The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning recently learned that a proposed graduate certificate program in town design got final state approval. Mark Childs, director, Design Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) within the School, led the initiative.
“I am delighted, of course, with the unanimous vote by the State Board of Finance," says Roger Schluntz, dean. The endorsement of both Gov. Bill Richardson and the Lt. Gov. Diane Denish underscores my own sense that this is a very important initiative and undertaking for the School of Architecture and Planning."
“The certificate program will position UNM to engage student interests from related disciplines in this field, while directly addressing a critical need of New Mexico and this region,” Schluntz said.
Childs and DPAC students have worked to improve parts of many New Mexico communities including Artesia, Laguna, Socorro, Dona Ana, Aztec and Clovis.
“Of all states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of its population in small towns,” Childs said.
Childs said the certificate in town design gives students the foundation to think critically about approaches to designing emerging districts, towns and cities.
Some questions students will address include: What does it take to create a great town, a place that in and of itself gives life, dignity, joy and beauty? What aspects of physical design support creating vital public squares, plazas and other civic spaces? Can public art be an integral part of the urban design of these places? How do the common areas reflect the town's character?
Other points of concern include a town's infrastructure, streets, platting patterns, building types and utility structures and how they influence architecture and the character of place.
An advantage of the certificate program is the opportunity to understand the relationship between design professionals and other “building participants,” or owners, users and citizens, Childs said.
“The course of study shows students how these people shape, constrain and inform design. We will look at how cities emerge from design and dialog over time and how this influences the role of designer, planner or other urbanist,” Childs said. A long-term proponent of engaging communities in the design of their towns, Childs views this course of study as a way of providing greater expertise within communities.
“New Mexico provides a variety of settlement and district types to study and work with including Native American Pueblos, strip malls, Spanish Colonial settlements, streetcar suburbs, gated communities, acequia villages, ghost mining towns, colonias and communes. All provide rich opportunities for research. New Mexico also offers distinctive interactions between the natural and built environment, embodying both extractive settlements and centuries-old renewable resource based settlements,” Childs said.
Childs said that students in the program will learn how to improve the quality of life in settlements through the physical design of cities, towns and their various pieces.
“A course will be offered this fall is in town design and public health. We need to make the connection between physical exercise and the urban form,” he said.
Other courses include Civic Places and Public Art; Politics and the City; Urban Design Theory; Infrastructure Design and Planning; and the DPAC studio.
For more information, contact Childs at mchilds@unm.edu, or 505-277-5059.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920