The Children, Youth and Environments Center at the University of Colorado Boulder Program in Environmental Design has launched an online global photo library, offering free images of children and youth in various environments for educators, students, community groups and other noncommercial users. This searchable library has more than 1,500 photos from 22 countries. 

Visit http://cyec.colorado.edu/ to explore this phenomenal resource.

Congratulations to EDRA member Kapila D. Silva, who was recently awarded the Architectural Research Centers Consortium “New Researcher Award”, which acknowledges innovation, dedication and leadership in architectural and environmental design research. Dr. Silva is an assistant professor at the School of Architecture, Design, and Planning at the University of Kansas. He has previously taught at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, from where he received professional training in architecture and historic preservation, and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, from where he received a doctorate.

His research, in its broadest sense, focuses on the social, cultural, and psychological dimensions of architecture, urbanism, and historic preservation, specifically on non-western traditions, and within which, a particular concentration on the South, Southeast, and East Asian contexts. In narrower terms, his research has so far been on the global cultural heritage conservation, addressing theoretical and pragmatic issues related to UNESCO’s World Heritage Program, which attempts to preserve and manage historic monuments and sites with outstanding universal value, significance, and rarity. The particular attention of this research program has been on the ways of identifying and conserving symbolic dimensions in historic places and ways of balancing conservation concerns with development needs within historic urban areas. For this purpose, he has developed the notion of imageability of place as an integrative framework for urban heritage management that connects conservation and development planning together. In this framework, historic preservation has been re-conceptualized as an attempt to manage the imageability of the historic place.

In addition, Dr. Silva has been studying vernacular environments in the above-mentioned region, developing theoretical framework to study those environments and derive lessons for contemporary architectural situations, such as community design and post-disaster resettlement housing. He has co-edited Asian Heritage Management: Contexts, Concerns, and Prospects (Routledge, 2013, with Dr. Neel Kamal Chapagain) and co-authored two books on specific vernacular building types in Sri Lanka (published by the University of Moratuwa in 1999 and 2002, with Mr. Dhammika Chandrasekera); one of the latter books (Tampita Viharas in Sri Lanka) was awarded the Michael Ventris Memorial Award by the Architectural Association of UK in 1998.

Environments for learning take diverse forms and include schools, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, and also virtual spaces where learning occurs.  Creating these spaces involves complex decision-making and significant process of thought and planning. You are invited to share your knowledge in an article to be published by the International Journal of Designs for Learning that describes your professional experiences in designing a space where knowledge is imparted and lives changed.

What is a design case?

• Is a description of a real artifact or experience that has been intentionally designed. It describes a precedent element or situation that have the potential to offer teaching and learning opportunities.
• Offers in-depth explanations of design rationales and actions taken within the parameters of the 5000 word limit of the text. Transparency of the design process through detailed description is important such that the reader can deeply understand and potentially empathize with the situation, realizing relationships to their own understanding. Detailed description asks and responds to questions which might include:
  • What key decisions were made? 
  • At what points in the design process did these decisions arise? 
  • Who was involved in the making of these decisions? 
  • What was the rationale or reasoning behind these decisions? 
  • How were key design decisions judged to be useful or not? 
  • What key changes were made during the design process? 
  • Why was the proposed design solution believed to be the best?
  • Addresses an element of the case that makes it particularly interesting and that is emphasized or covered in detail.
  • Author is often a participant (instead of an outsider), and deeply involved in the design process as a member of the design team or as a solo designer. Or, if the author is not the designer, the author is immersed in the project while it is happening or via other means (such as study of its artifacts and records, discussions with stakeholders/ participants, and/or experiencing what has been designed) over a period of time. The degree of author involvement is clearly described. 
  • May discuss its parallels to a framework, theory or other guiding influence, but does not have to reference such a source, nor arise from it.

• Boling, E. (2010). The need for design cases: disseminating design knowledge. International Journal of Designs for Learning 1(1). http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/article/view/919/978
• Smith, K. (2010). Producing the rigorous design case. International Journal of Designs for Learning 1(1). http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/article/view/917/980
• Howard, C. (2011). Writing and rewriting the instructional design case: a view from two sides. International Journal of Designs for Learning 2(1).  http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/article/view/1104/1315 
• Further design case articles on the topic of instructional technology and learning are located at 
  http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/issue/archive

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• Author Guidelines are available at 
  http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/about/submissions#aut...
• Articles should be submitted using the article template available at 
  http://scholarworks.iu.edu/ijdlcontent/ijdlfiles/IJDLTemplate.doc 
• Suggested headings or structure (recognizing these are not strict and can be evolved/interpreted with exception of abstract): (adapted from Labov, W. (1982). Speech actions and reactions in personal narrative. In Analyzing Discourse: Text and Talk, edited by D. Tannen, 219-247. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1982. & Dohr, J. & Portillo, M. (2011). Design Thinking for Interiors. NY: Wiley.)
  • Abstract
  • Orientation and context of the situation
  • The design intervention or development narrative
  • Evaluation, significance and meaning
  • Resolution or outcome
  • Coda, summation or relevance to readers
  • References (optional) 
• Principal articles of 3000-5000 words, including notes and references, with up to 5 illustrations are invited, and should be submitted by June 1, 2013 to http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/information/authors.  
• Questions on submittals may be directed to Dr. Jill Pable at jpable@fsu.edu or 850-645-6831.
• This call is posted at http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/announcement/view/61

Sherry Ahrentzen (University of Florida), Carole Deprés (Université Laval), and Brian Schermer (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) are pleased to announce the publication of their co-edited book: Building Bridges, Blurring Boundaries: The Milwaukee School in Environment-Behavior Studies. With 12 chapters authored by UWM graduates and other contributions, this book celebrates the nature, history and ongoing contributions of UW-Milwaukee’s PhD Program in Architecture. It also celebrates the program's values —namely an understanding of architecture and built and natural settings as the locus of human endeavor and the conviction that research and design application can enhance the quality of people’s lives. View the book at Blurb: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3873453.

The LinkedIn Group of the Environmental Design Research Association surpassed a membership count of 1,000 on Monday November 19, 2012 ending the day with 1,002 members. Julie Burros, the Director of Cultural Planning at the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events was the thousandth environmental design professional, researcher, or student to join the group. The EDRA LinkedIn Group was formed on April 20, 2008.

EDRA's LinkedIn Group is a key component of EDRA's social media strategy that supports transfer of environmental design research to the practitioner and policy making communities, and provides a central place for virtual gathering and discussion by community members. Other components of the social media strategy include a Twitter presence with over 700 followers, a Facebook Page with over 500 "likes" used to communicate EDRA announcements to the larger community, and a Facebook group with over 400 members used as a central hub for discussion among environment, behavior, and design students. EDRA also hosts 23 Knowledge Network communities for EDRA members interested in professionally networking within specific research or practice domain areas.

EDRA's LinkedIn Group attracts a rich cross section of environmental design professionals. 596 members report being an architecture or design professional; 232 report being in academia or research.

·         The LinkedIn Group can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=90721

·         The Facebook Page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/edra.org

·         The Facebook Group can be found at http://www.facebook.com/groups/edra43/

·         The list of EDRA Knowledge Networks can be found at http://www.edra.org/content/knowledge-networks

·         EDRA can be followed on Twitter at EDRAtweets

EDRA sends a warm welcome to Alexander Phillips, Jacob Michael and David Samuel, the triplet sons of Danny and Eva Mittleman who were born on September 6, 2012. Danny served on the EDRA Board of Directors for many years until 2010, and currently serves as EDRA's webmaster. Congratulations Danny and Eva! We can't wait to see these little guys at EDRA44Providence!

  Alexander Phillips

  Jacob Michael

  David Samuel

It is with great sadness that EDRA notes the passing of Kenneth H. Craik, one of our early members and a prolific contributor to the field of environmental psychology research. Ken passed away on March 29, 2012.

For five decades, Ken impacted in the field of psychology and environmental research, focusing on the interrelationship between personality and the environment. His first contribution to EDRA was at the second conference in 1970 where he chaired a session on environmental disposition and preferences. EDRA members will be familiar with Ken’s collaboration with Donald Appleyard on his work on the streets of San Francisco and the Environmental Simulation Laboratory at Berkeley. Ken was also a founder of the Journal of Environmental Psychology and of the Environmental Psychology Division of the International Association of Applied Psychology. Less well known to EDRA members, was his prolific research in other aspects of personality psychology, including reputation, perceptions of time, and even humor.

For years, Ken also mentored students and taught courses in Environmental Psychology to undergraduate and graduate students at U.C. Berkeley, exposing thousands to the delights of the field. Long after ‘retirement’, Ken continued to conduct research at the Institute for Personality and Social Research at U.C. Berkeley. He also continued guest lecture in courses in environmental design research and to mentor students in diverse disciplines, generously offering his time and wisdom in considering their work. He was an inspiring and rigorous mentor, and many younger researchers benefited greatly from his kindness and gentle passion for the field.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.

“Cheers, Ken!” You are missed.

New book, The Environmental Psychology of Prisons and Jails: Creating Humane Spaces in Secure Settings, by EDRA Member Rich Wener will be published June 2012 by Cambridge University Press. Pre-order from the linked site wiith a 20% discount using the code WENER12 at checkout.

This book distills thirty years of research on the impacts of jail and prison environments. The research program began with evaluations of new jails that were created by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which had a novel design intended to provide a nontraditional and safe environment for pretrial inmates, and documented the stunning success of these jails in reducing tension and violence. This book uses assessments of this new model as a basis for considering the nature of environment and behavior in correctional settings, and more broadly in all human settings. It provides a critical review of research on jail environments and of specific issues critical to the way they are experienced and places them in historical and theoretical context. It presents a contextual model for the way environment influences the chance of violence.