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To support community-engaged design, outdoor recreation and conservation initiatives across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture was awarded a $439,576 grant by the National Park Service (NPS).

The grant spans the next three academic years. The funding will directly support Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) graduate students as they conduct collaborative design research focused on public parks, trail systems and conservation projects.

Up to two graduate assistants per year, mentored by faculty members, will provide technical assistance to state, municipal, non-profit and community groups requesting design support. This initiative addresses both past and future technical assistance requests to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program.

The project offers MLA students a unique hands-on opportunity to work directly with public and non-profit partners to develop natural, cultural and historical resource design projects outside the classroom, all while receiving financial support for their education.

Judith Stilgenbauer, professor of landscape architecture, serves as the principal investigator for the initiative. Stilgenbauer was instrumental in bringing the grant to the School of Architecture, leveraging UH‘s existing Hawaiʻi–Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit master agreement.

“In my view, it goes to show how incredibly relevant landscape architecture is as an academic discipline and profession when it comes to providing design services that increase community and environmental resilience,” said Stilgenbauer.

She noted that during her 14 years at UH, small specialized degree programs in the School of Architecture have rarely secured federal funding of this magnitude dedicated primarily to graduate student support.

Work under the new grant will be carried out in close collaboration with NPS partners. Initial project selections and student hiring will begin in the coming months.