FOCAL AREA :: DESIGN FOR ECOLOGICAL LITERACY

Ecological literacy is a relatively new term that encompasses connections with the environment. Environmental studies scholar David Orr writes that the basis of ecological literacy as having three components: “the knowledge necessary to comprehend interrelatedness, an attitude of care or stewardship, and the practical competence required to act on the basis of knowledge and feeling” (1992, Ecological Literacy, Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World, p. 92). Such literacy is essential for all citizens, and we view design as a powerful process and means of fostering ecological literacy. Children and youth are considered a particularly important group to address in design for ecological literacy, since their opportunities to develop ecological literacy through direct experiences of and access to the natural environment have been significantly impoverished.

Through research and coursework, the development of ecological literacy is explored in terms of both how design processes may engage citizens in advancing their ecological literacy, and how a designed place may inspire citizens with new insights about, connections with, and stewardship for their environment. Design for ecological literacy thus incorporates participatory design processes to build upon citizens’ current knowledge, care, and action in a particular landscape, as well as enrich designers’ understandings of place. An emphasis is placed on how ecological processes can be enhanced and revealed through design forms, elements, and materials. In addition to the processes of shaping design, and the qualities of the built place, design for ecological literacy considers how a place, particularly civic or public landscapes, may be sustained over time by the active involvement of local citizens. It is through such involvement that places may imbue deeper meaning over time.

Through studios, design for ecological literacy projects focus on landscapes developed specifically for learning, such as school grounds and environmental learning centers, as well as more informal learning and community-based landscapes. The intentions of such design also may be undertaken in other contexts and scales.

Classes and projects that address design for ecological literacy:

LARCH 303 Natural Processes Studio
LARCH 341 Site Planning
LARCH 363 Ecological Design and Planning
LARCH 402 Neighborhood Design Studio
LARCH 504 Regional Landscape Planning
LARCH 507 Project Design Studio
LARCH 498 Special Projects offered on an occasional basis
LARCH 598 Special Projects offered on an occasional basis

Participatory Design

We work with communities to build a constituency that brings multiple, creative definitions of site issues and opportunities, critiques concept and design development, and supports implementation and stewardship of design solutions.

Classes and projects that address participatory design:

LARCH 362 Landscape Design in Urban Context
LARCH 402 Site Design/Cluster Housing
LARCH 503 Landscape Design of Communities
LARCH 498 Special Projects offered on an occasional basis
LARCH 598 Special Projects offered on an occasional basis