RESEARCH FOCUS
- Environmental Behavior
- Conduct interdisciplinary research that involves understanding human–environment relationships
- Focus on questions of how natural and built environments influence people’s well-being
- Environment and Health
- Link between environmental risks/facilitators around public schools and their consequences on children’s school performance and health
- School and Children’s Environment
- Transform school grounds into outdoor learning environments
- Develop various ways to integrate school environments into school curriculum
- Landscape Performance
- Document environmental social, and economic benefits of landscape projects
- Calculate the effects of green schools on children’s learning and well-being
- Environmental Justice
- Study the distribution of vacant lots in Baltimore City
- Examine the distribution of parks among different racial groups
Biography
Biography:
Dr. Byoung-Suk Kweon is a registered landscape architect and an associate professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland. She conducts interdisciplinary research that focuses on how natural and built environments influence people's behaviors such as environmental health, social integration, neighborhood satisfaction, physical activities, and active transportation. Her current research involves the link between environmental risks around public schools and their consequences on children’s school performance and health. She uses GIS to measure environmental variables and study the educational and health effects of physical environments for school children. Her research on improving environments for school children was recognized with a national award from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA). She is a principal investigator studying “The Effects of Green Schools on Children's Academic Performance and Well-Being” funded by the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF). In 2011 and 2012, the foundation named her a LAF Research Fellow. She also served as a board member for the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA).
Education:
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Ph.D., Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.
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Master of Landscape Architecture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
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Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, The City University of New York.
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Bachelor of Science in Environmental Horticulture, University of Seoul, Seoul, Korea.
Awards and Honors:
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First Place in the Maryland Sustainable Growth Challenge. LARC 640 Studio Project: Gold Street Park designed by Jason Poole, Jennifer Ren, Laura Robinson (students) and Byoung-Suk Kweon (Instructor), 2016.
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National Award of Recognition in Teaching, Research, and Service, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, 2007.
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Outstanding Communications Award, The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), 2012. It was awarded to the CELA Track Chairs to acknowledge outstanding, innovative, and noteworthy service to CELA and its members through communications. I have been sharing a CELA Research and Methods Track Chair position with Dr. Kerry Brooks at Washington State University.
Professional Work
Professional Positions Held:
| 2011-Present | Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park | |||
| 2007-2011 | Research Investigator, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI |
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| 1999-2007 | Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Research Affiliate, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Faculty Fellow, Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX |
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| 2000-2001 | Interim Director, Environmental Psychophysiology Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX | |||
| 1998-2000 | Research Associate, Environmental Psychophysiology Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX | |||
| 1994-1997 | Research Assistant, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL | |||
| 1994-1997 | Research Assistant, Human-Environment research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL | |||
| 1993-1995 | Teaching Assistant, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL | |||
| 1992-1993 | Landscape Designer, Margaret McAvin Architecture, Landscape & Planning, Ithaca, NY | |||
| 1992 | Landscape Designer, Cayuga Landscape, Ithaca, NY | |||
| 1992 | Landscape Designer, Market Street Restoration, Corning, NY |
Professional Licenses:
| Registered Landscape Architect, Illinois, License #157001416 |
Professional Service:
| 2014-present | Co-Editor, Landscape Research Record |
| 2013-present | Chair, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Research and Methods Track |
| 2010-2013 | Board Member, Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) |
| 2008-2013 | Co-Chair, CELA Research and Methods Track |
| 2010-2012 | Research Fellow, Landscape Architecture Foundation |
Research
Areas of Interest:
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Environmental Behavior
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Environment and Health
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School and Children’s Environment
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Landscape Performance
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Urban Agriculture
Current Research:
School Locations and Children's School Performance and Health
With the help of Kresge Foundation funding (over $1.5 million), my collaborator and I organized a task force made up of teachers, parents, state and local school board members, scientists, policy analysts, state legislators, environmentalists, and community residents. Our task force has been working to identify tools and best practices that can be used to facilitate healthy school siting decisions and the closure of unhealthy schools. To bring all stakeholders together, we organized conferences in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 where task force members discussed development of a statewide school siting policy in Michigan that takes into account environmental quality factors. The task force subcommittees consist of four groups: (1) Environmental Hazards and Human Health; (2) School Site Screening Criteria and the Environmental Review Process; (3) Capacity Building and Interagency Collaboration; and (4) Community Involvement. By August 2016, we plan to have combined the work of all subcommittees and produced a model school siting policy for the state of Michigan. I have presented the results of this research at numerous conferences, including the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture conference, the Environmental Design Research Association, and the Environmental Health Disparity Symposium for Maryland and Washington, DC. We published a related article, “Air Pollution around Schools Affects Student Health and Performance” in the prestigious Health Affairs Journal in 2011. Another manuscript stemming from this work, “Proximity of Public Schools to Highways and Industrial Facilities, and Students’ School Performance and Health Risks,” is under revision for Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design.
Landscape Performance: The Effects of Green Schools on Chilren's School Performance and Well-Being
Dr. Kweon is a principal investigator studying The Effects of Green Schools on Children's Academic Performance and Well-Being funded by the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF). Her work documented environmental, social, educational and economic benefits of design for three school environments: The Willow School, Sidwell Friends Middle School and Brent Elementary School. In 2011 and 2012, the foundation named her a LAF Research Fellow.
Nature Play Space/Stormwater management System
Dr. Kweon is working with New Hope Academy to design a nature play space and bioretention water quality management system. The goals of the project to build certified nature playgrounds/outdoor classrooms and to treat contaminated runoff from a residential street, the school parking lot and all adjacent properties. The Academy is committed to utilizing this project to provide educational focus for our environmental science program. It will provide opportunities and hands-on experience for students in the school (grades PreK-12th) to learn proper stormwater management techniques, use of rain gardens, bio-swales, organic gardens, terracing, stream restoration, and other ecologically sound practices. This project is funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Teaching
| LARC240 GRAPHIC COMM & DESIGN | Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016 |
| LARC461 PEOPLE & THE ENVIRONMENT | Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016 |
| LARC489K PEOPLE IN ENVIRONMENT | Spring 2012 |
| LARC640 GRADUATE STUDIO I | Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016 |
| LARC699 INDPNDNT STUDIES - LARC | Spring 2013 |
LARC 640: Graduate Studio I
Principles and techniques of design as applied to shaping the landscape developing concepts in visual thinking, environmental awareness, and design intervention through studio exercises and projects
Past projects include:
• Stormwater Management Plan, New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, MD.
• Outdoor Learning Environments, School within School, Washington, DC.
• Vacant Lot Development: Gold Street Park, Druid Heights, MD.
• Community/Education Garden, University of Maryland Extension Program, Riverdale, MD.
LARC 240: Graphic Communication and Design Studio
Exploration of graphic presentation techniques and original concept development for landscape architecture planning and design.
Past projects include:
• Maya Angelou School, Washington, DC.
• Vacant Lot Development, Druid Heights, MD.
• Carroll Avenue Quebec Terrace Neighborhood Plaza, Arts on the Block, Silver Spring, MD.
• Nature Playground, New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, MD.
LARC 461: People in the Environment
Course focus is placed on human and environmental interactions. Students look at both natural and built environments and how they influence human health and well-being. Many environmental settings are examined. These include hospitals, public housing neighborhoods, school settings, retirement communities, transportation corridors and green spaces. We also explore how racial and socio-economic factors affect living and working environmental conditions. Ultimately, students use this knowledge to create environments that support individuals, families and various community groups' health and well-being.
Students Advising: Research or Clinical
Undegraduate
Hyungjoon Choi. (2016). Rain gardens and educational signage. University of Maryland, Research Assistant, Supervisor.
Karina Gulanes. (2016). Childcare facilities. University of Maryland, Research Assistant, Supervisor.
Kim Jacobs. (2015 – Present). School environments and links to student’s school performance. University of Maryland, Research Assistant, Supervisor.
Edwin Espinoza. (2014). Street environments: The role of landscape buffer and trees. University of Maryland, Research Assistant, Supervisor
Mark Storie. (2012). Landscape performance case studies. University of Maryland, Research Assistant, Supervisor.
Master’s
Committee Chair
Che-Wei Yi. (2016 – Present). Druid Heights vacant lot development. University of Maryland, MLA.
Matthew Zerfas. (2016 – Present). Greenbelt Park regenerative stormwater conveyance design. University of Maryland, MLA.
Nathan Allen. (2015 – 2016). Adaptive re-use of a municipal golf course for urban agriculture production in Southwest Baltimore. University of Maryland, MLA.
Jun Jiang. (2014 – 2016). Complete streets for N-East Street, Frederick, MD. University of Maryland, MLA.
Jonathan Gemmell. (2014 – 2015). Rethinking playgrounds: A design investigation of playscape theory. University of Maryland, MLA.
Amy E. Marin. (2013 – 2014). Operation market garden: Establishing a sustainable food system in West Baltimore's Poppleton neighborhood. University of Maryland, MLA.
Shoshanah Z. Haberman. (2013 – 2014). The micro-landscape: Modular, urban apartment gardens. University of Maryland, MLA.
Nancy F. Britt. (2013 – 2014). Greenway as the framework for community design on the Patapsco River Valley. University of Maryland, MLA.
Matthew S. Busa. (2012 – 2013). A sustainable neighborhood in the shrinking city: Re-imagining burke lakefront airport in downtown Cleveland. University of Maryland, MLA.
Risa Abraham. (2012 – 2013). Revealing risk and redefining development: Exploring hurricane impact on St. Croix, USVI, University of Maryland, MLA.
Mingyu Cui. (2012 – 2013). Complete streets code for roadway facility improvement in College Park campus, the University of Maryland -- A context-sensitive approach. University of Maryland, MLA.
Rebecca A. Cipriano. (2001 – 2002). The Scott and White family healing and children’s garden. Texas A&M University, MLA.
Committee Member
George Sorvalis. (2015 – 2016). Stormwater mitigation - Healing gardens. University of Maryland, MLA.
Sarah Ashmun. (2012 – 2013). Healing invisible wounds: Landscapes for wounded warriors suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. University of Maryland, MLA.
Jennie Gross. (2012 – 2013). Preview the adaptive reuse of Glenndale Hospital. University of Maryland, MA.
Allison Jensen. (2011 – 2012). Green and blue schools: The use of environmentally sensitive rainwater design at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Georgetown, Washington, DC. University of Maryland, MLA.
Michael A. Boeck. (2011 – 2012). Reimagining the Cambridge shoreline: Encouraging implementation of sustainable shoreline erosion controls in Cambridge, MD. University of Maryland, MLA.
Publications
Selected Publications:
Articles in Referred Journals
Kweon, B., Marans, R. W., and Yi, C.# (In press). Parks and quality of life: Differences among African American and white residents. Landscape Journal.
Kweon, B., Ellis, C. D., and Storie, M.# (2016). The scientific benefits of sustainable landscape design and its impact on education. Chinese Landscape Architecture, 62-74.
Ellis, C. D., Kweon, B., Alward, S.#, and Burke, R. B. # (2015). Landscape performance measurement and assessment of multifunctional landscapes. Landscape Architecture, 114, 32-39.
Mohai, P., Kweon, B., Lee, S. & Ard, K. J. (2011). Air pollution around schools affects student health and performance. Health Affairs, 852-862.
Kweon, B, Ellis, C. D., Leiva, P. I., & Rogers, G. O. (2010). Landscape components, land use and neighborhood satisfaction. Environmental Planning B, 37, 500-517.
Kweon, B., Ulrich, R. S., Walker, V., & Tassinary, L. G. (2008) Anger and stress: The role of landscape posters in an office setting. Environment and Behavior, 40(3), 355-381.
Lee, S., Ellis, C. D., Kweon, B., & Hong, S. (2008). The relationship between landscape structure and neighborhood satisfaction in urbanized areas. Landscape and Urban Planning, 85, 60-70.
Kweon, B., Ellis, C. D., Lee, S., & Rogers, G. O. (2006). Large-scale environmental knowledge: Investigating the relationship between self-reported and objectively measured physical environments. Environment and Behavior, 38(1), 72-91.
Ellis, C. D., Lee, S., & Kweon, B. (2006). Retail land use, neighborhood satisfaction, and the urban forest: An investigation into the moderating and mediating effects of trees. Landscape and Urban Planning, 74, 70-78.
Larsen, L., Adams, J., Deal, B., Kweon, B., & Tyler, E. (1998). Plants in the workplace: The effects of plant density on productivity, attitude, and perception. Environment and Behavior, 30(3), 261-281.
Kweon, B., Sullivan, W. C., & Wiley, A. R. (1998). Green common spaces and the social integration of inner city older adults. Environment and Behavior, 30 (6), 832-858.
Chapters in Books.
Kweon, B., & Marans, R. W. (2011). Disaggregating the measurement of quality of urban life dimensions across a complex metro region: The case of the Detroit region. In R. W. Marans, & R. J. Stimson (Eds.) Investigating quality of Urban Life (pp. 369-384). NewYork: Springer.
Marans, R. W., & Kweon, B. (2011). The quality of life in metro Detroit at the beginning of the millennium. In R. W. Marans, & R. J. Stimson (Eds.) Investigating quality of Urban Life (pp. 136-184). NewYork: Springer.
Vining, J., Tyler, E., & Kweon, B. (2000). Public values, opinions, and emotions in restoration controversies. In P. Gobster, & R. B. Hull (Eds.) Restoring Nature: Perspectives from the Social Sciences and Humanities (pp. 143-161). Washington D. C.: Island Press.
