Since 2020, Katherine Melcher has taught the Community Engagement Studio in the landscape architecture program in the College of Environment and Design.
During this time, she transformed the course into the Community Landscape Lab, where students lead design projects that serve local communities.
“One of my main goals for students in the studio is for them to learn the ‘soft skills’ critical for a successful landscape architecture practice, such as active listening, empathy, deliberation and communication. And the way to learn soft skills is through experience and practice,” she said. “It is very rewarding to see students develop into compassionate leaders as they work directly with their community partners.”
Driven by her belief that landscape architecture can have positive social impacts, Melcher guides her students through projects for community nonprofits and local governments. In fall 2024, her students partnered with five Georgia communities to harness local strengths and enrich the natural environment. For each project, students had to identify a community benefit that their landscape design would achieve.
“My goal for the community projects is for them to be created in a way that the community client can move forward with the design,” Melcher said. “Most of our clients do not have enough funding to pay for an entire landscaping project at once. The students develop designs that can be broken into smaller projects, such as gathering places or murals, that can be implemented through separate grants or volunteer work.”
In Milledgeville, where Baldwin County High School buzzes with the energy of 1,311 students, Melcher’s students produced a master plan for the Baldwin Grows Garden. They designed an accessible outdoor classroom complete with vegetable beds, compost bins and fruit trees, employing permaculture principles to create a space where learning meets nature.
To support downtown revitalization, another student team redesigned Westbrook Park in downtown Cordele. The students reimagined the gathering space by introducing colorful plantings and dynamic walkways. This cost-effective design will not only enliven the park but also deepen the sense of community connection in the heart of the city.
Another team researched the connections between gardens and health and applied those insights to a sensory garden for Magnolia Manor, a senior living home in Buena Vista. The project incorporated fragrant flowers, interactive elements and inviting pathways to enhance residents’ well-being and reinforce their bonds with the outdoors.
A fifth team designed youth centered landscapes at two community centers in Athens. At the Broadacres Community Center, a neighborhood known for its rich cultural tapestry and strong communal spirit, they created a thoughtful design of simple, accessible outdoor spaces. Here, benches and yard installations were created to nurture family interactions and community learning, embodying the lab’s mission to strengthen neighborhood ties.
In Pinewood Estates, students shaped a project at the Pinewoods Library and Learning Center. They designed multifunctional spaces that promote exercise, reading and cultural activities, ensuring that outdoor areas continue to be places where traditions are honored and community bonds flourish.
Throughout the semester, Melcher’s passion, expertise and hands-on mentorship shone through every project. To learn more about the Community Landscape Lab, visit https://sites.google.com/view/colandlab/the-lab.
