News

Prof. Eisenbach interviewed for Colorado Public Radio story

Ronit Eisenbach, an architect, artist and professor at University of Maryland who specializes in public art and placemaking, says “sense of place” is the idea that a space has a unique character and set of qualities.

“It’s defined by the spatial character, by the materials, by the colors, by the smells,” she said. “And our actions in those places and the actions of others often allow us to associate meaning with those places.”

She said public art can help shape a sense of place by contributing to an implicit or explicit sensory experience.

“We move through spaces with our bodies. All our senses are engaged,” she said. “We respond through our senses. That’s what hits us first. So maybe that’s the unspoken character of what makes a palace.”

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Nick FinioOct 07No Comments

Project to Bring Wi-Fi to a Park Near You

No one would think twice about finding a water fountain in a public park, and if a University of Maryland research team has its way, free-flowing Wi-Fi could soon complement Frisbee games and picnics as another everyday amenity in urban green spaces. NCSG Staff Kimberly Fisher and Tara Burke are research team members.

Nirupam Roy, an assistant professor of computer science and expert in wireless networking and mobile computing, is leading a project funded by a $150,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) award to expand Wi-Fi infrastructure in area parks. The goal is to develop a new wireless architecture that would expand access to Wi-Fi in neighborhoods with low coverage as well as help keep communication lines open during disasters.

The need for new approaches to ensure internet access and bridge society’s “digital divide” became clear to Roy last year when instruction shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Nick FinioSep 26No Comments

NCSG to participate in webinar with Irish Universities

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NCSG to participate in webinar with Irish Universities

Prof. Gerrit Knaap will participate in the following webinar with ICLRD, NCSG’s Irish research partner organization.
When: Wednesday, September 22, 2021 – 15:30 to 16:45
Hosted by ICLRD together with  Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI)

With the COVID-19 induced interruption to work patterns, and the enforced switch to home / remote working, we have witnessed a significant reduction in the need to commute to work. While it is still not clear to what extent these disruptions are temporary, permanent or still evolving, a two-year research programme by ICLRD is interrogating the relationships between people and places and exploring the role of commuting in shaping those relationships.
Using a case-study approach, this webinar will explore emerging findings from the ICLRD’s InPLACE: Investigating Place Planning and Commuting study. Focusing on a number of towns across the island of Ireland, this webinar will consider the implications of commuting (pre-COVID) and telecommuting (during COVID) for individuals, their families and communities of place. The study’s findings will have relevance across a wide range of policy domains, many of which are within the remit of local authorities, and all of which directly influence local places, including in respect of health, housing, environment, community development, social policy, transportation and spatial planning.

Event Programme

Moderator: Prof. Gerrit Knaap, Professor of Urban Studies and Planning & Executive Director, National Center for Smart Growth Research, University of Maryland

Welcome from ICLRD Chair: Ms. Mary MacIntyre OBE

Speakers:
The Changing Spatial Relationship Between Home and Workplace – An Evolving Narrative: Prof. Des McCafferty, Senior Research Associate ICLRD & Project Lead, InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting
Creating Vibrant and Thriving Towns in Commuter Belts: What Role for planning? Learnings from Ennistymon-Lahinch, Co. Clare, Dr. Karen Keaveney, Head of Rural Development and Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science & Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe, Director, O’Keeffe and Associates and Senior Research Associate, ICLRD.

Q&A

Click Here to Register

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Nick FinioSep 17No Comments