{"id":21774,"date":"2026-07-01T10:17:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=21774"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:56:08","slug":"earth-sciences-planning-and-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/earth-sciences-planning-and-design\/","title":{"rendered":"New Department in URI\u2019s College of the Environment and Life Sciences Unites Science, Planning, and Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From sea level rise and coastal flooding to water-resource management and sustainable development, today’s environmental challenges cannot be solved by a single discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the University of Rhode Island, a new department is built around that reality. The fields of geosciences and landscape architecture have joined together to form the Department of Earth Sciences, Planning, and Design<\/a> (ESPD), a collaboration that integrates science, planning, and design to help communities understand, adapt to, and respond to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The merger creates a single department while preserving existing degree programs and accreditation requirements for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting disciplines<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong>While this structure is a novel pairing in higher education, URI faculty say the two fields are a natural fit: geoscientists help communities understand environmental challenges, while planners and designers translate that knowledge into action.

\u201cThe work that happens in geosciences and in planning and design is deeply complementary,” said Jane Buxton<\/a>, Landscape Architecture Program Director. “One discipline generates critical knowledge about environmental systems, climate impacts, and landscape change; the other focuses on how that knowledge can inform policy, planning, and design decisions. Together, they create a pathway from research to implementation, allowing us to address complex community challenges with solutions that are both scientifically informed and practical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The world is not siloed,” added Tom Boving<\/a>, Chair of the Department. “The students we’re preparing to go out into the world can’t just be narrowly focused experts. Combining our disciplines is a holistic approach that is responsive to real-world concerns is what is needed at this critical time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty say growing environmental challenges and demand for interdisciplinary problem-solving made this the right time to formally unite disciplines that have long addressed similar challenges from different perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Landscape architecture capstone students host a community meeting at Middletown Town Hall to learn about residents\u2019 preferences for and concerns about the study area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“We often see a solution,” Boving says of geoscientists, “but we\u2019re not sure if it can actually be implemented. That’s where bringing science, planning, and design into one conversation really matters.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That vision also pushes back against narrow assumptions about both fields. Geosciences is often associated with rocks and minerals, while landscape architecture is frequently viewed through an aesthetic lens. Faculty say both perceptions overlook the breadth of each field and the community-focused work that has long been central to both disciplines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building the department <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students will continue to pursue degrees in geoscience or landscape architecture, with existing degree requirements and accreditation remaining intact. The new structure also expands access to faculty expertise through shared seminars, collaborative projects, and interdisciplinary courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new department structure is also intended to foster deeper collaboration among faculty. ESPD is welcoming five new faculty members over the next year: one assistant professor in urban planning and design, one assistant professor in environmental planning and design, two teaching professors in landscape architecture, and one assistant professor focused on discipline-based education research in sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We looked for people who wanted to be part of building something new,” Boving said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty also credit university leadership with supporting innovative approaches that cross traditional academic boundaries. \u201cWe deeply appreciate President Parlange’s support for interdisciplinary scholarship and innovation,” Buxton said. “From the beginning, he recognized the value of landscape architecture and planning and encouraged our efforts to bring together research, design, and community engagement. His support, together with the contributions of many faculty, students, and partners, has helped create the conditions for this work to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vision of Jean VanderGheynst, Dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences<\/a>, also helped illuminate the potential of a closer partnership between the two programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis new department brings together two highly complementary programs and reflects URI\u2019s commitment to interdisciplinary education and research that responds to the needs of our communities, environment, and economy,\u201d says VanderGheynst. \u201cWe are building capacity in areas where URI can lead, including resilience planning, sustainable development, and the stewardship of natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advancing URI’s land-grant mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For faculty, the ultimate goal of ESPD extends beyond academic collaboration. They see the department as a new way to fulfill URI’s land-grant mission by connecting scientific knowledge, planning expertise, and design solutions to the needs of communities.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Photo taken by Professor Boving. Water for irrigation and food production is an increasingly valuable commodity in rural India and many other regions around the world where water resources are depleting rapidly because of overuse and climate change. (Location: Belgaum, Karnataka; May 2024).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In coastal communities, for example, geoscientists may identify flood risks while planners and designers help determine how neighborhoods, infrastructure, and public spaces can adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We know flooding is going to happen,” Buxton explained. “How do we design to be resilient to those impacts? We need science to understand the risks, but we also need planning and design to create solutions that work for communities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The pressures are building,” she added. “We need people who understand the science but also understand how to translate that knowledge into action.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESPD rethinks how universities prepare students to address complex environmental challenges. “These are the issues of now and the future,” Boving said. “And students can be part of understanding them and helping reach solutions.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department of Earth Sciences, Planning, and Design at the University of Rhode Island brings together scientists, planners, and designers to address environmental challenges and prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":21780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21781,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21774\/revisions\/21781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}