Engagement By Design: Cultivating University-Community Partnerships in the Built Environment
Friday, February 28th, 2025
8:30am–5:00pm
1209 W Oregon St, Urbana, IL 61801
The goal of the symposium is to take stock of creative frameworks for design educators (in architecture and landscape architecture in particular) to collaborate with communities. We will reflect on existing models and speculate on new directions for university-community partnerships in the built environment. The symposium includes two distinguished keynotes speakers and subsequent breakout sessions and discussion workshops. A light breakfast and lunch is provided. All faculty, students, and community members are welcome!
Please RSVP by Monday, February 24.
Keynote speakers
C.L. Bohannon, Ph.D., FASLA
University of Virginia | School of Architecture
Anya Sirota
University of Michigan | Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Sponsored by Ethical Methods of Community Engagement in Design and the Arts Research Cluster: Kate Holliday, Joseph Altshuler, Kelley Lemon, Akima Brackeen.
Our mission is to advance ethical, community-engaged design and research by fostering collaborative partnerships between academic institutions and under-resourced communities, through arts, design and historic preservation. We aim to develop values-based best practices that prioritize respect, equity, and sustainability, while blurring the lines between teaching, research, and service. Through dialogue, scholarship, and creative practice, we seek to empower communities, amplify their voices, and contribute to the co-creation of vibrant, resilient public spaces that reflect local identity and heritage.
Cosponsored by the Humanities Research Institute, Illinois School of Architecture, and the Department of Landscape Architecture.