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UMass Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning

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UMass Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning

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Our Mission...Through cutting edge research and teaching in design and planning, we explore what it In 1903, LARP was founded by Frank A.

Waugh as an undergraduate program in Landscape Gardening, the second such program in the United States. In 1930, the original Bachelor of Science in Landscape Gardening was changed to a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. The MLA was initiated in 1915 as a Master's in Landscape Gardening, changed three years later to a Master's in Landscape Architecture. Our Associate's in Landscape Contracting (AS), part of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, was initiated in 1923. In 1968 the Master's in Regional Planning (MRP) was initiated. in 1971, the name of the Department was changed to Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning to reflect our larger mission. Doctorate in Regional Planning (PhD) was approved in 1988, and the first students were admitted in 1989. The MLA, MRP, and BSLA are all professionally accredited degrees.

10/13/2026

Prof. Camille Barchers' MRP studio is the Berkshires helping local towns develop tools that citizens and policymakers can use to prepare the Berkshire region for a resilient future.🌲 🌄

This weekend, students participated in the Hancock Community Day and the North Adams Mt. Greylock Hike, where they engaged residents with planning activities. Activities like the studio's "BerkBlibs" worksheet helped students understand what's important to community members and how they prioritize spending.

Worksheets aside, one MRP student entered the Hancock Pie Eating Contest and won! Overall, the studio had a great time meeting members of the Berkshire community and they can't wait to go back on more visits this semester. Learn more about our "Berkshire CAN" studio at www.berkshirecan.org/.

10/09/2026

🌟Tune in for an update from Prof. Samantha Solano after her MLA studio embarked on their first site visits to Lewiston and Auburn, ME, for the 2026 Envision Resilience Challenge with teams from Northeastern University, RISD, Carnegie Mellon, and University of Florida:

"The Lewiston and Auburn landscape is defined by cycles of transformation in response to the Androscoggin River. From the pre-colonial Wabanaki villages that relied on the river, to the industrial systems that harnessed the river's hydropower to build mills, the Androscoggin River has always been central to the making of this place.

Our studio experienced Lewiston and Auburn through walking. We were rarely a 10-minute walk from the river but its presence felt hidden, obstructed, and forgotten. This trip helped us see the love that the people of Lewiston and Auburn have for their community, and it has inspired us to consider new ways of stitching the legacy of the Androscoggin River and surrounding landscape back to the people. Thank you to Envision Resilience for organizing such a thought-provoking trip!" - Prof. Solano

📸1: UMass MLA students in front of the Lewiston statue
📸2: A site visit to Teisha’s Orchard in Lewiston, led by Sean O’Connell of ReTreeUS
📸3: Students explore the Androscoggin River
📸4: UMass student Gertie Ingalls sketching the landscape
📸5: The Lewiston and Auburn site visits concluded with a collaborative share-out where students like Zeke Cochin (UMass, pictured) from all the Challenge universities reflected on what they’d seen, heard, and learned.
📸6: Solano with her students
📸7: Group photo of all the university teams
Photos by Envision Resilience and Samantha Solano

10/08/2026

How do we process the realities of climate change in the landscapes we call home? Join environmental artists Carolina Aragón and Sebastian González Quintero today for an inspiring discussion exploring how site-specific art, digital technology, and public participation can transform abstract scientific data about climate change into immersive human experiences.

This Zube event, organized by LARP and the University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass Amherst, will be held at 4 PM the Olver Design Building Lecture Hall (room 170) at UMass Amherst. The panel is free and open to the public with snacks and drinks provided!

📸1: HEAT BLOOMS (2025), a public art installation in Cambridge, MA, that used temperature-responsive origami flowers to expose the realities of extreme heat. The piece was created by Carolina Aragón, Brynya Ablamsky, and teams from LARP and Art for Public Good.
📸2: Carolina Aragón, LARP associate professor, artist, and founder of Art for Public Good
📸3: Sebastian González Quintero, a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Design and Media at Northeastern University, whose work focuses on climate change and environmental issues using moving image, interactive media, and sound. His work has been presented in exhibitions in Colombia and the United States, and in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.
📸4: González is exploring the potential of the underwater acoustic environment of urban rivers as an ecological indicator and its role in environmental communication.

10/07/2026

We hosted our Virtual Alumni Mentoring Session yesterday! LARP alumni met with students over Zoom to share career advice and offer insights into different industries.

💚Thank you to Andrew Carrano, BSLA 22, Rachel Newman, BSLA ‘21, Lee Jennings, MLA ‘08, David Hancox, BSLA ‘90, Jessie Crowley Waisnor, BSLA ‘02, Wilson Darbin, BSSCD 19, Chris Ramage, MLA ‘21, Karen Sebastian, MLA ‘99, Jen Stromsten, MRP ‘14, Ngoc Doan, MLA ‘14, Rebecca Bachand, BSLA ‘98, and Rob Watchilla, MRP 21!

Want to get involved at LARP as an alum? Learn about opportunities at umass.edu/landscape-planning/alumni.

10/01/2026

🎤Join us today at 4 PM for "Greenfield Urban Planning in Africa," a Zube Lecture presented by Vernon Henderson, Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics!

Hear how Prof. Henderson's team is studying Tanzania's flagship “20,000 Plots'' project in Dar es Salaam, which partitioned peri-urban land into over 36,000 formal residential plots. Using administrative records, satellite imagery, and primary surveys, Henderson's team is examining the effects of planning decisions on consumer welfare and how planning can be improved.

📸1: Nairobi around Kubera (3-4 km from the city center), showing urban informality in Kenya
📸2: Planned non-residential use and road reserves in Mbweni Mpiji in the Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania

09/30/2026

Nominate a LARP alum for our inaugural LARPee Awards! Tell us about an alum who you think exemplifies the mission and values of our department. LARPees will be presented during our Alumni Reunion Party on Saturday, November 14th from 6-9:30 PM at UMass Amherst!

Nominate an alum by October 16th using this form: https://forms.gle/r9H7cx41Pbb6bFw36

Department Mission: LARP provides sustainable solutions to complex problems. We educate outstanding students, serve diverse communities, and undertake influential scholarship. We seek to exemplify a new generation of professionals and educators who work collaboratively across disciplines and cultures. This provides leadership to find regenerative, equitable and beautiful designs, spatial and social practices.

09/29/2026

What's something that landscape architects design? Skateparks🛹! Nolan Fonda, MLA '25, a skateboarder from Western Mass and landscape architect with GZA Geo Environmental, led the design efforts of a new skate and all-wheels park in Easthampton, MA.

The goal of the design was to make the new park accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level. Now, thanks to fundraising efforts spearheaded by the Easthampton Skatepark Committee, construction of the long-awaited skatepark is set to begin this fall at the city's Millside Park.

"Skateparks may not mean much to some, but to others, they’re the glue that holds the community together," said Fonda.

"What really excites me about this new skatepark is that it’s something I was a part of prior to grad school as a skateboarder in the area, and then to be able to fully design it as part of my job is still hard for me to wrap my head around. Not only that, it’s something my friends and I will use for years to come once constructed."

🎨Easthampton Skatepark design renderings by GZA.

09/28/2026

We're hiring! The Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) is looking for an inspiring individual to serve as teacher, mentor, and leader in our professional accredited Landscape Architecture programs. We invite applications for this position, expected to start on September 1, 2027.

Learn more at https://careers.umass.edu/jobs/lecturer-in-landscape-architecture-and-regional-planning-100-amherst-massachusetts-united-states.

09/25/2026

Have you signed up for LARP's Virtual Alumni Mentoring Session yet? Don't miss your chance to talk on Zoom with amazing alumni working in landscape architecture, design-build, planning, community development, sustainability, and more! Scan the QR code or go to https://forms.gle/rTYbdTsZP7w8K23j8 to sign up by 9/29!

🌟Mentors will include:
Andrew Carrano, BSLA '22, Landscape Architectural Designer, CLR Design
Rachel Newman, BSLA ‘21, Landscape Designer, Hilarie Holdsworth Design
Lee Jennings, MLA ‘08, Senior Associate, Dodson & Flinker
Christopher Ramage, MLA ‘21, Landscape Architect and Founder, Studio FARM
Ngoc Doan, MLA ‘14, Landscape Photographer, NDoan Photo
Rebecca Bachand, BSLA ‘98, Owner/Manager, RBLA Design LLC
Jessie Crowley Waisnor, BSLA ‘02, Senior Landscape Architect, Town of Brookline
Karen Sebastian, MLA ‘99, Principal/Owner, Karen Sebastian LLC
David Hancox, BSLA ‘90, President/Lead Designer, Landscape Oasis LLC
Wilson Darbin, Sustcomm ‘19, Budget Analyst, Rhode Island School of Design
Jen Stromsten, MRP ‘14, Director of Programs, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
Christine Brestrup, MLA ‘80, Former Planning Director, Town of Amherst
Rob Watchilla, MRP ‘21, Planning Director, Town of Wellesley
Jessica Allan, MLA/MRP ‘04, Real Estate Development Director, Valley Community Development
Sebastian Gutwein, Env. Design ‘06, Designer/Principal, Residential Design Group
Maureen Po***ck, MRP/MLA ‘12, Planning Director, Town of Montague

09/21/2026

Read LARP's new magazine, Wilder Times!📖

On October 5, 1972, a group of LARP graduate students published the first issue of a new department newsletter, Wilder Times. Today, LARP is proud to revive Wilder Times as a new magazine that celebrates our students, faculty, and alumni who are using design and planning to foster hope in a more resilient future.

➡Read the full magazine as an interactive flipbook at https://heyzine.com/flip-book/cbe68236f3.html, or visit our website for more reading options: https://www.umass.edu/landscape-planning/wilder-times-magazine-2026!

💚Special thanks to all our alumni, student, and faculty contributors!!
Cover Design by Liz Helmin, MLA '26

Address

210 Design Building, 551 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA
01003

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+14135452255

Website

http://www.umass.edu/larp

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