University of California, Davis

The landscape architecture program at the University of California, Davis stresses the role of landscape architects in striking a balance between urban expansion and environmental preservation. The program is the University of California?EUR??,,????'???s only undergraduate program with an ASLA-accredited degree in landscape architecture, according to the school?EUR??,,????'???s web site. The goal of the landscape architecture program at UC Davis is to increase quality of life through research and development of landscape design and planning processes that are meaningful, relevant and sustainable. Students in the UC Davis landscape architecture program acquire real-world experience through studio assignments and their senior project. As the culmination of two quarters of intensive effort and extensive review, senior projects typically include designs, maps, renderings and a lengthy written report.

Little Flock Children?EUR??,,????'???s Home, India
Design by Kate Green

The 22-year-old student from Redding, Calif., designed a landscape plan for an eight-acre site around the Little Flock Children?EUR??,,????'???s Home in southern India. Little Flock has 10 cabins situated on a flat dirt area and houses 27 orphans. Through her research, Green discovered the most immediate needs at the site were for shade near the cabins and play areas for the children. Capturing water runoff during the monsoon season to help sustain plants during the dry season was also a priority. In her landscape design, she selected fruit-bearing plants that will thrive in the tropical climate and eventually reduce the cost of feeding the children at the orphanage.

Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
Design by Kimberly Chan

Another international project this year was presented by senior Kimberly Chan, originally from San Francisco. Chan traveled to Rwanda to do research for her design of an expansion of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. The national genocide memorial, established in 2004 in the capital city of Kigali, honors the estimated one million people killed during the infamous 100-day slaughter in 1994.

Placerville School Garden
Design by Daniel Mummy

Focusing a little closer to home, graduating senior Daniel Mummy, originally from Placerville, worked with faculty, staff, and students to design a community garden for his former high school and has spent several weekends organizing volunteers to help construct it. Mummy sees the garden as an outdoor classroom and a bridge between school and community. He hopes the site will eventually be incorporated into a broader land management program and the environmental sciences curriculum at the school.