scheduled to take place in conjunction with the annual LAEP Awards Banquet in April. As it became apparent that the worldwide health crisis was escalating, we made the decision to hold this meeting virtually. Ironically, much of the Fall meeting was centered on ways to “recession-proof� the LAEP Department and provide students with the skills they need to be successful in a competitive industry. This provided an excellent basis for the Spring meeting, which focused on how the industry is adapting to our current circumstances and how students and recent grads will fit into that picture. A big thank you to Jay Bollwinkel (BLA 1987) and Randy Jackson (BLA 1970), who have served as the Advancement Board Co-chairs for several years. We are grateful for their diligence in leading the Board and their support of LAEP!
IN MEMORIAM From time to time, we have to say goodbye to our alumni. We invite you to join us in honoring the lives and impact of these alumni who have recently passed. Emery M. Larson B.S. 1950
Charles A. Everson B.S. 1951
Glenn Lee Baron B.S. 1958
Delmar Price B.S. 1959
Thomas F. Slater B.S. 1962
Lynn T. Fergus B.S. 1962
Donald H. Ensign B.S. 1963
James Robert Slater BLA 1969
Paul Platis BLA 1973
Michael D. Preston BLA 1976
Larry Ernest Reber BLA 1984
David Lawson Trueblood BLA 1986
Mark E. Larson BLA 1987
Steven C. Heaton BLA 1991
Kara Knighton BLA 2013
INSITES
34
2020 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI ALLYSIA ANGUS (MLA, 1999) Allysia Angus is one of four landscape architects in the BLM. She served as the landscape architect for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in Escalante, Utah for more than 15 years. She is now the landscape architect for the BLM’s Paria River District which includes GSENM and the Kanab Field Office. Allysia began her career at the Monument in 2000 as an intern and since that time has worked on a host of planning, design, interpretive, and research projects. Early in her career, Allysia was a key member of the team that prepared the Scenic Byway 12 Corridor Management Plan as part of the application package to secure designation of the byway as an All-American Road within the National Scenic Byway System, which to date is Utah’s only such acclaimed route. She served for many years on the Scenic Byway 12 Committee and Foundation. Allysia led the development of BLM’s Guidelines for a Quality Built Environment, which established or reinforced goals related to the image, functionally, performance, and accessibility of all Bureau facilities. Allysia is the longest-standing member of the instructor cadre for the BLM National Training Center’s Visual Resource Management Course. She recently led the effort to prepare the GSENM Visual Resource Inventory which documented the BLM’s highest rated Scenic Quality Rating Unit. Outside of work, Allysia was the owner/builder of her small straw bale home where she has hosted LAEP’s Women in Landscape Architecture retreats, is the co-director of the Escalante Canyons Art Festival, and volunteers for Best Friends Animal Society’s Trap, Neuter, Release Program. In addition to her MLA, she holds a BA in Communications and Art from the University of Tennessee.
JERECK BOSS (BLA, 1993) Jereck Boss developed an interest in design, architecture and landscape architecture at an early age. His deep respect for natural topography, innovative “design first” philosophy, and the belief that good design should not be neutralized by limitations – but rather limitations stimulate creative solutions not previously considered, have earned him many awards for his work on various projects. As a Registered Landscape Architect in Utah, Nevada and Texas with 25 years of professional experience, Jereck began his professional career as an associate at firm local to Utah before becoming a partner at OJB Landscape Architecture’s Houston office, where he has spent the last 15 years overseeing a broad range of institutional, corporate campus, mixed-use, and large-scale urban design projects, including walkable and innovative streetscapes. In addition to leading the design and development of multiple projects across the United States, Jereck also manages operations, marketing and project management for the firm. Jereck continues to play an active role in the design community as a Board Member with the Rice Design Alliance and former LAEP Advancement Board member. He was elected into the Council of Fellows ASLA in 2018.
35
IN S IT E S
DEPARTMENT
NE WS H IGHLIGHT S
New Master Trail Steward Course USU LAEP Extension developed this course in response to the growing need for skilled volunteers and trail organizations to assist in the stewardship and management of Utah’s trail resources. Extension Specialist Jake Powell has been working with federal and state land managers, the Utah office of Tourism, and Cache County trails planner and LAEP alumnus Dayton Crites to develop the course. The course is intended to provide volunteers, trail organizations, and land managers both a foundational understanding of the values inherent in trail stewardship as well as teach the skills required to plan, build, and maintain sustainable trail networks. The course is being developed as a five module core curriculum beginning with an online introduction course, and four subsequent in-person, field based workshops that cover trail planning and design, trail construction and maintenance, volunteer and project management, and advanced trail construction.
Instead Podcast: A new vision for downtown Pocatello The Extension mission of the LAEP department leads us to communities that want help creating a plan for the future. This episode of the USU Office of Research’s “Instead” podcast is about Pocatello Idaho. You’ll hear where the city is at now and how Professor Todd Johnson and former grad student/ current Pocatello Assistant Planner Jim Anglesey are contributing to Pocatello’s vision. Listen to the podcast by visiting instead.buzzsprout.com and finding episode 15.
LAEP Studio Project Receives Second Statewide Award During the Fall 2018 semester, students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning’s (LAEP) Urban Theory and Design studio, led by Professor Caroline Lavoie, completed a project with the City of Ogden. Their work, which previously received a Utah ASLA Honor Award, recently won a 2019 Utah American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Award.
INSITES
36
FACILITY UPDATES LAE P h a s ma d e s evera l fa c i l i ty updates in recent years, which have helpe d to c re ate p o s i ti ve l ea r n i n g s p a ces . With the early departure f rom campus du r i ng Sp r i n g 2 0 2 0 s emes ter, we were able to get a head start on some of these pro j e c t s .
Office Changes Modifications have also been made to the LAEP Front Office to create a more functional configuration and a faculty member office has been divided to create two separate office spaces. This will better accommodate faculty members in our ever-growing department.
Grad Studio Refresh Funded by CREATE 2020, LAEP department funds, and an anonymous alumni gift, the Grad Studio is receiving a much well-deserved remodel. Major changes include removing the box and opening the wall into the Jury Room. New standing desks were purchased and used during Spring semester, with new flooring and pin-up space still in the works. This update will promote collaboration and studio culture, as well as create a similar style to the undergrad studios. A special thank you to the anonymous donor whose contribution helped make this significant remodel possible.
Travel Course: Pacific West Coast LAEP Students prepared during the Spring semester for a unique trip down the Pacific Coast Highway led by Assistant Professor Brent Chamberlain. The journey was set to start in Portland, Oregon and end in San Francisco, California, with opportunities to bicycle throughout. The trip has been tentatively rescheduled for Summer 2021.
37
IN S IT E S
Vi rtual Re al i ty an d t he Futu r e o f De s i g n Virtual reality (VR) isn’t the wave of the future. It’s now. VR allows us to immerse ourselves in another world without leaving the comfort of our homes. Effectively, it provides the next best thing to a real-life experience. Although frequently associated with gaming, VR can be used in many other highly significant ways, such as in training engineers and surgeons. Virtual reality is also having an impact on the design industry. Landscape architects can use VR to design spaces and test ideas without actually being at the site. “The first time I put a VR headset on, I immediately realized the potential that this technology has to change the way we design. You’re designing by feel… as opposed to looking through a computer screen or using pen and paper and trying to visualize that in your mind,” said Benjamin George, an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (LAEP) at Utah State University. “It’s very liberating in its ability to help the designer be free of those constraints that maybe they’ve had to work through before.” Just prior to the start of fall semester, USU hosted the first VR Week, a multiday workshop that gave participants an opportunity to learn how to design with VR. The event is the result of a collaboration between George
and Andrew Sargeant, a landscape designer at Lionheart Places in Austin, TX. Over the course of four days, LAEP students learned the basics of designing with VR and how to use the Unity development platform, the video gaming engine that student participants used to create their designs. The workshop culminated in a hypothetical project designing the site for a technology museum. Participants first developed plans for the space and then created them using VR. This method gives designers the advantage of being able to test concepts and decide what feels right in the space by experiencing their designs before they are ever built. Patricia Beckert, an LAEP student participant, compared designing in VR to building a model. Physical models are sometimes used to visually communicate with clients. These models help people connect with a design differently than they do with a two-dimensional rendering. Similarly, VR also helps people connect with a design through a three-dimensional experience, but on a much larger scale. The level of detail that can be added in a VR “digital model” makes it feel like a real-life experience. Another student remarked that there are “virtually no limits” to what you can create with VR. Students in the LAEP Department will be implementing VR in their projects this year as VR headsets are moved into the studios. George looks forward to watching VR Week participants teach their classmates how to use VR in their work and to seeing the impact that it has on their projects and careers. He added, “Our students are doing things that are more advanced than the majority of professionals right now and, you know, that’s really, really cool.”
InSites 2020 The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Magazine College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Utah State University 4005 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-4005 laep.usu.edu
