The Living Green Infrastructure Lab: Advancing Interdisciplinary Teaching and Experiential Learning in Landscape...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Horticultural Science
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Traditional stormwater management presents environmental challenges.
• Low Impact Development (LID) offers sustainable alternatives.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for effective green infrastructure solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate and experiment with interdisciplinary teaching and experiential learning.
• To model multi-scalar, interdisciplinary studio instruction using a rain garden project.
• To educate students in LID alternatives to traditional stormwater management.

Main Methods:

• Over 200 undergraduate and graduate students from three colleges and four departments participated.
• Students designed, implemented, and monitored a campus rain garden.
• Collaboration involved Landscape Architecture, Horticultural Sciences, and Civil Engineering disciplines.

Main Results:

• Increased interdisciplinary networking and understanding of landscape construction.
• Enhanced ability to use scientific rationale in design decision-making.
• Students gained deeper insights into green infrastructure impacts through hands-on experience.

Conclusions:

• Interdisciplinary collaboration fostered a professional design process understanding.
• Experiential learning in green infrastructure significantly benefited students.
• Challenges in coordination and communication were identified for future improvements.