FOURTH / FIFTH YEAR UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE STUDY OPTION
AT THE NASHVILLE CIVIC DESIGN CENTER WITH T. K. DAVIS
Beginning in Spring
2007, up to four UT undergraduate fourth and/or fifth year architecture
students will have the opportunity to study urban design and theory in
Nashville at the Civic Design Center (NCDC) in downtown Nashville on 2nd
Avenue overlooking the Cumberland River. The Civic Design Center, founded
in 2000, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the quality
of Nashville’s built environment and promoting public participation
in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all. Nashville
is an economically and culturally vibrant city, now facing challenges of
rapid growth, both in its downtown and at the periphery.
The staff and interns at the NCDC conduct monthly Urban Design Forums,
as well as Architecture and Urbanism Exhibitions and Film Events, Urban
Design
Workshops on an as needed basis, and Neighborhood Revitalization Studies
on request. In 2005, the Center released The Plan of Nashville, published
by Vanderbilt University Press. For more information on the Civic Design
Center as a think tank for research, creative work and education on urban
design, and The Plan of Nashville, visit www.civicdesigncenter.org.
The educational experience at the NCDC incorporates an immersion in the activities
of the Center. Students participate in Urban Design Forums, design workshops,
field trips, staff meetings, and continuing education discussions. They also
have an opportunity to visit architectural practices in the city. Design
reviews in Nashville typically include professional practitioners, government
officials, planners, developers, and contractors.
Architecture students at the NCDC take an urban design vertical studio course
(six credit hours) that focuses on current problems in civic design that
while situated in real, local conditions also reflect the much wider national
and global discussion of urban design. A seminar in topics of urban design
history, theory and practice (three credit hours) is offered concurrently.
Credit hours taught in design and theory at the NCDC cost the same tuition
per hour as on the Knoxville campus.
In addition to the nine credit hour package of urban design studio and seminar,
additional elective courses may be taken at many other colleges and universities
in the Metro Nashville area, including
Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
State University, Belmont
University, Lipscomb
University, Trevecca
Nazarene University, Fisk
University and Watkins
College of Art & Design. Students register
on their own for these courses, but must petition the University of Tennessee
School of Architecture in advance of taking the course(s) in order to transfer
credit upon successful completion. Students are also responsible for making
their own housing arrangements.
Students with questions regarding studying urban design in Nashville should
contact Associate Professor T. K. Davis, Design Director (tkdavis@utk.edu).
Application:
Students need to submit an application by May 15th, 2007 to Carla Wolfenbarger,
Dean's Office Faculty. The application form (Petition for Off-Campus Study)
is available at http://www.arch.utk.edu/course.html.
Please attach: student name, program description, name of professor for off-campus
program, an essay why you are interested in the program and why it supports
you educational goals.
TREES AND URBAN FORESTRY
The importance of trees and urban forestry in America is increasingly on
the national radar screen. More and more cities are introducing ambitious
urban reforestation plans, often partnering with tree-planting groups and
nonprofit organizations devoted to urban ecology. Los Angeles, for example,
has embarked on a program to add one million new trees throughout the city.
This course will provide an introduction to urban trees, and the role of
trees as a vital component of civic design. It will incorporate guided walking
tours, both in downtown Nashville and on the Vanderbilt campus as an arboretum
to promote tree observation, identification and the discussion of tree management
issues.
The content of this course will set the stage for subsequent discussion at
the Civic Design Center on managing Nashville’s urban forest, considered
in terms of best practices nationally and benchmarking goals for the urban
tree canopy.
The course complements and extends issues raised in prior courses offered
by the Civic Design Center. It is intended to be accessible for someone new
to the subject of trees and urban forestry.
Curriculum
June 5: Introduction to Urban Trees
In this initial class, we will discuss the questions “what are urban forestry,
urban ecology and green infrastructure?” The benefits of tree will be discussed,
from the perspectives of ecosystem services, economics, health and well being,
and aesthetics. The class will include a brief overview of how a tree works,
explaining the roles of roots and shoots, meristems and cambium, as well as xylem
and phloem.
June 12: Campus Tree Walk
We will walk the Vanderbilt Campus as an arboretum with the University’s
landscape architect Pam Sevy. On the walk, we will observe trees issues discussed
in the initial class meeting, and practice tree identification with “What
Tree is That?”
June 19: Urban Trees and Design
This class meeting will address urban tree issues, including root space, damage
to trunk and branches, soil conditions, water conditions, pollution, and tree
care (watering, mulching pruning and monitoring). We will also focus on designing
with trees in mind, covering the concepts of tree box design (size, guards versus
grates, mulch, etc.), structural soils, root channels, and “right street,
right place.” Finally, this session will cover LID and trees, both in terms
of energy efficiency and storm water management.
June 26: Downtown Nashville Tree Walk
Splitting into small groups with guest leaders, we will walk and observe tree
issues discussed in previous meetings. We will also practice tree identification
with “What Tree is That?”
Instructor
Heather Langford holds a master’s degree from the
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she focused on Social
Ecology and Community Development. Prior to moving to Nashville, Ms. Langford
developed and taught classes in urban forestry with the Urban Ecology Institute
in Boston and the Casey Tree Endowment Fund in Washington, D.C. She serves
on the Metro Nashville Tree Board.
Location
All four classes will be held on Tuesdays from 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. at the
Nashville Civic Design Center located at Butler’s Run, with the exception
of the Vanderbilt Walking Tour, which will meet on campus.
Tuition
Tuition is $160, and the course is open to everyone interested.
Tuition for the course helps underwrite the Civic Design Center, and as a
consequence, no discounts or scholarships are available.
Registration
Please send name, e-mail address, telephone number and a check
payable to:
The Nashville Civic Design Center
138 Second Avenue North - Suite 106
Nashville, TN 37201
T 615.248.4280
T. K. Davis
Design Director, Nashville Civic Design Center
Associate Professor, University of Tennessee School of Architecture
T. K. Davis holds Bachelor
of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Cornell University,
where he studied under Colin Rowe, O.M. Ungers, and the legendary group
of faculty known as "The Texas Rangers." Between 1977 and 1984,
Davis practiced architecture in Hartford and Boston, and
he is a
Registered
Architect.
Since
1981, he has
had a collaborative
design
partnership with Marleen K. Davis, which has resulted in international
competition awards, and subsequent publication and exhibitions. Davis is
the past recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship in Architecture for Italy,
as well as the National Institute for Architectural Education Traveling
Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.
Beginning in 1984, T. K. Davis taught at Syracuse University’s School
of Architecture until joining the University of Tennessee, where he has
taught
advanced level
architectural and urban design and theoryas an Associate Professor since 1994.
He has also developed and taught courses in “Architecture, the City
and Film,” as
well as “Practice Management Challenges and Opportunities in the New
Economy.”
T. K. Davis holds a Certificate in Real Estate Development from the Urban Land Institute. He is certified by the National Charrette Institute (NCI) as a NCI Charrette Planner, and as an NCI Public Meeting Facilitator. He has been Design Director at the Nashville Civic Design Center since June 2004, and serves as President of the Tennessee Foundation for Architecture.
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