California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Department of Landscape Architecture

LA 303: Intermediate Landscape Design

Spring Quarter, 2004 – Brown
http://www.csupomona.edu/~kdbrown/LA303/

Syllabus Addendum for GIS Component

This component focus on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in the context of regional design. We will be meeting in the CGISR Lab (5-215) from Noon until 1:50 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays (with the last hour of class being spent in the studio), and Noon until 2:50 PM on Fridays. We will be using ArcGIS software, developed by ESRI, inc.

The intention is to provide everyone with a basic working knowledge of ArcGIS, and a level of comfort with the software that will enable you to use it in future courses. In the context of the studio project which will analyze the San Gabriel watershed, we will undertake basic exercises designed to familiarize you with creating maps, conducting common analyses, developing and executing assessment models, and preparing a poster for display at the University’s GIS Expo.

Assignment:

For this component of the course we will be focusing on landscape assessment of the San Gabriel River Watershed in the Los Angeles region. The watershed is a largely urbanized environment primarily set in Los Angeles County. We will be exploring the use of landscape typology as an organizing principle for analyzing the watershed and assessing it opportunities and constraints for future land use scenario. The project will consist of two phases: An analysis phase which focuses on understanding the physical and social characteristics of the watershed at a coarse scale, and a watershed typology assessment which employs GIS modeling to “categorize” the landscape into meaningful types with regard to a particular issue or set of issues. Phase One will be introduced on the first day of class, and Phase Two will be introduced near the completion of Phase One. A schedule of due dates will be supplied.

Grading:

I consider a “B” and “B+” high grades. The University also considers these high grades – according to the University Catalog, a “B” is given for “Very good work” and an “A” is given for “Superior work”. A “B+” and “A –“ are considered somewhere between these two positions. If you complete the work required and participate regularly in class, you can expect a grade of B or B+. An “A,” given for Superior work, will be reserved for those students who exhibit outstanding performances in attendance, discussion, and projects.

This component constitutes 50% of your lab grade for this course. The grading for this component will break down as follows:

Creating Simple Maps Assignment 10%

Phase I: Analysis Presentation 30%

Phase II: Watershed Typology

Typology Model Flow Chart 10%

Final Poster 40%

Participation* 10%

*Studio attendance, beginning promptly at Noon is compulsory, and will constitute the majority of your participation grade, along with your engagement in class discussions on relevant readings. Excused absences due to illness or family emergency will only be accepted by phone or email to the instructor prior to the studio period. Five percentage points are deducted for each unexcused absence.

Materials:

No additional text is required for the GIS component, however we will be reading some articles which will either be handed out in class or made available in the ENV print room. ESRI Press publishes a number of books on their software which you may consider purchasing. However, I find this book too general to be of much help for landscape architects, so I don’t really recommend it.

Each student will be provided with a user account in the CGISR Lab. You may wish to have blank CDs, zip disks, or USB drives for transporting data and graphics to and from the lab.