Graduate School of Design Names Ten Loeb Fellows for 1998

The Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design has selected 10 individuals for fellowships to participate in one year of independent study using the curriculum and programs of the Design School as well as other resources at Harvard University. The only program of its kind in the nation, the Loeb Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for nurturing the leadership potential and professional development of accomplished midcareer individuals in design and other fields related to the built and natural environment.

Loeb Fellowships are awarded to highly motivated individuals who can create independent study programs that make effective use of Harvard's resources, and who will use their studies to benefit society at large. Established and endowed in 1970 by John L. Loeb, 1924 graduate of Harvard College, Loeb Fellowships have been awarded to more than 300 individuals. In 1988, the Fellowship was recognized by an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects "for improving the quality of the built and natural environment through the education of the practitioners who affect that environment."

Loeb Fellows come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds in both the public and private sectors -- from traditional fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, to others whose work also concerns the urban and natural environment, such as journalists, artists, housing specialists, public officials, and community advocates. The interplay among such a wide range of professionals provides a uniquely fertile learning environment. In addition to faculty and curriculum at the Harvard Design School, Loeb Fellows also have access to curriculum at Harvard College and Harvard's other graduate schools, including the schools of government, business, education, law, public health, and arts and sciences.

Fellows pursue their interests through coursework, writing, research, and joint projects. They also serve as a resource for the Harvard Design School and other parts of Harvard University, bringing their experience and observations to the classroom, the studio, and special interest groups, and sharing with students the trends and challenges facing today's practicing design professionals.

The 1998-99 Loeb Fellows are as follows:

Loeb Fellows

Andrew Altman, director of city planning for Oakland, Calif. Altman manages current and long-range planning, including neighborhood improvement, zoning, major economic development projects, design review, waterfront planning, sustainable development and historic preservation. As a Loeb Fellow, he will study methods for creating interdisciplinary planning practices with an emphasis on strengthening the role of urban design and architecture in meeting the challenges of older, diverse urban communities.

Hillary Brown, assistant commissioner for the New York City Department of Design and Construction. Brown leads New York City's first initiative in constructing energy- and resource-efficient public facilities and demonstration projects. She serves as co-chair of New York's Green Buildings Task Force. During her Loeb Fellowship residency, Brown will explore ways in which local government, together with the design professions and construction industry, can accelerate the adoption of sustainable building practices.

Marcie Cohen, director of development for the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. The Trust invests the pension funds of union members in the construction and rehabilitation of residential, commercial, and industrial real estate to earn competitive investment returns, create jobs for union members, and build strong communities around the country. Cohen will use her fellowship year to consider growth management issues, the control of urban sprawl, and the ways pension fund investments can influence good planning.

David Franczyk, seven-term city councilor in Buffalo, N.Y. Franczyk serves a culturally diverse district and has focused his legislative energies on historic preservation, housing reform in low-income communities, and waterfront development. During his year as a Loeb Fellow, Franczyk will explore ways to rescue the former New York Central Terminal, a vast 1929 Art Deco railroad terminal with great potential to assist in the economic development of a multi-ethnic, working class neighborhood. He will also examine constructive urban design and redevelopment strategies for the Cobblestone Historic District that will help strengthen the city's cultural, commercial, and social cohesiveness.

Kathryn Freemark, landscape ecologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada. Freemark also consults on a watershed design and ecological risk assessment project in the Midwest United States. As a Loeb Fellow, she will explore the capacity of the planning and design process to influence policy, science, conservation and resource management on both local and international scales. She also plans study in the social sciences to better understand how to develop the complex, interdisciplinary efforts needed to address the current global bio-diversity crisis.

Gustavo Leclerc, partner and founding member of ADOBE LA, a firm of architects, artists, and designers. A trained architect, as well as an artist, Leclerc's work has centered on the exploration and documentation of the cultural and urban landscapes of Los Angeles and the San Diego-Tijuana border region. He has been particularly interested in the relationship among popular cultural practices, the vernacular landscape, and architecture/urbanism. Leclerc will use the Loeb Fellowship to create a "guide" for the American democratic city of the next millennium.

Milan Ozdinec, director of the Office of Urban Revitalization of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development. Ozdinec has major responsibility for the nationwide implementation of the $3.6 billion HOPE VI program to transform distressed public housing. As a Loeb Fellow, he will study the history of urban America, specifically considering the current HOPE VI program and its place in that history. He will examine the role that federal legislation has played in the formation and continuation of social policy as it relates to poverty, race, and community development in U.S. cities.

Susan Schwartzenberg, photographer and visual artist whose work focuses on biography, memorial, and studies of urban life and history. Schwartzenberg is also the director of media at the Exploratorium museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco. At the museum she directs projects in photography, video, multimedia and experimental telecommunications. During her year as a Loeb Fellow, Schwartzenberg will focus on theories and design of the urban environment, specifically exploring narrative approaches to the design of landscape and streetscape.

Bill Traynor, founder and Principal of Neighborhood Partners, a national training and technical assistance firm which helps community-based organizations plan and implement neighborhood revitalization efforts. Traynor previously served as executive director of the Coalition for A Better Acre in Lowell, Mass., which implemented a $20 million renewal plan for its neighborhood. As a Loeb Fellow, he will explore technological innovations in the field of design and urban planning which he believes can play a powerful role in helping residents and other neighborhood stakeholders take a more significant role in designing the future of their communities.

Gail Vittori, co-director of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, a nonprofit design firm dedicated to sustainable planning, design, and demonstration. Vittori has played a leading role in developing sustainable building programs for the state of Texas, as well as the nationally recognized Green Builder Program for the city of Austin. During her Loeb Fellowship residency, she will explore the environmental and economic implications of sustainability practices in public sector building projects, both past and present, with a particular focus on public schools.

Nominations for Loeb Fellowships for the 1999-2000 academic year are welcomed from professionals in design and related fields. For further information, interested nominators or candidates may contact Sally Young, coordinator of the Loeb Fellowship, at 495-9345 or at the Loeb Fellowship Program, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall 419, 48 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA 02138.