On Tuesday, March 9, "Ideal Landscapes and the Ideal Land: American Parks and the Roots of Regional Planning" will examine the relationship between park design and regional planning in the United States. The lecture will be presented by Ethan Carr, landscape architect and historian for the National Park Service, and the author of Wilderness by Design.

On Thursday, March 18, "Environment, Economy, and Equity: The Regional Plan Association's Tri-State Vision" will explore changing environmental, economic, and social views as reflected in plans for the New York-New Jersey-Conneticut Metropolitan Region. The lecture will be presented by Robert Yaro, executive director, Regional Plan Association, and co-author of A Region at Risk: A Plan for Our Future.

On Tuesday, April 13, "The Shaping of America's Suburbs: Frederick Law Olmsted and Clarence Stein" will trace how these designers' principles continue to shape the development and marketing of condominiums, gated communities, and neotraditional town planning. The lecture will be presented by Alexander Garvin, adjunct professor of urban planning and management, Yale University, and author of The American City: What Works, What Doesn't.

All lectures are free and begin at 6 p.m. and are free and open to the public. They will be held at the Graduate School of Design's Piper Auditorium, 48 Quincy St. For further information, call (617) 566-1689, ext. 204.