Research.

Research is, in the broadest sense, how we garner and test information to answer a question that solves a problem. During my years practicing full time as a landscape architect and campus planner, there were many challenges which afflicted the decisions I made on a regular basis. However, my goal as a practitioner was not to create knowledge, and I often found myself following the trends of the industry to inform choices which impacted the built environment. My decision to shift professionally to the academic realm was, in part, based upon my desire to learn and to share knowledge in ways that are helpful to the future of the field of landscape architecture. In this way, I am able to provide empirically-based evidence that can appropriately and responsibly inform the future shape of our landscape fabric. Continuing my professional specialization in campus planning and sustainable urban design, my research interests tie human interaction, perception, and activity to the physical built environment. My research agenda includes current and future exploration of the following:​

• Campus planning and urban design as they relate to human experience and social sustainability
• Town-gown relations associated with higher education, corporate, and healthcare campus communities
• Public health, healthy community design, and the healthcare campus
• Studentification and its effects on community and place
• Big data as a tool for place-making and community improvement
• Visualization and virtual reality for progressive design communication 
• Human perceptions and maintenance of sustainable best management practices
• Technology for improvement of the design communication & construction administration process 

The implications of these research interests range from the creation of best practices during the design and planning process for improvement of social and physical environments, to bringing cutting edge research approaches such as the use of big data further into the realm of landscape architecture, to normalizing the use of virtual reality and other technologies in the design industry. The common thread that ties these interests together is the indubitable connection between people, place, and the environment in the practice of landscape architecture. My research has been presented widely at CELA, ASLA, EDRA, and IMCL national conferences, and published through various peer-reviewed research platforms. 

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