Steinitz retires from GSD, plans to pursue research, part-time teaching

Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) Alan Altshuler recently announced that Carl Steinitz has retired from his tenured professorship to become the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Research Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning (effective July 1). In this role, Steinitz will remain active in research and will continue to instruct part-time at the GSD.

Steinitz, who joined the GSD faculty in 1966, will give the Frederick Law Olmsted Lecture on Oct. 24. The lecture will be followed by a reception to formally honor him for his dedication and contributions to the School.

During his tenure at the GSD, Steinitz’s interests have been reflected in his teaching and research on landscape change, methods of landscape analysis, visual quality, and landscape planning and design. He is one of the earliest pioneers in the use of geographic information system (GIS) for analysis and modeling of landscape change.

In 1984, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture presented Steinitz with the Outstanding Educator Award for his “extraordinary contribution to environmental design education” and for his “pioneering exploration in the use of computer technology in landscape planning, especially in the areas of resource management and visual impact assessment.” In 1996 he received the annual “Outstanding Practitioner Award” from the International Society of Landscape Ecology. The following year he was chosen by the GSD student body to receive the annual Graduate School of Design Teaching Award, and in 2002 he was honored as one of Harvard’s outstanding teachers. Among his many publications, Steinitz is principal author of “Alternative Futures for Changing Landscapes.”

“Carl’s internationally renowned research is devoted to improving the methods by which planners and designers organize and analyze information about large land areas and how they make major design decisions,” said Altshuler in his announcement. “He has coupled his research projects with annual options studios, which have given students an opportunity to integrate in-depth analyses, on-site in distant places and non-American cultures, with their studio experiences back at the GSD.”

“He influenced and inspired GSD students and faculty through his dedicated teaching, prolific scholarship, and humanistic perspective,” Altshuler added, concluding, “We all join in wishing him the very best in his new role as Alexander and Victoria Wiley Research Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning.”