Landscapes of Enduring Quality

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Although skilled as an urban designer and land planner, Dr. Culbertson is fundamentally a landscape architect. Throughout his career is as enjoyed garden design, the creation of contemplative and enjoyable environments.  From the mountains of Colorado to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Blue Ridge, Studio: Kurt Culbertson has created a host of memorable residential gardens. 

There is no more satisfying work than park design. Not only do these projects provide the opportunity to create beautiful landscapes but they are settings for community gatherings, social interaction, recreation, and even protests. Parks such as Story Mill Community Park in Bozeman, Montana, to Moncus Park in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Ottuwa, Iowa, Central Park are but a few of Dr. Culbertson's park design efforts. 

One of the most effective city-shaping tools is a well-considered parks, trails, and open space network. Done well, this work integrates the natural environment, the fabric of a city, connects neighborhoods, and provides stormwater management, as well as improving social equity. Dr. Culbertson led award winning plans for VanPlay Vancouver, British Columbia; the Big Green Easy in New Orleans; and the Parks and Open Space Plan of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The complexity of new community design is fascinating. The multiple dimensions of environmental analysis, transportation, infrastructure design, real estate analysis, community programming, and open space planning offers wonderful opportunities for the creation of vibrant living environments. High Desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico; St. Albans in St. Louis, and Glendenning in St John, Newfoundland are examples of Dr. Culbertson new community planning efforts. 

The public realm is not merely the space between buildings. Used wisely, architecture can be used to shape open space and civic landscapes. The careful orchestration of the interaction of these solids and voids is urban design. The recent plan for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is one example of Dr. Culbertson's urban design efforts. 

Campus planning provides the context for learning and social interaction. Done well the landscape is sustainable and didactic, facilitating recreation and social engagement. Dr. Culbertson led the national award winning campus plan for UCLA as well as other efforts at Chapman University. 

Resorts and hospitality offer the opportunity to create memorable experiences in unique landscapes. The Inn at Biltmore Estate is a notable example of Dr. Culbertson's resort planning work. 

Regional planning offers the opportunity to think at an ecosystem scale considering both natural and manmade systems and challenges one to think generations into the future. During is career, Dr. Culbertson has led regional planning efforts for Flathead County in Montana, Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, and the Regional Plan for Petra in Jordan which won the Pierre L'Enfant Award in International Planning from the American Planning association. 

A particular specialty is the revitalization planning for aging urban corridors. The creation of beautiful, complete streets that calm traffic, manage stormwater, and enourage vibrant retail and mixed use environments are of particular interest. Examples of projects led by Dr. Culbertson  include P Street in Lincoln, Nebraska, South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, and Broadway in Galveston, Texas.