Topics: College of Architecture and Planning, Speakers

August 24, 2007

Douglas Kelbaugh
<b>Douglas Kelbaugh</b>
Douglas Kelbaugh, an internationally renowned author, educator, designer and planner, will present a lecture about transit-oriented development at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning (CAP), room 100.

This is the first of three visits Kelbaugh will make as a John R. Emens Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ball State. Titled "MOD, TOD and TND: Another Look at Sprawl and its Alternatives," Kelbaugh's first lecture will touch upon issues Indiana communities are grappling with now, including the environmental design challenges of a mass-transit system linking various parts of the state. One of the links under consideration would connect Indianapolis and Muncie.

MOD stands for modernism, TOD is transit-oriented development and TND is traditional neighborhood design. Other Emens professors hosted by Ball State's Departments of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture also will lecture this semester on similar themes.

This summer, the state legislature passed a bill authorizing the Indiana Department of Transportation to study mass-transit links, so Kelbaugh's lecture is a prime opportunity for officials and the public to discuss the issue, said Stephen Kendall, a Ball State architecture professor.

"Dean Kelbaugh's visits to CAP should help us understand the issues of sprawl and alternative design and planning strategies associated with the introduction of mass-transit links," Kendall said. "This should help us raise public awareness of the future of the state's man-made environment and economic development."

The lecture will be simulcast live at the CAP: Indianapolis Center, 50 S. Meridian St. in downtown Indianapolis. The lecture and the simulcast are free.

Kelbaugh is dean and a professor at the University of Michigan's Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning. He has taught design at eight schools of architecture in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. He has authored a number of books on the theory, design and practice of regionalism and sensible ways to manage urban sprawl.

He was one of the first to popularize the modern design charrette, immersive workshops for students to raise awareness and stimulate dialogue on critical design issues. He has organized and participated as a team leader in about 30 design workshops about urban and suburban design issues in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

For more information, contact Kendall at (765) 285-1911 or skendall@bsu.edu.