New leadership for SAPL planning and landscape architecture program

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape is pleased to announce that Dr. Enrica Dall’Ara, PhD will assume the role of interim associate dean (planning + landscape architecture) effective July 1, 2021. Dall’Ara has been a valued member of our School since joining in 2016. She was recently promoted to associate professor of landscape architecture. In addition to her teaching and research duties, she has also served as the Stantec Gallery co-lead, demonstrating excellence in presenting and displaying student and faculty work. 

Prior to joining SAPL, Dall’Ara taught at the former Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bologna. She continues to run P’ARC, an Italian landscape architecture design studio with an emphasis on urban renewal, public space design and industrial site landscape rehabilitation. Most recently, Dall’Ara contributed an invited chapter about her work and approach to design in Italie: Viaggio nelle trasformazioni paesaggistiche del Bel Paese. [Italy: Journey into the landscape transformations of the Bel Paese] edited by Bianca Maria Rinaldi (Publisher Il Mulino, Bologna, Italy). On April 8 she will present her SSHRC-funded research project, as part of the CSLA-AALA Congress 2020. ‘Landscape in Motion’ pairs an artistic and phenomenological sensibility with in-depth landscape analysis. The research is intended to transform design approaches employed in urban renewal projects using spatial data and experiential activities to develop specific creative outputs.

My professional practice and academic work focus on shaping public space to be inclusive and vibrant. Public space is the space of diversity, plurality, possibility, invention, and creation. I look forward to further contributing, with the help of my colleagues and our students, to a similar sensibility within the master’s programs in planning and landscape architecture. 
- Dr. Enrica Dall’Ara

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape also offers its sincere gratitude to Dr. Mary-Ellen Tyler, PhD who has graciously served as interim associate dean for the past three years. A beloved student mentor, her keen insight and dedication have made an invaluable contribution to our leadership team, the School, and the greater university community. Of particular note is Tyler’s leadership role on The University of Calgary Faculty Association (TUCFA). She is committed to making the university a better place for students, faculty and the community.

Mary-Ellen is a huge force in our School. Her hard work as associate dean over the last three years has been instrumental in strengthening our planning and landscape architecture programs. We wish her a well-deserved sabbatical from teaching.
- Dr. John Brown, SAPL dean