Sasaki principal to speak on landscapes and urban change

Gina Ford, a principal in nationally known Sasaki Associates, will speak Wednesday (April 13) about innovations in urban design in the Olinger Spring Lecture, presented by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

Ford's talk, titled "Micro, Macro, Mega: Designing Landscapes of Urban Change," will be at 7 p.m. in Pfendler Hall, Deans Auditorium (Room 241). The event is free and open to the public.

Ford is principal and chair of Sasaki Associates' Urban Studio in Watertown, Massachusetts. The studio concentrates on improvement of quality of life in cities through rigorous planning, exceptional design and strong community partnerships. The Sasaki firm has worked with Purdue on campus planning.

In her talk, Ford will address U.S. cities' growing willingness to invest in innovative planning and design as a facet of broader competitiveness and sustainability. Landscape projects at every scale are often leading this charge, which has included the Lawn on D (Boston), the Chicago Riverwalk and the Changing Course Competition.

The Olinger Lecture is named for alumna Judy Olinger (Landscape Architecture, 1987), who owns a consulting firm in Huntingburg, Indiana. She established an endowment to support bringing a prominent landscape architect to Purdue annually.