Stephen Ramos, an associate professor at the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design, works to enhance student learning through class projects that promote community engagement.
Archive for the ‘Community Planning’ Category
CED Hosts Panel Discussion on Succeeding in Academic and Professional Organization Leadership
As the CED’s spring lecture series, “Blue, Green, & Gray Infrastructure,” wraps up, we will host a panel discussion on succeeding in academic and professional organization leadership. Our esteemed panelists include Elizabeth Weeks, UGA’s Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs; Sarah Covert, Interim Associate Provost for Academic Programs; Rayman Mohamed, the President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP); and Ebru Ozer, the vice President of Education for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Join us to hear about how they developed their careers, their challenges in leadership roles, and how they mentor others.
Douglas, GA Design Charrette
The CCDP took a team of 17 students down to Douglas, GA, for our spring design charrette. The Downtown Development Authority of Douglas requested our help in creating a cohesive vision that addressed revitalization potential, corridor enhancements, and infill housing along a 3-mile business district. In just 3 days, students representing all of CED’s disciplines toured the town for the first time, facilitated a community listening session, and developed short-term and long-range concepts around streetscape improvements, placemaking, greenway enhancement, celebrating Black culture, and infill housing in historic districts. The work they were able to produce in just three days is truly remarkable and the Douglas DDA was blown away by our innovative ideas — we hope to see some of them implemented in the future!
Small Town Preservation: Hoschton, GA Design Charrette
CED students from various programs worked together with community members and stakeholders in Hoschton, Georgia to develop concept plans addressing population growth and preserving Hoschton’s historic character.
From UGA Today: UGA Helping Rural Downtowns Experience A Renaissance
UGA CED students and alumni collaborate with the Carl Vincent Institute of Government to breath new life into Georgia’s small, rural cities.
Dean Hirt Cited in Seattle Times
CED Dean Sonia Hirt cited in Seattle Times article discussing Seattle’s population decline and the national phenomenon of shrinking cities.
A Park Reimagined: New Design for Bowman Park
Recently, final design plans were revealed by four University of Georgia students who were tasked to reimagine the Bowman Town Park. From community input meetings, surveys and other information-gathering sessions, master’s degree candidates Andrew Petersen, Kayla Joiner, Elizabeth Crimmins and Guangzhao (Sophia) Zhang, took what locals asked for and set out to put their landscape-designing knowledge to work for the rural community. Joining the students on the call were Katherine Melcher, their UGA Design Studio professor; Cara Specht, representing the S.C. Forestry Commission and the Tree City USA program; Toby Douthat with Sen. Lindsey Graham’s office and S.C. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of District 66.
Dean Sonia Hirt Speaks On Land-Use and Affordable Housing for Bipartisan Policy Center
Dean Sonia Hirt participates in an expert panel discussion on the intersections between land-use law and housing affordability at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in Washington, DC.
From Cities to Satellites: Yulia Shaffer’s Journey with NASA’s DEVELOP Program
Over the Summer, current Ph.D. student Yulia Shaffer was awarded an incredible opportunity to work with NASA through their DEVELOP Program. Read more >>
Collaborative Design in Action: UGA and LSU Students Collaborate on Transformative Service-Learning Project in Savannah
Fall 2025 Update: CED Students Receive the 2025 ASLA Georgia Student Honor Award.
We are pleased to announce that Joanna Munei Waliuba and Nazrin Aliyeva have received the 2025 ASLA Georgia Student Honor Award for their continued work on the Savannah, Georgia site.
