GPN MAC in AC

The GPN Mid-Atlantic Conference will be in Atlantic City in October 2026 - registration is open. GPN, the Geospatial Professional Network, is the former URISA and the Mid-Atlantic Conference is a popular chance to find out what is happening in our region.

A highly ranked program

Rutgers is a Top 20 landscape architecture program. While it isn't a surprise, it is nice to see that College Factual agrees, as they list RULA as #16. It also says that the MLA program is Top 10 in the country. 

While their methods are not clear, it is easy to understand that the Rutgers Landscape Architecture program is exceptional, as it tackles big problems and produces innovative work and methods. At the undergraduate level, the LA program is intertwined with an Environmental Planning degree. Students in the BSLA and MLA programs are also integrated with the Environmental Geomatics program and have incredible opportunities to learn about GIS, geospatial technologies and drones at the Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis.

Rutgers Landscape Architecture is within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS). This context provides easy access to other sciences - soils, ecology, environmental and social sciences - for both faculty and students. Not only is this a unique context and unparalleled source of expertise, but it also helps build multidisciplinary experience, which is an essential element in contemporary landscape architecture. 

Another reason that the program stands out is that the faculty include prolific researchers and scholars experienced designers. Multiple faculty have recently published important books while others demonstrate their impact through papers and funded research. These faculty often bring their scholarship into the studio, especially in the Praxis Studios. The department's community engagement makes it a leader within Rutgers and ASLA. The program's innovative faculty regularly publish research in urban forestry, spatial dimensions of human health, and landscapes of food. 

Located halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, the Rutgers Landscape Architecture program benefits from professional exposure, office visits, and easy travel to some of the most important new built-works in the country. Job placement is remarkably strong, with alumni being prominent in leading offices around the country. The program has also benefited from a grant supporting student placement in National Park offices, which has increased public sector opportunities for students and alumni. 

This is an exciting program increasingly known for swinging big and embracing innovation. No wonder it is featured in these rankings.

Links

 As a small personal bit of news, I have set up a LinkTree.

Blending local knowledge and science

NPS has a feature that looks at the ways that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are responding to climate change. This quote sums it up well:

"Knowledge, once learned, cannot be taken away," Wagner said. Federal funds may completely disappear, he said, but "it's not going to take away the truth, and we have that knowledge now, and we will continue on our path to protect what's out there."

Wiki places: Uggubseni

Ukupseni or Uggubseni, also called Playón Chico - described as one of the most densely populated islands.

LAM in Hoboken

Landscape Architecture Magazine has a feature on the new OLIN park in Hoboken, Northwest ReslienCity Park. 

GIS History

Meagan Snow has posted a fabulous GIS history piece on the Library of Congress blogs, called SYMAPping the Puget Sound: Exploring Early Techniques in Computer Cartography.