2025 CSI Program Participants Announced
Six faculty Research Fellows will evaluate and document six high-performing landscape projects as part of LAF’s 2025 Case Study Investigation program, which runs late January through late July. We look forward to working with this impressive group!
2025 CSI Research Fellows
Anthony Fettes, University of New Mexico
Yiwei Huang, Purdue University
Vincent Javet, University of Washington
Esther Margulies, University of Southern California
Jordan Phemister, University of Kentucky
Alfie Vick, University of Georgia
Projects include an ethno-botanic public garden in New Mexico, the largest open space in South Los Angeles, and a multimodal transportation system and linear park in Lexington, KY.
Applications open in fall for the following year’s CSI program
Are you interested in evaluating the performance of a built landscape project? Our Case Study Investigation (CSI) program runs February - August each year. Faculty and design firms apply in partnership to assess and document the benefits of a high-performing landscape project.
Each year, applications open in September and are due November 1 for the program that begins the following February.
Watch the finale "Measuring Landscape Performance" webinars or browse the case studies produced through this unique research and training program and start thinking about your potential projects and partners.
The Case Study Investigation (CSI) program is a unique research collaboration and training program for faculty, students, and practitioners.
Through CSI, LAF funded faculty-student research teams work with leading practitioners to document the impacts of exemplary, high-performing landscape projects. Teams develop methods to quantify the environmental, social, and economic benefits of built projects and produce Case Study Briefs for LAF’s Landscape Performance Series.
Faculty and design firms apply to CSI in partnership to produce a case study of a specific built landscape project.* Each research team is led by a faculty CSI Research Fellow and supported by a student Research Assistant. The academic team interfaces with a Firm Liaison, who provides information about the project goals, design, design and construction process, and intended performance. Clients, site managers, and other project stakeholders may also contribute data and insights.
The CSI program runs annually from February to August. During the spring, faculty-student teams work with firm liaisons to develop the research plan and case study narrative. Site visits and field data collection are primarily conducted during the summer. The academic teams use this information to craft the performance benefits and document the project in the online Case Study Brief format. Throughout this process, LAF provides training, iterative feedback, and opportunities for interaction among teams. Final case studies undergo a peer review process and are published to the Landscape Performance Series in the fall.
*LAF may be able to assist in matching prospective CSI Research Fellows with prospective firms/projects based on geographic proximity, common interests, and relevant expertise. Prospective applicants wishing to be matched should contact LAF well in advance of the application deadline to discuss.
Program Goals
The CSI program is highly collaborative and helps to bridge the gap between research and design practice. By investing in this research, LAF is generating much-needed information and precedents to evaluate performance, demonstrate value, and make the case for sustainable landscape solutions. The Landscape Performance Series database of over 200 case studies is used by designers, students, researchers, journalists, policymakers, and advocates.
Because resources (including time, expertise, and funding) are often limited for performance evaluation, the CSI program seeks to identify valid, defensible, and replicable metrics and methods that can be used within a short timeframe by non-experts with limited resources. This makes the 6-month CSI program an ideal testing ground for new methods.
As a training program, CSI is an important impetus in moving the landscape architecture discipline toward designing every project with specific performance objectives, documenting project goals and design intent, routinely collecting performance data, and integrating landscape performance in design education.
Case Study Investigation (CSI)
Overview
CSI Research Fellows
CSI Firms and Projects
Application Process
CSI FAQs
