Sara's research has focused on the nexus between community health, design of the built environment and policies that shape human behaviors. Over the past decade, Sara has been working in the neighborhoods of Denver and Boulder on a variety of issues related to the built environment and health, including active mobility, urban greenness, sun safety, climate responsive design and integrated ecology. As an interdisciplinary educator and researcher, Sara employs methods of community engagement, and a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods to study and teach topics across the fields of environmental health, equity and urban ecology.
keywords
Healthy community design emphasizing walkability and sun safety, design for urban green spaces and green infrastructure, planning and policy determinants of healthy communities, community engagement in design, and the application of technology in planning and design
ENVD 1002 - Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Introduces technological competencies to support studio work including design representation and presentation. Students develop fundamental competencies in sketching, graphic design, file management and 3D modeling. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, taken in the second half of the semester.
ENVD 1004 - Introduction to Environmental Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2025 / Fall 2025
Introduces methods, principles and philosophies that guide environmental design. Explores ways of thinking about, and accomplishing, the act of design. Students contemplate the processes and motivations behind design decisions including discussions of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Required for majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
ENVD 1012 - Technology 2: Visual Communications
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023
Explores the basic visual communication skills necessary for environmental design through image manipulation, vector and raster graphics, and composite renderings. Students will explore concepts in visual hierarchy, composition, and color theory to inform graphics within each environmental design major. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second half of the semester.
ENVD 1020 - Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2020
Introduces students to strategies and techniques of architectural design and communication in a hands-on studio environment. Students explore architectural form-making and design opportunities through an iterative design process culminating with a small-scale architectural project that responds to environmental, contextual and programmatic needs. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, an 7-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken during the first 7-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 14-week class that is taught alongside the two 7-week studios.
ENVD 1030 - Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Spring 2024
Exposes students to concepts and strategies inherent to the practice of landscape architecture. Students design for biodiversity, climate resilience and human and beyond human physical and mental health within an urban context. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first 8-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second 8-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.
ENVD 1040 - Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2026
Explores concepts and strategies related to urban planning and design. Students collaboratively develop a design solution to a small-scale problem within an urban fabric using basic skills of analysis and design iteration. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, an 8-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken during the first 8-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.
ENVD 1120 - Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 2
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021
Explores the core principles shared across environmental design disciplines, including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Product Design, and Sustainable Planning and Urban Design. Through a multidisciplinary studio approach, students engage in spatial problem-solving, sustainable design strategies, peer-to-peer collaboration, and design thinking. Hands-on projects challenge students to apply foundational tools and methods to real-world challenges, considering social, environmental, and cultural impacts in both built and natural environments. The course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1120, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 2, a 7-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1110, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1, taken during the first 7-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1022, Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design, a 14-week class that is taught alongside the two 7-week studios.
ENVD 1130 - Studio 2: Fundamentals of Landscape Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
Building on skills learned from the introductory studio, this course expands the skills and knowledge needed for the practice of landscape architecture. With a focus on resilient design and an exploration through multiple scales, students design ecological systems in an urban context.
ENVD 1140 - Studio 2: Fundamentals of Planning and Urban Design
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021
Through a small-scale urban planning and design project, students explore solutions to challenges in dynamic urban systems. Builds on knowledge and skills gained in the introductory studios to explore the human and environmental dimensions of intertwined systems within the built environment.
ENVD 1150 - First Year Writing for Environmental Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2022
Introduces students to the fundamentals of effective academic and professional communication within Environmental Design. Students develop strong written and oral communication skills and build knowledge of research techniques. Classroom activities and discussions challenge students to become critical and flexible thinkers.
ENVD 2130 - Environmental Design Studio 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Exposes students to a sequence of design investigations that lead to the development of design concepts for critical evaluation and discussion. The intent of this introductory design studio is to expose students to the fundamental design practices that are common to the disciplines of architecture, urban design and landscape design - disciplines that share the responsibility for shaping the designed environment. Recommended corequisite: ENVD 3003.
ENVD 3100 - ENVD Interdisciplinary Design Studio
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Explores a sequence of investigations that lead to the development of design concepts for critical evaluation and discussion. Students analyze intermediate to advanced design practices that are common to the disciplines of architecture, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and product design through an interdisciplinary design project.
ENVD 4979 - Honors Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2024 / Fall 2024 / Spring 2025
Working with an advisor, students prepare, complete, and defend a research-based honors thesis project, in an area of Environmental Design. May be repeated up to 3 total credit hours.
LAND 2100 - Studio 1: Foundations of Landscape Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2024 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
Introduces essential landscape architecture skills through a project-based studio. Building on design literacy, students incorporate varied ecological processes, explore landscape as a medium for connecting the natural and cultural, develop analog and digital communication tools and focus on the importance of place-making. Recommended corequisite: LAND 2004.
LAND 3003 - Site Planning, Materials, and Technologies
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024 / Fall 2025
Presents the fundamental skills in site planning and decision-making. Students will perform analysis, concept generation, and programming through biophysical and socio-economic parameters, while reflecting on the subjective experiences, and historical, cultural, and infrastructural factors influencing design. Additional emphasis on the practice of site grading, surveying methods and infrastructure detailing in the context of watersheds and landscape restoration. Students will gain insights into materiality and design technologies. Recommended corequisite: LAND 3100.
LAND 3100 - Studio 2: Intermediate Landscape Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2024
Advances the understanding of the practice of landscape architecture. Focusing on concepts such as community engagement and client-based projects and covering topics such as health-focused spaces, ecological adaptability, green equity and gentrification. This studio builds on digital technologies, drawing, and graphic communication skills. May be repeated up to 12 total credit hours.
PLAN 2100 - Studio 1: Foundations of Sustainable Planning and Urban Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021
Expands on introductory sustainable planning and urban design concepts and methods to address social and ecological challenges in communities. Exploration skills include spatial analysis, basic community engagement techniques, legal and regulatory framework, and policy alternatives. The resultant project addresses challenges at the intersection of social and environmental systems. Recommended corequisite: PLAN 2004.
PLAN 3100 - Studio 2: Intermediate Sustainable Planning and Urban Design
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2025
Utilizes intermediate-level planning concepts and practices to create solutions to specific challenges in a collaborative process. Through a sequence of planning, policy, and design investigations students explore issues such as equity, housing, transportation, community engagement and land use. May be repeated up to 12 total credit hours.
WRTG 1150 - First-Year Writing and Rhetoric
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018
Rhetorically informed introduction to college writing. Focuses on rhetorical analysis, argument, inquiry and information literacy. Taught as a writing workshop, the course emphasizes practicing writing strategies for all phases of the writing process. For placement criteria, see the arts and sciences advising office. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
