| INTERESTS
AND BACKGROUND
Kelleann Foster has nearly 20 years experience
in work characterized by outreach that is interdisciplinary, inclusory
and forward-thinking in many respects, from addressing issues of
community design/ planning and character preservation to the employment
of new media technology. In the last ten years her work has been
recognized with numerous awards from professional planning and landscape
architectural organizations. Recently Ms. Foster has organized
and lead large, multi-disciplinary research teams that have developed
and refined processes for the appropriate use of technology to educate
and empower communities that wish to guide their futures in a sustainable
manner.
One community-participatory project worked with
citizens of a township facing growth pressure in an effort to raise
awareness of the impacts that generalized development policies have
upon the area's character. Another project went a step further,
working with planners to address the character of a whole region
and guiding representatives of the community to develop a long-range
vision for change that sustains and respects the local resources.
One project that was national in scope assembled an interdisciplinary
team to create a software system that enables any community to develop
a visually-based policy using multimedia technology to both envision
and influence sustainable approaches. That research resulted in
the formation of a company, the Visual Interactive Communications
Group, of which Ms. Foster is a managing partner.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Managing Partner, Visual
Interactive Communications Group (1996- Present)
The company specializes in new media computer
applications that allow local governments and citizens to use multimedia
technology to explore, visualize and better understand their land
use policies. The company advocates policy reform that enables citizens
to better articulate the spatial and environmental qualities of
their desired future community. These award winning multimedia policies
strengthen a community's capacity to channel and manage change in
a proactive, foresightful manner -- allowing all interested parties
to simultaneously see and understand the impacts that both good
and poor planning can produce. www.vicgroup.com.
Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture,
Penn State (1989- Present)
Teaching
Larch 445- Community Design: The myriad of factors associated with
community design comprise characteristics of landscape architecture
that are central to our profession. During the semester students
are exposed to the issues and challenges of community design at several
scales: the detailed site scale provided by analysis of local neighborhoods,
and both large and detailed-scale design of a new, mixed-use community
in a local setting. The course consists of four major components:
(1) USA and international precedent studies, (2) local neighborhood
analyses, (3) a comprehensive site planning and design project, (4)
service-learning charette in a small town. All projects are interrelated
and organized to build upon one another. Field trips and speakers
add another learning dimension.
Larch 457- Professional Practice: This course is
designed to help students understand what it will mean to be a professional
practicing in the 21st century. Since each student is a unique
individual, all eventually find their own place in the profession
and their own unique approach to the professional world. It is
hoped that through participation in this course students come to
realize the diversity inherent in the profession in terms of: practice
types; relations with other professionals; and points of view which
effect how decisions are made and change occurs. Some of the topics
covered include: Ethics; Public relations; Office and Project-related
Practices; Personal and Professional Development; Legal Aspects:
Contracts, Specifications, Liability insurance, etc.
Larch 435- Design Implementation I: In seeking to
accommodate human activity on the land, the ideally conceived design
is one which recognizes the highest potentials of both the site
and the project program, and blends them together in such a way
that they compliment one another. In order to achieve this ideal
relationship, some site factors must be modified or eliminated and
others must be developed and accentuated. For one's design to become
a reality, the specifics of the design such as the landform/structure
relationships, grading and drainage, pedestrian and vehicular circulation,
and other site improvements must be resolved. This course is the
first of three courses which focus upon the more technical aspects
of design. Understanding design implementation standards and technology
is essential to the successful future installation of one's designs
and to eventual professional licensure.
Research
Project director for research grants totaling over $400,000. Research
expertise is community design and planning, with particular emphasis
on the relationship between regulatory policies and the actual development's
impact upon the landscape. Special interests include how this relates
to the public and public officials' understanding of the planning
process and its products. Ms. Foster's work seeks to empower communities
through participatory visioning programs that introduce and teach
best practices for directing development while improving environmental
conditions. Her most recent work focuses on utilizing computer technologies
and photo-realistic image manipulation to communicate alternative
community design scenarios and policies to local decision-makers.
http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/bluprints.html.
Public service
Ms. Foster is the Chair of the University Tree Commission.
She has assumed leadership of the Elm Tree initiative resulting
in a long term American Elm Maintenance and Preservation strategy.
The Commission's work also includes advocating changes to the University
Design Manual with a goal of minimizing mature tree loss during
design and construction.
Project Manager, McCloskey and Faber, P.C. Horsham,
PA (1986- 1989)
Landscape Architect, Sullivan Associates, P.C.,
Philadelphia, PA (1983- 1985)
Ms. Foster's work included a variety of landscape
architecture and land planning projects from residential design
to construction documentation and park master planning. Management
roles included oversight in for economic feasibility studies of
proposed projects as well as rewriting local government policies
for appropriate requirements for landscape design.
|
PROFESSIONAL
HONORS AND AWARDS
1999. National Merit Award, American
Society of Landscape Architects for exemplary research and communication
for Model Policies for Rural Residential Development in VIC.
1999. DeBoer Excellence in Planning Award,
American Planning Association- Nevada Chapter for advancement of
planning through outstanding techniques and tools for the Henderson
Development Code in VIC.
1999 National Merit Award, American
Society of Landscape Architects for excellence in planning demonstrated
by Pa. BLUPRINTS: Best Land Use Principles & Results, Interactively
Shown CD-ROM.
1997 Current Topic Award, Pennsylvania Planning
Association for excellence in communication of planning ideas. For
the CD-ROM Pa. BLUPRINTS: Best Land Use Principles & Results,
Interactively Shown.
1996 Award of Excellence, Small Town and
Rural Planning division of the American Planning Association for
an Outstanding Rural Planning Program. For the study Land Use
Regulations Supportive of Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
in Urbanizing Rural Communities.
1995 Honor Award, American Society of Landscape
Architects- PA/DE Chapter; for Patton Township Rural Character
Preservation Study ; recognized for excellence in public participation
process and for alternative design solutions.
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
1999 "Planning Law Goes Multimedia", Keynote Speaker
at Australasian Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
(AURISA). Leura, NSW, Australia
1999. "Better Planning through Visualization
Tools Invited Presentation for The Center for Chesapeake Communities
Summit on Sustainable Development. Baltimore, MD.
1998 "What's Old is New Again: The
Use of Visualization in Communicating Planning Information and Policies",
Presentation at the International History of Planning Conference.
Sydney, Australia
1997 "Planning Technology for the Future: the
Visual Interactive Code", Invited Presentation at the Penna.
State Association of Township Supervisors Annual Meeting. Hershey,
PA
|
