Concurrent Education Session

MON-A10: The Research-practice Ecotone: Models for Authentic Inquiry and Discovery

Monday, October 7, 2024

11:00am – 12:15pm ET

Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 151AB

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, NY/HSW, FL

Lead Speaker(s)

Megan Barnes, ASLA

Senior Program Manager
Landscape Architecture Foundation
Washington, District of Columbia

Session Guide

Speaker(s)

Mikyoung Kim, FASLA

Founding Principal
Mikyoung Kim
Boston, Massachusetts
Rebecca S. Popowsky, ASLA, SITES AP (she/her/hers)

Research Associate
OLIN
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

New paradigms in the convergence of research and practice are explored through the metaphor of the “ecotone.” This panel will discuss new integrated models for navigating the research-practice boundary zone to address the complex issues faced by landscape architects through case studies such as Tidal Philly and Ford’s Michigan Central.

Learning Outcomes:

Explore how the pursuit of research can support authentic modes of practice using the ecotone as a metaphor for the boundary zone between research and practice.
Understand the challenges and opportunities related to pursuing research in professional practice.
Explore, through the lens of at least two real-world projects and research initiatives, how authentic inquiry can both make real-world impacts and contribute to furthering knowledge.
Identify several reasons for the landscape architecture discipline’s complex relationship between academia and practice.