The Traditional Non-Traditional Landscape Architecture Studio: Education Through Service Learning In Miami, OK

Abstract

This research will illustrate the importance of a recent service learning project that was conducted for Miami, Oklahoma, by landscape architecture graduate students and faculty of the University of Oklahoma. Students and faculty partnered with the community to form the studio design team. Education in the landscape architecture studio at the graduate level provides an excellent opportunity to engage communities through service learning projects. Service learning is a unique, dynamic, and powerful framework for student learning and landscape architecture is a diverse profession which requires a multi-faceted educational approach, including community based outreach projects.  Miami, Oklahoma, was the site of a recent community outreach project where service learning provided the basic framework for this course. For the duration of an entire semester, students and faculty became entrenched in the community. The service learning project included an initial site visit for students to meet city staff that served as the community contacts for the project. Additionally, the studio design team made other site visits/ trips to Miami to present the findings throughout the project to the mayor, city council, and interested citizens.  Throughout the project, the product that the design team produced and presented to the community was two-fold. First, written reports were created that described the ideas behind the design, and secondly, traditional designs, in graphic form, were produced, illustrating the ideas of the project further. At the conclusion of the project, the studio design team presented the city with a final report that detailed the entire project process throughout the semester. This report serves not only as a written record of the project, but it also will assist the city in increasing support for the projects and programs that were illustrated by the design team so that the city can become more competitive as they seek state and federal funding for the projects. This research proves that service learning is not only beneficial to the students and faculty teams that work on the projects, but that these projects also offer a tangible asset to the community, strengthening the community from within.