From “World Landscape Architecture” by Damian Holmes | August 1, 2011.

Grounded Structuration investigates a process for amplifying the potential relationship between the design of the public realm and the politics of community. The design explores how site specific meaning and meaningful experiences can be associated with the retrofitting of infrastructure in New Orleans’ St. Roch community. St. Roch is named after the patron Saint of Good Health, memorializing the community’s auspicious beginning. Ironically, a fragmented drainage network, contaminated soils and blighted properties now threaten the vitality of the once thriving community. Reimagining the community from the ground up is an opportunity to reinvigorate the health of St. Roch.

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From nextSTL:

The Pruitt-Igoe site in North St. Louis has been the subject of Melissa Elliott’s Masters in Landscape Architecture studio at the University of Virginia, where she completed her studies in May 2011. Melissa previously wrote here about her experience visiting the Pruitt-Igoe site and attending theOpen/Closed vacant land conference in St. Louis and Turning Urban at UVA in quick succession. This is her final design proposal, including notes on the design not chosen. This article should provide an excellent jumping off point for exploring the recently announced Pruitt-Igoe Now design competition. Melissa’s site detailing the proccess of this project is Framing a Modern Mess.

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Read all about it on the Crozet Gazette website!

Lunch is a student-run, annually-produced UVa A-School magazine. Find our more on the Lunch website!

A-school community,

We are pleased to announce that Lunch 6: Systems is now available, featuring nearly twice the amount of articles as in previous journals and in full color! In addition to faculty and student work, the sixth edition also features lecture transcriptions from Julian Raxworthy, Catherine Seavitt, Eva Franch, and incoming Architecture Chair Iñaki Alday.

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The online store can be found here.

Thanks again to everyone who has made this possible!

Have a great summer!

The Lunch 6 Team:

• Beth Bailey
• Jack Cochran
• Joey Hays
• Charles Sparkman

See more at Convivialwood.com!

A-School community,

I am very pleased to report that this morning Inaki Alday accepted our offer to become the next chair of the Department of Architecture. … Early next week we will send out a more complete announcement, but because I know many of you have followed this search closely I wanted to let you know the results as soon as possible.   Thank you for your commitment to the process and to making this and all the School’s searches this year successful.  I hope you will enjoy a well-deserved rest in the summer months to come.  For those of you about to graduate, congratulations in advance!

The Ride of Silence is a memorial to those cyclists who have died as a result of cyclist/motorist accidents. It was begun by Chris Phelan in Dallas in 2003 in response to the death of Larry Schwartz. In Charlottesville, the event has been organized by Alan Bewley.

Read more about this worldwide event here: http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php

The following statement describes a walkout being planned by some graduating students in response to the selection of Governor Robert McDonnell as speaker at the 2011 Final Exercises.  It is posted here in order to facilitate a community-wide discussion of the issues, but does not represent the opinions of the Architecture School.  We encourage comments to the blog that are a respectful expression of your opinion regarding the SILENT & PEACEFUL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH WALKOUT, freedom of speech and civil rights.

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WHAT

SILENT & PEACEFUL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH WALKOUT in protest of the choice of Gov. Bob McDonnell as the 2011 UVA commencement speaker.

WHY

• Reduction in funding for public schools; in 2010 $646 million dollars was cut from public school funding
• Against marriage equity; defining marriage as only between a man and a woman   Against adoption for same-sex couples
• Declined to commute a death sentence for a mental challenged woman. She was executed in 2011
• Declared Confederate History Month for the state of Virginia and neglected any direct mention of slavery.
• Sought to pass a bill to allow offshore oil and gas extraction off Virginia’s coast; the effort was canceled through action taken by President Obama
• Limiting state funding, accessibility and a woman’s right to choose.

PLAN

Join us by participating in a SILENT & PEACEFUL WALKOUT as Gov. Bob McDonnell approaches the podium to speak, after he has been introduced.  We will exit the ceremony the moment the Governor begins to speak and not return for the duration, in order to minimize disruption of the Final Exercises.   Gov. McDonnell is scheduled to take the podium at 10:00 a.m.

In addition we have attached protest images that highlight a few of the controversial issues listed above, but you can create your own.   Print and adorn yourself with a statement(s) orjust participate in the walkout.  Your participation in the walkout is the key part of the plan, because en masse we will make a clear statement.

PARTICIPATE

• Pick up tickets for the Final Exercise at the University bookstore from May 19^th to 22^nd.  Remember to bring your photo id.
  
• Spread the word by passing this along to friends in other schools in the university.

PRECEDENT

A similar protest happened at the University of Michigan’s Law School when Ohio Senator Rob Portman spoke at its commencement.  For more information, visit:
http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=46900

APPENDIX

http://www.clker.com/inc/svgedit/svg-editor.html?paramurl=/inc/clean.html?id=6272

See attachments

Use your “voice” by participating in the SILENT & PEACEFUL WALKOUT.

Aja, Jie and Laura