News/Events

• High School Students Receive Scholarships to Young Scholars Program

  The School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation has awarded scholarships to six high school students for the 2008 Discovering Architecture - Young Scholars Program.

• New Book by John Frece Details Political History of Maryland's Smart Growth

  A new book by John W. Frece, Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth, details the politics and back-room maneuvering that in 1997 led to the creation of Maryland's well known Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative.

• Gary Bowden, Professor of the Practice, Interviewed on NPR

  Gary Bowden, Professor of the Practice at the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, is featured today on Baltimore's NPR station (88.1FM) during Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast.

• AIAS Featured in Washington Post Transforming Space Into Universal Design

  A group of American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is featured in The Washington Post real estate section for their contributions toward transforming a DC home into a model of universal design.

• Potomac Valley AIA Announces
  2008 Art + Architecture Contest Winners

  The Potomac Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA PV) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2nd annual Art+Architecture Contest. The competition was organized and coordinated by Peter Noonan, AIA, Professor of the Practice at University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

• UM and NASA Join Forces: Architecture Students Conceptualize Proposed Center

  Aided by a research grant from NASA, eight architecture graduate students have designed concepts for the proposed Science Education and Exploration Center (SEEC).

• Real Estate Development Grads Get Nod in The Washington Post

  The inaugural class of Master of Real Estate Development graduates are featured in the Washington Post article, Grads' Next Assignment: Forge a Path of Service. 

• Discovering Architecture Program Open for Summer 2008

  Once again this year, the Architecture Program will offer Discovering Architecture for high school students as part of the Young Scholars Program from July 14 - August 1.

• Unique Maryland Ag Exchange Network Creates Free, User-Friendly, Online Marketplace to Help Farmers

  The Maryland Agricultural Exchange, created by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland, will help farmers in Maryland and throughout the Chesapeake Bay region exchange products such as manure, compost, hay, fodder crops, fruits and vegetables, organics, equipment, livestock, and much more.

• Dean Rockcastle Interviewed in The New York Times

  Garth Rockcastle, Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, is featured in today's New York Times in the Real Estate section.

• PhD Student Successfully Defends Thesis

  Rodney Harrell, a student in the Urban and Regional Planning and Design PhD Program, successfully defended his thesis, Understanding Modern Segregation: Suburbanization and the Black Middle Class.

• Architecture Students Offer Design Solutions for Proposed Hall of Fame

  Monday, May 12, 2008, 2 p.m.
  You are invited to Architecture in Sailing, a studio presentation of student designs for the proposed National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, Maryland.

• 2008 Commencement Ceremony

  Friday, May 23, 2008, 10 am
  School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
  Great Space

• 2008 Annual Awards Ceremony

  Thursday, May 22, 2008, 10 am
  School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
  Auditorium, Room 0204

• Ph.D. Student Wins Summer Fellowship and Travel Grant

  Ph.D. student Joe Costanzo has been awarded the 2008 Summer Graduate Research Fellowship and the Goldhaber Travel Grant to attend and present at a conference in Rome, by the University's Graduate School.

• LEAFHouse Featured in New York Times Magazine's Green Issue

  The New York Times Magazine featured the University of Maryland's award-winning LEAFHouse in its April 20 issue.

• Maryland Faculty and Alumna Contribute to Spring 2008 Real Estate Review

  The Spring 2008 issue of Real Estate Review includes several articles authored by affiliates of the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.

• MRED Symposium and Luncheon: Defining and Developing Affordable Housing for the 21st Century

  Saturday, May 3, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  Join the Master of Real Estate Development program for a roundtable discussion and complimentary luncheon to learn about the latest developments in affordable housing.

• M.Arch. Thesis Reviews April 22-24

  Spring 2008 Master of Architecture thesis reviews will be held at the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation April 22-24.

• Special Colloquium - Visions of Place: Regionalism and Architecture

  Friday, May 9, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  You are invited to attend Visions of Place: Regionalism and Architecture, a colloquium celebrating the teaching career of Professor Emeritus William Bechhoefer on the occasion of his retirement from the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

• Special Presentation: Architecture in Education

  Wednesday, May 7, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  You are invited to attend Architecture in Education, a studio presentation of student designs for a new Amidon Elementary School in Washington, DC.  The studio benefits from a collaboration with the UM College of Education.

• Spring 2008 Lecture Series

  Next lecture: Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m.
  Doing More: Eric Naslund, Studio E Architects
  2008 Kea Distinguished Professor Lecture

• PhD Students Present Papers at Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID)

  PhD students Lynette Boswell, Joe Costanzo, Jung Ho Shin, and Maria Teresa Souza presented their research at the Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID).

• Architecture Students to Present at Graduate Research Interaction Day

  Three students from the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation will present research-based design at the University of Maryland's Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID) on April 17th in the Stamp Student Union. 

• Real Estate Development Team Wins $15,000 First Prize

  A team of Masters of Real Estate Development (MRED) students win first place and $15,000 at the Second Annual REIDO Real Estate Development Case Competition.

• Prof. Ambrose and Three M.Arch. Students to Present Papers at CAADRIA Conference

  The Computer-Aided Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) Conference will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on April 9-12, 2008. 

• Affordable Housing Exhibit Highlights Innovative Development and Design

  On view in the Kibel Gallery April 2–May 14, 2008

• 1746 Mansion Serves as Historic Preservation Laboratory for Learning

  The School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation's Historic Preservation program has secured Bostwick, one of only four remaining pre-Revolutionary War structures in Bladensburg, MD, as a laboratory for hands-on learning and community enrichment.

• Baltimore Developer John Colvin Donates $3M to Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development Endowment

  John Colvin, Principal of Questar, Inc., a Baltimore real estate development company, and his wife Karen have provided a $3 million gift that will endow the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.

• PhD Student Presents Paper at Annual Graduate Student Conference in College Park

  Joe Costanzo presented a recent paper entitled, "The Mutual Benefits of 'Deep, Rich' and 'Hard, Generalizable': A Mixed-Method Strategy in Social Science Research" at the 2008 EDHI/EDPS Graduate Student Research Conference on the theme of "Education Discourses in the 21st Century."
  

• MRED Student Wins 2008 Enterprise Foundation Affordable Housing Scholarship

• AIAS Art Auction - April 11th

  Don't miss the AIAS Art Auction, with artworks donated by Cesar Pelli, Mark McInturff, Roger Lewis, Michael Graves, and many more!

• New Student Exhibit Showcases Study Abroad Experiences

  Invitation to a new exhibition "Out of Bounds" featuring a collection of sketches and photographs, which highlight the variety of venues visited in 2007 by the students from the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

• New Study: Inclusionary Zoning's Impact on Housing Production, Cost, Size

  A new National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education study shows that policies aimed at increasing the stock of affordable housing can stimulate construction of multi-family housing, but may also push up the price and reduce the size of single family houses that are built within the cities that adopted the policy.

• Smart Growth and the Maryland Department of Transportation Collaborate on Policy Research

  The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and the Maryland Department of Transportation are announce the establishment of a joint Transportation Policy Research Group on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park.

• Urban Studies & Planning and University of Baltimore Co-host Lecture on Racial Politics in Baltimore

  The 2008 Carl N. Ruskin Memorial Lecture, "Roots: A Genealogy of Racial Politics in Baltimore", will be given by Dr. Matthew Crenson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at The Johns Hopkins University, at 8pm on March 26, 2008 at the University of Baltimore, Thumel Business Center Auditorium.

• Historic Preservation Program Secures 1746 Mansion for Educational Use

  The Historic Preservation Program secures Bostwick, a pre-Revolutionary War structure, outbuildings, and approximately 7 acres of grounds owned by the Town of Bladensburg, for educational use.

• Student Project Named Top Ten Urban Planning Website of 2008

  Rethink College Park, an interactive community website launched by two University of Maryland students in 2006, has been named one of the web's top ten planning, development, and design websites in 2008.

• URSP Alumnus Sarah Franklin wins APA 2007 New Planner of the Year award

  Sarah, who earned her Master of Community Planning degree in 2006, received the 2007 award on the basis of her high quality work at Jakubiak & Associaties, a town planning and economic consulting firm based in Annapolis, MD.

   

• School Experts from Zurich and Washington to Convene for Urban School Design Symposium

  "Defining the Urban School in the 21st Century," an international symposium, will be held at the University of Maryland on February 16.

• New Gallery Show to Feature 31 International Examples of Innovative School Buildings

  “School Buildings—The State of Affairs,” a traveling exhibit organized by Professor Isaac Williams with partners from AIA DC and the Embassy of Switzerland, will be on display in the Kibel Gallery February 15–March 14, 2008.

• Mark your calendar! URSP Alumni Career Panel - February 22, 2008

  Annual URSP Alumni Career Panel sponsored by Student Planning Association (SPA) - Friday, February 22, 2008 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

• Professors Schumacher and Ambrose Publish Essays in New Monograph

  Architecture Professors Thomas L. Schumacher and Michael A. Ambrose contributed to a new monograph on the work of Giovanni Caprioglio.

• Maryland Team Envisions the "City of the Future"

  A faculty/student team from the University of Maryland competed in "City of the Future," a design competition staged by the History Channel.

• The legendary John Stainback teaches a class for the UM Real Estate Development program

  John Stainback, President of Stainback Public Private Real Estate, based in Houston, TX, came back to his alma mater this past weekend...

• New Architecture Graduates Share Their LEAFHouse Experience

  Three architecture students graduating this month are profiled by the UM Newsdesk. Learn more about their involvement in LEAFHouse.

• PhD Graduate's Article Published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research

  Our second Ph.D. graduate, Vikas Mehta, has just published an article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

• URSP ranked as a top 10 planning program in new national study

  The Urban Studies and Planning Program (URSP) ranks #10 among all U.S. urban and regional planning programs, according to a new study from Academic Analytics.
  

• Vietnam Refugee Selected for Dept. of Defense MRED Scholarship

   An employee of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Northwest has been selected as one of two Department of Defense civilians to attend the January 2008 University of Maryland one-year Masters' program.

• Tiffany Williams, 2nd year URSP student, wins 2007 APA Outstanding Student Leadership Award

  Tiffany won the award on the basis of her Student Planning Association work and her pivotal role in a highly successful partnership between the University of Maryland and Norwood High School in Montgomery County.

• Ph.D. Student Wins a Research and Seminar Grant from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

  Maria Teresa Souza received a US$10,000 grant from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to develop a research paper and to participate in a seminar focusing on the impact of public regulations on the process of urbanization in Latin America with her research proposal titled "Informality, Land Use Regulation, and Housing Price: a Model Applied to Curitiba, Brazil,"

• M. Arch. Thesis Reviews December 12-13

  Fall 2007 Master of Architecture thesis reviews will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Margaret McFarland, JD, MRED Director, named Editor-in-Chief of the Real Estate Review

  McFarland selects Professor Mary Konsoulis and Susan and Alan Ruby as Senior Editors for upcoming issues.

• New Book Shows How Changes in Land Development Can Help Mitigate Climate Change

  A new book co-authored by URSP faculty member Reid Ewing concludes that urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an essential factor in combating it.
  
  

• Maryland is #1 Solar Decathlon Team in America

  In a field of 20 U.S. and European universities, the University of Maryland placed 2nd overall in the Solar Decathlon and won the People's Choice Award.

• New Gallery Show Features the Work of Grimshaw Architects

  “Macro to Micro” is now open at the Kibel Gallery.

• URSP Student Wins Distinguished Leadership Award

  Tiffany Williams, a 2nd year masters student in the Urban Studies and Planning Program, has been named as the 2007 winner of the "Sherwin Greene Distinguished Leadership Award for a Student Planner" by the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association.

• Maryland Students Sweep AIA Maryland Design Competition

  Florence Ho and Brian Essig, graduate students in the Architecture Program, were honored for design excellence by the AIA Maryland Society.

• Maryland Students Sweep Storm Housing Design Competition

  Students in the Fall 2007 graduate-level Advanced Technology course took the top three places in Storm Housing 2007, an international design competition sponsored by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association. Maryland students also received four honorable mentions in a field of nearly 60 entries.
  

• LEAFHouse Wins at Solar Decathlon 2007

  University of Maryland's LEAFHouse wins the BP Solar People's Choice Award and places 2nd overall in the Solar Decathlon 2007.  Click here to see the final scores.

• URSP Recently Visited by Richard Sennett for Lecture and Seminar

  World-renowned social science scholar Richard Sennett recently gave a lecture entitled "The Architecture of Justice" on Monday, Nov. 19 in the auditorium of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Sennett also led a seminar further exploring the subject on Tuesday, Nov. 20 in the School's conference room.

• US-India Conference a Success

  This event, held on Nov. 16-17, was sponsored by the University of Maryland Office of International Programs and hosted by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation

• LEAFHouse Featured on Voice of America

  LEAFHouse, the University of Maryland's entry in the Solar Decathlon 2007 competition, was recently featured on Voice of America. Read more and download the video at Voice of America.

• "Community Heritage Preservation Project" Receives Mayor's 2007 Award

  Dr. Angel David Nieves, Assistant Professor, Historic Preservation was a founding committee member of the Washington DC “Community Heritage Preservation Project,” along with Joy Ford Austin of the DC Humanities Council, Patsy Fletcher of the DC Office of Planning, and Marya McQuirter, Ph.D., an independent scholar.

• Gallery Talk

  The Kibel Gallery will host a panel discussion, Architectural Design and Structural Innovation, on Monday, September 24, at noon. Come for lunch and an illuminating conversation! Free and open to the public. Event Details

• Affordable Housing Exhibit at Maryland -- April 2 - May 14, 2008

  This exhibition, curated by two UMD professors—Ralph Bennet and Isabelle Gournay—looks at the changing face of affordable housing. Formerly on display at the National Building Museum, the exhibit is now on travel and will be displayed at the Kibel Gallery in the spring of 2008.

• New Exhibit Features Innovative Structures of Waclaw Zalewski

  The new exhibit at the Kibel Gallery examines the work of Waclaw Zalewski, one of the most innovative and influential structural designers practicing today. The show includes an ingenious folding pavilion for a world's fair in Seville, a roof of steel that floats on a halo of light in a Korean arena, and a soaring supermarket roof in Poland.

• Fall 2007 Lecture Series

  The School will host eight lectures and a gallery talk this fall. Materiality, structure, and tectonics create the framework for the architectural lectures this fall, reinforced by technologically-rich exhibitions and events in the Kibel Gallery. All events are free and open to the public.

• Dr. Angel David Nieves and the "Soweto '76" Archive Featured in Newsweek International

  August 14, 2007 - Angel David Nieves, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation at the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, is featured in the latest issue of Newsweek International in an article entitled, "African Art's Long and Winding Road Home."
  

• Ph.D. Students Win Graduate Fellowships from the Federal Highway Administration

  Two URPD students, Andi Livi Smith and Carolina Burnier received Eisenhower Graduate Fellowships from the Federal Highway Administration.
  

• Ph.D. Student Wins Dissertation Fellowship Funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  Andi Livi Smith was the recipient of dissertation fellowship plus travel funds to attend the Active Living Research conference in San Diego in 2007.
  

• Alumni in the News

  Colleen Mitchell, MCP 2004, was awarded the 2006 Planner of the Year "New Planner" from the Maryland APA Chapter

• Assistant Professor Isaac Williams awarded Henry C. Welcome Fellowship

  Isaac Williams, Assistant Professor of Architecture, at the School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation is a recipient of this year's Henry C. Welcome Fellowship, issued by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The Welcome Fellowship is a state-wide competitive grant program that supports the research, creative work, publications, and speaking engagements of accomplished and promising new full time faculty of diverse backgrounds.

• April 2007: Ph.D. student, Rodney Harrell

• LEAFHouse in the News

  The project, called Leading Everyone to an Abundant Future House or "LEAFHouse," boasts of 48 solar panels powering 52 batteries and floors heated by rain water. It is the brainchild of architecture, engineering and even some communication students at the University of Maryland.

• Michael Vergason, FAAR Named the Spring 2007 Visiting KEA Professor

  Michael Vergason, FAAR of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd. (MVLA) Named the Spring 2007 Visiting KEA Professor

• Dr. Gerrit-jan Knaap Receives 2006 Outstanding Planner Award

  Dr. Gerrit-Jan Knaap, executive director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, has been awarded the “2006 Outstanding Planner Award” by the Maryland chapter of the American Planning Association.

• Commencement 2007

  The School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation will hold its Spring 2007 Commencement at 10:00 am on Monday, May 20. 

• Assistant Professor Nieves Recognized at Disrupting Latinidad Symposium

  College Park – April 20, 2007 -- Assistant Professor Angel David Nieves was recognized on Friday, April 20, 2007 at the Disrupting Latinidad symposium held at the Driskell Center on campus for his role in getting a U.S. Latino/a Studies Program established on campus.  Associate Provost Phyllis Perez and Provost William Destler singled out Professor Nieves, along with other faculty.

• April 25th at 7pm: Diversity and Planning - Challenges and Prospects.

  Panelist Anne Baum, Joseph Chang, Deborah Crain and Dr. Iraya Ruiz and moderator, Dr. Angel David Nieves talk about the challenges and prospects of planning in today's diverse society.

• Rodney Harrell co-authors article

  April 2007: Ph.D. student, Rodney Harrell, co-authored the article "From Renting to Homeownership: Using Tax Incentives to Encourage Homeownership among Renters" in the Harvard Journal on Legislation.

• Willow Lung Amam & Professor Shenglin Chang Present Article at Asian-American Studies Association Conference

  April 2007: Master's student, Willow Lung Amam, along with UMD Landscape Architecture faculy member, Shenglin Chang, co-authored the article "At Home, Away from Home: Suburban Landscape Encounters and Taiwanese Immigrant Identity Transformation"

• School Wins Two Congress for the New Urbanism Awards in 2007

  College Park – Thursday, March 22, 2007 -- Alejandra Hernandez, who received her Master of Architecture degree in December 2006, has won the coveted 2007 Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism. 

• Amy Hofstra and Professor Reid Ewing Co-Author Article in Planning Magazine

  February 2007: Master's student, Amy Hofstra, along with faculy member, Reid Ewing co-authored the article "Traffic Calming Initiatives - Approaching the Tipping Point" in this month's Planning Magazine.

• URSP Students Rodney Harrell and Willow Lung Amam Place at PROMISE Research Symposium

  January 2007: Two URSP students, Ph.D. student Rodney Harrell and MCP student, Willow Lung Amam, placed at this year's PROMISE Research Symposium held at College Park on January 22nd for their oral presentations in the area of the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Arts, Education, and Humanities.

• Up-to-date List of Specialization Classes Announced!

  Click here to download PDF
  

• New Graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning

  For more information, visit http://professionalstudies.umd.edu/transportation/
  

• Alumni in the News: Colleen Mitchell & Adrianne Aul

  Colleen Mitchell, MCP 2004, was awarded the 2006 Planner of the Year "New Planner" from the Maryland APA Chapter

• Rethink College Park

  Check out this blog site about College Park development news and events!