Planning prof's smart planning research recognized by CELA

For a diverse research agenda that includes finding smart solutions for vacated urban spaces, Galen Newman, assistant professor in the Texas A&M [Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/) , earned an Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award from the [Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture] (http://thecela.org/) .

Newman accepted the accolade at CELA’s annual May 28, 2017 conference in Beijing.

“Newman is the primary, or co-author, of more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles in a wide range of multidisciplinary studies that include landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, and landscape performance,” said Jun-Hyun Kim, LAUP assistant professor, in a nomination letter.  “As a junior faculty member, the quantity and quality of his publication record is far beyond his field’s peers.”

Newman is investigating planning solutions for once-vibrant cities such as Detroit, Buffalo, N.Y., and Youngstown, Ohio that are plagued by growing vacant areas caused by shrinking populations.

To devise a planning strategy for these spaces, Newman explores their unique urban designs and landscape characteristics and predicts future vacancies with geographic information systems-based models.

“These predictions will greatly enhance public, private and financial institutions’ ability to collectively address this problem,” said Jon Rodiek, LAUP professor, in a nomination letter.

Among his additional research-based projects since joining the Texas A&M faculty in 2011, Newman has investigated flooding and pollution in Houston’s Sims Bayou, a major municipal runoff drainage channel, recommended amenities for a proposed Ike Dike intended to protect the Galveston/Houston area from hurricane storm surges, and helped create a scorecard to help city planners assess whether a community’s hazard plans actually target areas most vulnerable to natural hazards such as floods or hurricanes.

Richard Nira
rnira@arch.tamu.edu