Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Decolonizing landscape architecture education means examining whose knowledge, histories, and design practices schools treat as authoritative—and changing the curriculum, decision-making structures, and community relationships that reproduce unequal power. Part 2 of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ report on a 2021 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) panel describes practical examples at Arizona State University, the University of California, Davis, and Iowa State University.
The panel did not offer a ranked model or prove that any initiative produced lasting outcomes. It presented actions in progress, cautions about shallow engagement, and a shared challenge: landscape architecture programs must reconsider what they teach, whose voices shape decisions, and whether professional education reinforces structural disparities.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What does it mean to decolonize landscape architecture education?
In the panel’s usage, decolonizing is not a single elective, reading list, or statement of values. It is an institutional examination of how knowledge is selected, whose practices are legitimized, and how education may reproduce colonial assumptions and social inequities. That examination can reach a course syllabus, a department’s strategic plan, faculty evaluation, student support, and a university’s relationship with communities.
The speakers also treated the word itself as open to debate. The report says they agreed on the need to reexamine fundamental knowledge and assumptions, including whether landscape architecture reproduces “biases and structural disparities in society,” even when they differed on the term decolonizing. A useful working definition is therefore practical rather than semantic: identify inherited power structures, give affected communities meaningful influence, and change the systems that decide what counts as knowledge and success.
Popular on Amazon
- Ergonomically Designed: Work in tight areas with a compact design that gets into tough spots
- Both tools are designed to fit into difficult to reach spaces
- Complete a wide range of applications with a high-performance motor that delivers up to 300 UWO, and an impact driver delivering up to 1,400 in-lbs of torque
- Both the DEWALT impact driver and drill driver feature integrated LED work lights with a convenient 20-second delay, ensuring enhanced visibility in dimly lit or challenging work areas
- One-Handed Loading - Keep one hand free with a 1/4 in. hex chuck that accepts 1 in. bit tips
What was Part 2 of the CELA panel about?
Part 2 was a 2021 session at the CELA conference focused on cultural and institutional transformation in landscape architecture education. Jeffrey Hou and Mallika Bose reported the discussion for ASLA’s The Field. Mallika Bose moderated; panelists were Chingwen Cheng of Arizona State University, Michael Rios of the University of California, Davis, and Julie Stevens of Iowa State University.
The CELA 2021 abstract proceedings provide the conference context, while the ASLA account supplies the examples and cautions. Because the session was reported in September 2021, it should be read as a snapshot of initiatives and perspectives at that time—not as a current audit of those universities or evidence that every program remains active.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What did Arizona State University change?
Chingwen Cheng described Arizona State’s ReDesigning the Design School initiative, begun in 2019. Its process listened to people inside and outside the school, including industry members, alumni, students, staff, and faculty. One strategic goal was to decolonize design education, with a related action item to review curricula across the Design School’s programs, including landscape architecture.
The example matters because it combines a stated educational goal with a review of the courses through which that goal is expressed. A curriculum review can ask questions such as:
- Which histories and theories are treated as foundational, and which are presented as peripheral?
- Are students learning from Indigenous, local, diasporic, and community-based practices as sources of knowledge rather than as occasional “case studies”?
- Who has authority to define a successful site, a legitimate expert, or an acceptable form of evidence?
- Do studio briefs and assessment criteria reward only one cultural or professional model?
ASU’s student-led Design Justice Initiative supplied another layer. The report describes three committees: one focused on restructuring and outreach, one on equity and inclusion, and one on wellness and support. Their structure shows why student participation cannot be reduced to consultation after decisions have already been made. Students can identify harms in the curriculum, propose alternatives, and influence how a school communicates and supports its community.
How did UC Davis connect landscape education with public scholarship?
Michael Rios described the University of California, Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement. The office supports relationships between communities and Davis scholars, public scholarship, fellowship programs, partnership grants, events, and efforts to improve recognition for publicly engaged scholarship.
Also popular on Amazon
- Valued Carpenter Pencil Set: You will get 2 pcs solid carpenter pencils with 26 piece 2.8 mm refills, 1 replaceable sharpener, 1 plastic storage box.The complete carpenter pencils combination allows you to finish your work faster and more easily
- Deep Hole Marker Pencil: The deep-hole construction pencils adopts 45mm elongated tip design, which is more convenient to mark in the small hole or in other tight areas that other carpenter markers cannot reach
- Carpenter Pencils with Sharpener: The sharpener is screwed into the top of the work pencil, which won't get lost either. Built-in pencil sharpener that keep the lead with pointed and smooth to Improves line of sight in fine work
- Stronger Solid Lead: This work pencil is matched with a 2.8 mm thick lead , which is much thicker and stronger during the drawing process of construction work, it will not break or damage easily
- Marks on Various Surfaces: 3 colors solid construction pencil can marks on various surfaces,such as metal, plastic, wood, paper etc. Ideals for woodworkers, contractors, craftsmen, builders, merchants and masons
The planning process involved more than a thousand university and non-university constituents, according to the 2021 ASLA report. That figure should be attributed to the article; the report does not provide an underlying dataset or a later assessment. Its significance is the breadth of participation the office sought, not a claim that consultation alone guarantees equitable results.
For landscape architecture, a public-scholarship approach can shift the project brief. Instead of treating a neighborhood as a site from which students extract data, a program can treat residents, civic groups, and practitioners as partners whose knowledge shapes the questions, methods, and definition of success. Partnerships also create routes for students to produce work that communities can use, while universities reconsider how such work is credited in promotion and funding decisions.
What institutional structures did Iowa State University describe?
Julie Stevens outlined several connected measures at Iowa State University: a College of Design director role for equity, inclusion, and multicultural student success; the Inclusive by Design program of workshops and activities; student-led initiatives; and faculty work rewriting the department’s strategic plan, with curriculum decolonization as a major goal.
These measures operate at different levels. A director role creates responsibility and coordination at the college level. Workshops can build shared vocabulary and professional skills. Student initiatives provide lived experience and leadership. A strategic-plan rewrite can align those efforts with departmental priorities rather than leaving them as optional events. The panel did not claim that the combination had already delivered measurable outcomes, but it illustrates why curriculum change and institutional infrastructure need to reinforce one another.
How do the three examples differ?
The initiatives are not comparable programs with standardized metrics. They illustrate different levels of action and different ways of distributing decision-making power.
| Example | Primary level | Actions reported | Who participates | Evidence and limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | Design school and curriculum | ReDesigning the Design School; curriculum review; Design Justice Initiative committees | Industry, alumni, students, staff, faculty; student committee leaders | Initiative and goals reported in 2021; no comparative outcome evaluation |
| University of California, Davis | University-wide public scholarship | Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement; fellowships, partnership grants, events, recognition of engaged scholarship | University and non-university constituents; more than 1,000 involved in planning, according to ASLA | Participation figure is reported by the article; no underlying dataset or later status supplied |
| Iowa State University | College, department, and student support | Equity, inclusion, and multicultural student-success director; Inclusive by Design; student initiatives; strategic-plan rewrite | College leaders, faculty, students, and staff | Curriculum decolonization identified as a major goal; outcomes were not evaluated in the report |
Across the examples, five comparison questions are more useful than a league table: Is action confined to a class or embedded in governance? Who has real decision-making power? Are curriculum and incentives addressed together? Do community partnerships continue beyond a single studio? What evidence shows implementation rather than announcement?
Also popular on Amazon
- 【Great Compatibility】This Katerk 1/4 inch hex shank bit holder is specifically designed for 1/4 inch hex shank drill bits. It's compatible with most 1/4 fast hex handles, hex sockets, various electric screwdrivers, and handheld screwdrivers. The bit holder makes it a valuable addition for any handyman.
- 【Secure and Safe】Built with a secure backup nut design, each drill bit holder securely locks onto your bits, ensuring they stay firmly in place. Additionally, our bit holder incorporates a high-quality steel ball rolling design that holds up to several kilograms of weight, ensuring your various drill bits don't fall off.
- 【Easy One-Handed Operation】The bit holder for impact driver allows you to change bits single-handedly, simplifying your workflow. Its multi-color design further allows for quick identification of the drill bit you need.
- 【Compact and Convenient】Thanks to its compact size, this 1/4 inch bit holder is easy to carry around. The bit holder allows for easy attachment to various tools, making this a convenient addition to your construction accessories. The Katerk bit holder is cast from high-quality alloy material, promising a long product lifespan. Despite its rugged strength, the bit holder remains lightweight, making it portable.
- 【Cool Christmas Gift For Men Stocking Stuffers】 This screwdriver bit holder, driver bit holder, impact bit holder, can be given as a gift to your loved one, especially for anyone involved in construction or electrical work. It's a must-have for stocking stuffers for men and women, tools gifts for dad, tech gadgets for men, gifts for dad, gifts for him, gifts for husband, gifts for boyfriend, cool gadgets for men, and cool gifts for dad.
Why can diversity policies and metrics fail to produce deep change?
The panelists warned that institutional change can be slow and contentious, especially when stakeholder engagement is limited or superficial. Stevens described resistance to including diversity, equity, and inclusion work in faculty evaluation. She argued that adding an annual-review metric by itself cannot create substantive change.
That caution distinguishes accountability from box-checking. A metric may record whether a workshop occurred or a statement was adopted, but it cannot show whether students feel safe challenging a curriculum, whether community partners influence decisions, or whether promotion systems value publicly engaged work. Programs need both documented expectations and the authority, time, funding, and support to meet them.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRios added a trust problem: “many faculty of color see offices of diversity and inclusion as simply managing risk.” The concern is that an office can protect an institution’s reputation without changing its distribution of power. Meaningful communication across campus communities, transparent decision-making, and follow-through are therefore more important than symbolic language alone.
How can a landscape architecture program begin curriculum change?
The panel did not prescribe a universal sequence, but its examples support a practical starting framework. A department can adapt the steps to its own governance and community relationships.
- Map the decision points. List who chooses required readings, studio sites, precedents, assessment criteria, guest speakers, hiring priorities, and promotion standards. Include students, staff, and community partners, not only permanent faculty.
- Listen before drafting. Use structured conversations with students, alumni, practitioners, staff, and affected communities. ASU’s ReDesigning the Design School began with this kind of broad listening. Publish what was heard and what cannot be changed immediately.
- Audit the curriculum as a system. Review the sequence of courses, not just one syllabus. Look for missing histories, narrow definitions of expertise, extractive site visits, inaccessible formats, and grading criteria that reward a single cultural norm.
- Share authority with students. Create standing groups with defined responsibilities, resources, and access to decision-makers. ASU’s Design Justice Initiative shows one model with separate restructuring and outreach, equity and inclusion, and wellness and support committees.
- Build community partnerships early. Co-design questions and outcomes with organizations outside the university. Avoid asking communities to supply unpaid labor for a project whose benefits and credit remain inside the institution.
- Align incentives. Review whether faculty evaluation, workload allocation, grants, and awards recognize teaching reform and publicly engaged scholarship. A policy that demands this labor without valuing it will produce predictable resistance.
- Report back and revise. Treat change as iterative. Rios’s formulation is concise: “change is a process and not an end state.” Share decisions, unresolved disagreements, and evidence of what changed.
What role should students and communities play?
Students are not only recipients of a redesigned curriculum. Stevens said, “We have a significant opportunity here to really be with our students right now in times of significant change, to let them lead.” Supporting that leadership means providing meeting time, advising, funding, and protection from retaliation or tokenization. It also means accepting that students may challenge a school’s preferred terminology or priorities.
Community participation should extend beyond a guest lecture or final presentation. The panel’s discussion of public scholarship points toward longer relationships in which partners help define the problem, shape methods, interpret findings, and decide how work is shared. Cross-disciplinary coalitions can add expertise that a landscape architecture department does not possess, while partnerships outside the university can test whether proposals respond to lived conditions rather than only academic conventions.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Also popular on Amazon
- Toolwiz 17-inch magnetic sweeper maintaining a load capacity of up to 8.8 pounds provides a perfect solution to the problem of clearing small ferrous metal objects, such as nails, tacks, bolts, and metal shavings from workshops or garage floors.
- Convenient and portable：17” is good for home, small workshop, or small yard as it is space-saving and more reachable for narrow areas. Perfect for collecting nails or small parts in the car, under the table, and in other nooks or crannies.
- Upgraded Handle Design: The handle features a sturdy, non-telescopic design to completely prevent slipping during use. By simply adding or removing the extension poles, the height can be adjusted to 3 different lengths: 18.9" (48 cm), 32.5" (82.5 cm), and 42.5" (108 cm) from ground to top. This customizable height helps prevent back bending and muscle strain, making your cleaning tasks effortless
- Flexible wheels: Upgrade wheel screws to avoid being too tight to spin or too loose. More comfortable 3-inch rubber wheels roll smoothly on carpet, grass, concrete, and hardwood floors. Just push and pull this rolling magnet-sweeper to pick up metal nails easily.
- Lightweight materials: The magnetic nail sweeper's compact and lightweight design makes the sweeping can be done anywhere you want, Push or pull it under the furniture, passing through the workshop floor, driveway, mud, grass, and gravel.
The ASLA account also acknowledges that broader community participation beyond the university would have strengthened the panel itself. That admission is instructive: institutions pursuing decolonization must examine not only their programs but also who is absent from the conversation about reform.
How should schools evaluate progress without overstating results?
The 2021 report supplies examples and concerns, not outcome data. A responsible evaluation should therefore distinguish activity from effect. Useful questions include:
- Which courses, required sequences, and assessment criteria changed, and who approved those changes?
- How many decisions were co-authored with students or community partners, and did those participants have veto power or only advisory status?
- Are publicly engaged projects funded, staffed, and credited in the same way as conventional research?
- Do student climate, retention, and belonging indicators improve, and are results disaggregated rather than averaged away?
- What evidence shows that community partners received value, ownership, or continuing influence?
- What objections were raised, how were they answered, and what remains unresolved?
These are evaluation prompts, not findings from the panel. Publishing limitations alongside successes helps prevent a new set of institutional claims from reproducing the same hierarchy of knowledge the work is meant to question.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are the limits of the Part 2 evidence?
Part 2 is a report of panel perspectives and institutional examples from 2021. It does not establish which initiatives remain active, how they were implemented after the session, or what educational and community outcomes followed. The more-than-1,000-participant figure for UC Davis is presented by the ASLA article without a supporting dataset in that article.
Recommended Free Tools
Readers seeking current program information should contact the relevant institution and examine recent plans, reports, course catalogs, and student accounts. The value of the panel is not that it settles the question; it identifies where to look and what questions a credible account must answer.
What is the central lesson for landscape architecture educators?
The panel’s central lesson is that decolonization requires linked changes: curriculum review, student leadership, community-engaged scholarship, institutional responsibility, and honest examination of incentives. A new course or annual-review checkbox may be useful, but neither substitutes for shifting who defines knowledge and who has authority.
Also popular on Amazon
- APPLY TO MOST DRILLS : 6 pieces screw extractors work with any drill and all the screw size or bolt (3-12mm), These extractor tools are used to reverse the damaged screw counterclockwise until it is released
- The DIY Tools for Men-Men won't know they need screw extractor set until they have one! This screw extractor set is GIFTS WRAP AVAILABLE, can be gifted to your loved ones as it reflects a fresh trend with fun and practical. Amazing and Unique tool gifts for men women. The must have stocking stuffers for men, gifts for dad, husband, father, him, guy teens, adult, Boyfriend, son on Birthdays, Christmas, Fathers Day or anniversary. Perfect Holiday Gifts Guide
- HIGH QUALITY - This damaged screw remover tool kit is made from High-Speed Steel H.S.S 4341# , which have high hardness of 63hrc, it's durable and easily to remove any damaged screws.
- EASY TO USE: Just two simple steps to get the job done - drill a hole with a cutting size using the right size screw extractor and easily remove the screw or bolt using the removal tool Hardness 63-65HRC: Titanium hardened steel material, more durable than most screw extractors on the market, better hardness and durability than others, buy with confidence and complete peace of mind
- Cool Gadgets for Men Dad Christmas Birthday Gifts for Men and Women - Men won't know they need screw extractor sets until they have one! Every screw has the potential to rust and break, which can create a situation where it cannot be removed. Owning it, there will be no anxiety about rusty screws. This screw extractor set is GIFTS WRAP AVAILABLE, can be gifted to your loved ones as it reflects a fresh trend with fun and practical. Amazing and unique tool gifts for men women. A must have stocking stuffer for men on birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day or anniversaries, a gifts for dads, husbands, fathers, him, adults, boyfriends, sons. The best and most practical and surprising Christmas gifts
As Rios put it, “change is a process and not an end state.” For landscape architecture programs, that process begins by listening across communities, making decision-making visible, and acting on what the listening reveals—even when the work is contested and the next step is not yet fully resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does decolonizing landscape architecture mean discarding all established design knowledge?
No. The panel did not call for a blanket rejection of existing methods. It called for examining how knowledge became authoritative, what has been excluded, and whether students can evaluate multiple traditions and forms of evidence critically.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhat should a department do if faculty disagree about the word “decolonizing”?
The speakers’ shared concern was broader than agreement on terminology. A department can define the concrete questions it will investigate—whose knowledge is taught, who makes decisions, and whether education reproduces disparities—while continuing a respectful debate about language.
How can students participate without carrying the entire reform effort?
Student committees can have formal roles, budgets, advising, and access to decision-makers, as in the Design Justice Initiative described at Arizona State. Responsibility should remain shared with faculty, staff, and administrators so student leadership is supported rather than treated as unpaid institutional labor.
Why is an annual DEI requirement not enough?
A metric can document an activity without changing incentives, authority, or everyday teaching. The panel’s caution was that evaluation criteria must be paired with resources, meaningful communication, and changes to the structures that determine whose work is valued.
Where can I read the original Part 2 discussion?
The full account is Jeffrey Hou and Mallika Bose’s ASLA article, “Decolonizing Landscape Architecture Education, Part 2.” The conference setting and contributor information appear in the CELA 2021 abstract proceedings.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
