Landscape Architect Gina Ford to Present "Micro, Macro, Mega" Lecture on Oct. 26

Christian Philips

Chicago Riverwalk. (Image courtesy of Sasaki)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Gina Ford will present a lecture at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in Ken and Linda Sue Shollmier Hall, Room 250 of Vol Walker Hall, on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, as part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design lecture series.

Ford is a landscape architect, principal and chair of Sasaki's Urban Studio, based in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Urban Studio is an energized and interdisciplinary group of practitioners solely dedicated to the improvement of quality of life in cities through rigorous planning, exceptional design and strong community partnerships.

Cities across the United States, in an effort to maintain competitiveness and address broader economic, ecological or social issues, are investing in innovative planning and design.

In her lecture, titled "Micro, Macro, Mega: Designing Landscapes of Urban Change," Ford will discuss projects at a range of scales where landscape is leading this charge as a powerful urban catalyst.

From the 2-acre temporary landscape dubbed the Lawn on D in Downtown Boston to the newly opened Chicago Riverwalk expansion to a regional strategy to address land loss on the Gulf Coast, the discussion will focus on the role of community engagement, programmatic considerations and the challenges of implementation in addition to design strategy.

Ford's work encompasses a wide range of scales and project types, from public parks and plazas to large-scale landscape planning and waterfront projects. She brings to each project a passion for the process of making vibrant landscape spaces — from the conceptual design to the details of implementation — with a particular focus on the life and use of urban, public environments.

Ford's experience is additionally informed by extensive research, writing, travel, teaching and competitions. Her teaching includes guest critic and studio instructor roles at the Harvard Design School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Rhode Island School of Design. She holds degrees in architecture from Wellesley College and landscape architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and she was the recipient of Wellesley's Shaw Fellowship, the Janet Darling Webel Prize, the Hyde Chair at the University of Nebraska and the Charles Eliot Travelling Fellowship.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free, with limited seating.

For more information, contact 479-575-4704 or fayjones.uark.edu.