UMass Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning

UMass Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Our Mission...Through cutting edge research and teaching in design and planning, we explore what it In 1903, LARP was founded by Frank A.

Waugh as an undergraduate program in Landscape Gardening, the second such program in the United States. In 1930, the original Bachelor of Science in Landscape Gardening was changed to a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. The MLA was initiated in 1915 as a Master's in Landscape Gardening, changed three years later to a Master's in Landscape Architecture. Our Associate's in Landscape Contracting (AS), part of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, was initiated in 1923. In 1968 the Master's in Regional Planning (MRP) was initiated. in 1971, the name of the Department was changed to Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning to reflect our larger mission. Doctorate in Regional Planning (PhD) was approved in 1988, and the first students were admitted in 1989. The MLA, MRP, and BSLA are all professionally accredited degrees.

👋 Hey Planners! We've got two events where you can earn AICP certification maintenance credits! Both events will be held...
09/11/2026

👋 Hey Planners! We've got two events where you can earn AICP certification maintenance credits! Both events will be held in-person at the award-winning John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst (Room 170)!

🎤9/17 @ 4 PM: 1 AICP CM Credit
"Zoning Large Parcels for Reuse: Lessons from Hampshire College," Lecture Presented by Jeff Bagg, Town of Amherst Director of Planning & Economic Development

🎬9/24 @ 4 PM (Reception to Follow): 2 AICP CM Credits
"SITTING STILL: Documentary Film Screening & Discussion," Hosted by UMass LARP, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (MA APA), and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA). Post-film discussion moderated by Gretchen Rabinkin, Executive Director BSLA, and Lee M. Pouliot, City of Chicopee Director of Planning & Development

These events are part of our fall Zube Lecture Series. AICP CM credits are made possible by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Learn more at https://www.umass.edu/landscape-planning/zube.

📅 SAVE THE DATE! UMass LARP is hosting an ALUMNI REUNION PARTY on Saturday, November 14th from 6-9:30 PM at the John W. ...
09/10/2026

📅 SAVE THE DATE! UMass LARP is hosting an ALUMNI REUNION PARTY on Saturday, November 14th from 6-9:30 PM at the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst!

Stay tuned for more details and a registration link coming soon!

✨ Featuring:
-Dinner catered by UMass Dining, ranked America's #1 Campus Food
-Free Campus Parking
-Alumni Recognition Awards
-Live Music
-Drinks
-Tour of the award winning Olver Design Building
-Displays of studio work by UMass LARP students

👋 Join our LARP Alumni LinkedIn Group for more updates! https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8283636/

Join us today two exciting events!🌟🎤Our first Zube Lecture of the semester kicks off at 4 PM on Zoom with a special, one...
09/10/2026

Join us today two exciting events!🌟
🎤Our first Zube Lecture of the semester kicks off at 4 PM on Zoom with a special, one-time-only webinar: "Solutions Through Empowerment: Why Health and Education Matter to Climate Change," presented by Hannah Evans, Senior Analyst of Outreach and Global Partnerships at Population Connection.

This webinar is open to the public; no registration required. Join on Zoom here: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/91851697293

🎨See the first fall show of the John W. Olver Design Building Gallery: "SEEING PLACE," featuring the work of Kathleen Lugosch, Professor Emerita of Architecture at UMass Amherst. Experience the connections between art, architecture, and place.

All are welcome to the opening reception from 4:30-6:30 in the Gallery. This exhibit will be on display from Tuesday, 9/8, to Thursday, 10/22, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am–4:00 pm.

09/08/2026

What do you love about LARP? From our collaborative community to our amazing alumni network, get ready to experience all the things that make our department so special. Welcome back everyone! Wishing you all another unforgettable year at LARP!💚🌱

We were thrilled to welcome our new graduate students this week during LARP’s joint orientation with Architecture | UMas...
09/04/2026

We were thrilled to welcome our new graduate students this week during LARP’s joint orientation with Architecture | UMass Amherst in the Design Building! Can’t wait to see the rest of our community next week for the start of new school year!🌱✨

Professor Solano's landscape architecture studio is one of the five teams selected for the 2026 Envision Resilience Chal...
09/03/2026

Professor Solano's landscape architecture studio is one of the five teams selected for the 2026 Envision Resilience Challenge. Starting this month, students will examine how Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, can prepare for climate change while strengthening connections among their riverfronts, communities, and shared histories.

Learn more on Inside UMass at https://www.umass.edu/news/article/landscape-architecture-and-regional-planning-team-selected-2026-envision-resilience or by reading Envision Resilience's press release at https://www.envisionresilience.org/newsandstories/lewiston-auburn-challenge-2026-announcement.

This Wednesday, you can hear from LARP Associate Professor, Carolina Aragón, present "Art as Preview: Installations for ...
07/13/2026

This Wednesday, you can hear from LARP Associate Professor, Carolina Aragón, present "Art as Preview: Installations for Hopeful Adaptation," during LAF's Future Now: Webcast Discussion Series!

Carolina is the creator of several award-winning public art installations. Projects like High Tide in Boston, sWARM in Springfield, and most recently, Heat Blooms in Cambridge, use art to engage communities with the realities of climate change, from sea-level rise to extreme heat.

Join in at 12:30-1:45pm EDT. Register at https://www.lafoundation.org/resources/2026/06/future-now-webcast-discussion?utm_source=Landscape+Architecture+Foundation+Subscribers&utm_campaign=3b63bdef40-webinar-engagement-26-04-14_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6c58a99c3f-49876747

🎨Hi LARP Alumni and Students! Want to design the new nameplate for our 2026 magazine, Wilder Times? Submit your design t...
07/06/2026

🎨Hi LARP Alumni and Students! Want to design the new nameplate for our 2026 magazine, Wilder Times? Submit your design to [email protected] by Friday, July 10th. If your design is selected, we'll credit you in the magazine!

This year, LARP studios tackled climate resilience and environmental recovery in places like Boston, MA; Bath, ME; Southern VT; and Hartford, CT! We're looking for a nameplate that incorporates the themes of nature and climate resilience. Think plants, regrowth, and resilient landscapes. 🌱 🌳 🌿

Check out these images by LARP students (August Ellis, Michael Amato, Nina Fritsch, and Rhapsody Espiritu) for inspiration!

🎉🌎Wayne Feiden, FAICP, the Director of the Center for Resilient Metro-Regions at LARP, has received a Fulbright Speciali...
06/26/2026

🎉🌎Wayne Feiden, FAICP, the Director of the Center for Resilient Metro-Regions at LARP, has received a Fulbright Specialist award! Feiden is working in Balti, Moldova, to advance the city’s park planning through a new strategic plan.

“Balti has wonderful green spaces, including two parks that help define the center of the city,” says Feiden. “Our work will include consideration of how to think about underserved areas of the city and how to think strategically given limited resources.”

Liana Rosenblum, Adriana Pinto-Pro, and Delaney Gardner won a BSLA Undergrad Honor Award for their project, "Recovering ...
06/25/2026

Liana Rosenblum, Adriana Pinto-Pro, and Delaney Gardner won a BSLA Undergrad Honor Award for their project, "Recovering Parkville's Post-Industrial Scar"!🎉🏅

The team completed their project in our Fall 2025 Senior Urban Design Studio taught by Frank Sleegers and Michael Amato. Students worked with the City of Hartford, CT, Neighborhood Planning Department to envision the recovery and revitalization of a former scrapyard in Hartford's Parkville neighborhood.

Delaney, who just graduated from Mount Holyoke in May, joined the studio through the Five College Interchange.

📖Awards will be featured in BSLA's Fieldbook.
🎨Designs by Liana Rosenblum, Adriana Pinto-Pro, and Delaney Gardner

Address

210 Design Building, 551 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA
01003

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+14135452255

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