Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Landscape Architecture
Department
Landscape Architecture
First Advisor
Letora Anderson
Second Advisor
Dr. Austin Allen
Third Advisor
David Hopman
Abstract
Community engagement in park design is critical in landscape architecture as it concerns the design in underserved communities where systemic inequities limit access to high-quality public spaces. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a toolkit to help landscape architects measure how successful their community engagement practices are in their design process. This toolkit addresses a critical gap in landscape architecture practice, where existing case studies often focus on environmental or social outcomes but need more methods for evaluating community engagement. By providing a structured approach, this toolkit enables landscape architects to measure, demonstrate, and validate their community engagement efforts. The toolkit also helps ensure public parks' engagement and design reflect underserved communities' priorities, values, and needs.
The study poses three research questions:
1. What specific community engagement practices have demonstrated measurable success for Park Design in Dallas, Texas, in addressing the needs of the underserved community?
2. What are the key elements that should be included in a Community Engagement Assessment Toolkit to evaluate and enhance knowledge and engagement practices in underserved communities in Dallas, Texas?
3. What challenges and barriers do landscape architects face when implementing equitable community engagement practices in an underserved community?
A mixed-methods approach was applied to answer these questions, including a literature review, a case study, expert interviews for qualitative data, and a practitioner survey for quantitative data. A product of this research was the development of a Speculative Community Engagement Assessment Toolkit primarily designed for the landscape architecture profession and directed toward underserved communities. The toolkit serves as a practical resource for critically evaluating and measuring the engagement process for its effects on inclusivity, effectiveness, and impact on the community served.
Keywords
Community Engagement, Equity and Inclusion, South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park, Underserved Communities, Community Engagement Assessment Toolkit, Park Design, Participatory Design, Dallas, Texas
Disciplines
Landscape Architecture
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Shrestha, Heena, "DESIGNING DREAMS, NOT DIVIDES: Speculative Toolkit for Assessing Community Engagement Strategies – South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park in Dallas, Texas" (2024). Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses. 310.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/landscapearch_theses/310