Service–Learning in Design and Planning – Educating at the Boundaries

Expert Reviews

"What this book offers is the stimulation one gets from the company of a group of committed, experienced and able people who do the same job as you: you may not approach the job in quite the same way, or have exactly the same aims, but it is a major surprise if you do not come away with some new ideas, and renewed enthusiasm, after engaging with them."
—Huw Thomas, International Planning Studies

"More people understanding how it all works means more people can help bring it all together. Service-Learning in Design and Planning: Educating at the Boundaries seeks to expand the knowledge of urban planning and architecture within communities, studying elements from around the world and how they can be applied locally and lead to a more inclusive plan for the communities of tomorrow. Service-Learning in Design and Planning is an informative and much recommended read for those who want to understand the importance of a communities wishes in preparing for its future."
—The Midwest Book Review

"It is an exciting addition to the field of service-learning and a very great resource for any academic developing a service-learning program as part of their curriculum. Students, researchers and community partners in the field of service-learning will find the information very useful."
—Eva Aboagye, Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education

"This collection of case studies critically explores the current practice of community-engaged learning in architecture, landscape design, and urban planning and forms a pedagogical framework for design educators."
—Folio Magazine

Tom Angotti is Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning at Hunter College, City University of New York, and Director of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development. He formerly chaired the Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, and was a senior planner in the New York City Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He also taught at Columbia University, Harvard, and University of California, Berkeley. He is a Fellow at the American Academy in Rome, the Land Use columnist for Gotham Gazette, co-edits Progressive Planning Magazine and is an editor for Latin American Perspectives and Local Environment. He has published three books: New York For Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate (MIT Press, 2008), Metropolis 2000: Planning Poverty and Politics (Routledge, 1993) and Housing in Italy (Praeger, 1976) and numerous articles on urban affairs and planning. He is a founding member of the Task Force on Community-Based Planning in New York City.

Cheryl Doble is an Associate Professor in Department of Landscape Architecture and director of the Center for Community Design Research at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. A public service and research program in the department of Landscape Architecture, the Center provides technical assistance, educational programs and research assistance that build community capacity to manage sustainable futures. For the past twelve years Doble has coordinated interdisciplinary studios that introduce graduate students and upper division undergraduate students to participatory practices of design through service learning projects. Currently Doble is working with the New York State's Department of State and Department of Environmental Conservation to initiate a state wide training program to prepare community members for leadership roles in community-based planning.

Paula Horrigan is a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. In her teaching, research and outreach, she advocates for action research and service-learning, and is dedicated to fostering the theory and practice of place-based design. For the past five years she has acted as faculty chair of Cornell’s Faculty Fellow-in-Service Governance Board, convening a Fellows Seminar on Service-Learning and producing a publication of faculty essays entitled: Extending Our Reach: Voices of Service Learning at Cornell (2007). Horrigan has spearheaded many participatory, community-driven processes resulting in the design and construction of public spaces, restorative landscapes, and parks. As a licensed, practicing landscape architect, Horrigan also focuses on sustainable design and the development of winery landscapes, combining agricultural production and cultural presentation.

"An impressive collection on an important topic. Crossing design and planning, this engaging volume brings together a number of different approaches to service-learning—theoretically, by field, and in the scale of the activities in space and time. This makes it useful and important reading for both those starting off in the field of community-based education and old hands interested in critically reflecting on their past practice."
—Ann Forsyth, Professor of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University

"This collection has its roots in the ideas of education theorists such as Dewey, Bruner, and Freire, all of whom advocate for the importance of experiential learning. The authors individually and collectively advance the idea of service-learning to community participation and social action. Consequently, this book not only challenges conventional thinking about education and practice but also illustrates a variety of successful off-the-shelf approaches. Design and planning educators and practitioners will find it to be a valuable companion in support of identifying directions for the future."
—Henry Sanoff, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, ACSA/Alumni Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University

"An invaluable new resource for faculty engaged in interdisciplinary action research aimed at building more vibrant, sustainable, and just neighborhoods, communities, and regions through inspired physical design."
—Kenneth M. Reardon, Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning, University of Memphis

“The time is ripe for advancing a solid service-learning pedagogy in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. Over several decades of innovation, experimentation, and trial and error, each of these design disciplines has spawned new and critical theory, linking professional work and social change. The wisdom of the twenty-nine leaders in service-learning within this volume provides a collective leap forward that benefits us all—students, teachers, designers, and the general public.”
—Bryan Bell, Founder, Design Corps; author, Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism and Good Deeds Good Design: Community Service through Architecture

Case studies by design educators critically explore the current practice of community-engaged learning in architecture, landscape design, and urban planning, radically revising the standard protocol for university-initiated design/build projects in communities. The lively examination of real-life collaborations charts a new pedagogy for educators, with guidelines for an inclusive and collaborative design process.