OCULUS, in partnership with RMIT University, has been selected to take part in a global research project led by the US-based Landscape Architecture Foundation. The Case Study Investigation program (CSI) is a unique research collaboration and training program that pairs landscape architecture practices with academic partners to document the environmental, social, and economic impacts of exemplary, high-performing landscape projects.

The resulting Case Study Briefs are published on LAF’s award-winning Landscape Performance Series website and database of over 160 projects.

The 2022 CSI program kicks off in February and runs through early August. The participating academic teams, design firms, and projects are:

• Arizona State University + SWA
  CSI Research Fellow: Chingwen Cheng, PhD, ASLA, PLA
  Student Research Assistant: Ramandeep Kau
  Project: El Paso Pedestrian Pathways, El Paso, TX
  
• Auburn University + Sasaki
  CSI Research Fellow: Charlene Marie LeBleu, FASLA, FCELA
  Student Research Assistant: Kangkhita Aishwarya Bosu
  Project: Gulf State Park Master Plan & Phase 1, Gulf Shores, AL
  
• Purdue University + ECOLAND Planning and Design Corp.
  CSI Research Fellow:  Yiwei Huang, PhD, ASLA
  Student Research Assistants:  Wanting Zhang and Yahan You
  Project: Suining South Riverfront Park, Suining, Sichuan, China
  
• RMIT University, Melbourne + OCULUS
  CSI Research Fellow: Bridget Keane, PhD
  Student Research Assistant: Peter Grant
  Project: Bendigo Hospital, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
  
• Temple University + Studio Bryan Hanes
  CSI Research Fellow: Bess Wellborn Yates, ASLA
  Student Research Assistants: Sidney Buckingham and Michelle Lee Delgado Wallace
  Project: The Rail Park, Phase 1, Philadelphia, PA
  
• Texas A&M University + Design Workshop and Reed Hilderbrand
  CSI Research Fellows: Galen Newman, PhD and Dongying Li, PhD
  Student Research Assistant: Rui Zhu
  Project: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Phase 1, Houston, TX
  
• Tongji University Shanghai + Sasaki
  CSI Research Fellow: Ing. Nannan Dong, PhD
  Student Research Assistant: Yiqi Wang
  Project: Xuhui Runway Park, Shanghai, China
  
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign + DTLS
  CSI Research Fellow: Kelley Lemon, PLA, LEED AP, EDAC
  Student Research Assistant: Chia-Ching Wu
  Project: STLCC Forest Park Center for Nursing and Advanced Health Sciences, St. Louis, MO
  
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln + SmithGroup
  CSI Research Fellow:  Salvador Lindquist, ASLA
  Student Research Assistant: Jacob Essink
  Project: Dequindre Cut Greenway, Detroit, MI
  
• University of Washington + Site Workshop
  CSI Research Fellows: Ken P. Yocom, PhD and Amy Wagenfeld, PhD
  Student Research Assistant: Rebecca Habtour
  Project: Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance, Tacoma, WA

The CSI program is highly collaborative and helps to bridge the gap between research and design practice. By investing in this research, LAF is generating much-needed information and precedents to evaluate performance, demonstrate value, and make the case for sustainable landscape solutions. 

About the Landscape Architecture Foundation

The Landscape Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. Established in 1966, LAF invests in research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives to increase our collective capacity to achieve sustainability and cultivate the next generation of design leaders.

Case Study Investigation (CSI) program: www.lafoundation.org/csi

Landscape Performance Series Case Study Briefs: www.LandscapePerformance.org/case-study-briefs