CAPLA Students Collaborate with Community Gardens of Tucson
Last spring, CAPLA students partnered with Community Gardens of Tucson to explore new possibilities for the Mary Meredith Community Garden. Led by Architecture Lecturer Chris Tucker, students in the BA.DAP program’s Spatial Design Studio developed design proposals for the garden’s school-side grounds, considering how the space could support children’s outdoor experiences and the surrounding ecosystem.
“It all started because I am a gardener at one of the community gardens in Tucson,” Tucker said. “Admittedly, probably not the best one. I might grow more weeds than anything else.”
Located next to Mary Meredith K-12 School, the garden became a site for exploring the relationships between people, place and the natural environment. Students considered how design could create sensory experiences for children while supporting pollinators and other species native to the Sonoran Desert.
“The students came up with innovative ways in which to use that space that hadn’t even occurred to CGT to consider,” Community Gardens of Tucson Garden Operations Coordinator Sammy Kaplan said.
Ceramic site models created by BA.DAP students
Students began with site research, visiting multiple community gardens, participating in workshops and documenting their observations through photographs, sketches and drawings. They also created a collaborative ceramic model of the Mary Meredith Garden, with individual stoneware tiles representing features such as topography, vegetation, infrastructure and pathways. The model helped students examine the site through different perspectives and use their observations to inform their designs.
“An important part of this experience was for students to see how each space reflects the community around it,” Tucker said.
The studio also explored the ecological relationships that sustain a garden. Students researched selected Sonoran Desert species and considered how design could provide habitat, support pollination and encourage interactions between people and the more-than-human environment. Their proposals incorporated native plants and features intended to support birds, bees and bats while creating opportunities for children to learn through sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
Selected student works
“I appreciate how this beginning research led to diverse design questions among the student groups and ultimately developed into well-informed design proposals,” Tucker said.
Working in teams, students developed a range of concepts for the garden. Some proposals featured sensory zones for listening, tasting, touching and observing, while others explored outdoor classrooms, shade structures, rainwater collection, pollinator-friendly plantings and interactive garden features. The designs reflected different approaches to creating a welcoming space for children while considering ecological needs and long-term maintenance.
On April 12, students presented their developing designs at Community Gardens of Tucson’s annual Bloomin’ Bash fundraiser at the Mary Meredith Garden. They displayed posters and physical models, inviting community members to share their experiences and offer feedback. Students used these conversations to refine their proposals before presenting their final work to community partners in May and preparing a completed set of drawings for the organization.
Students Discussing Design Ideas with Community Members at the Community Gardens of Tucson Annual Fundraiser
“The relationship between Community Gardens of Tucson and the BA.DAP students gave the students an opportunity to confront the realities of a community-engaged design process,” Tucker said.
Community Gardens of Tucson is now seeking funding to develop some of the students’ design ideas on site. The organization hopes to use the proposals to inform future grant applications and guide an eventual redesign of the garden, strengthening its Kids in Gardens program and expanding opportunities for outdoor learning at Mary Meredith K-12 School.
Kaplan said the potential project could have a particularly meaningful impact at the school, where the organization works with students who may benefit from additional opportunities to connect with nature and learn outside the classroom.
Rainwater diagram by Bella Burd + Makena Cook
“Bringing students outside and into nature is a valuable part of the program at Mary Meredith, and would only become more so and more impactful to the students if we were able to fund the student designs,” Kaplan said.
Ideas from the student proposals include features that capture and reuse rainwater, spaces for gathering and sensory exploration and habitat elements that support pollinators. Community Gardens of Tucson Board Chair Gillian Paine-Murrieta also highlighted the potential of pavement cutouts that could use runoff from a ramada for irrigation and a hummingbird birdbath designed to benefit pollinators.
“Looking to the future, and towards a final design that may actually be implemented, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some aspect of each and every student’s design incorporated,” Kaplan said.
For Tucker, the possibility of bringing student concepts into the built environment is one of the most rewarding aspects of community-engaged design. The project gave students an opportunity to apply their research and design skills to a real community setting while contributing ideas that could help shape the garden’s future.
“It is always rewarding to see the ideas and work developed in the studio translate into something tangible within the community,” Tucker said.
As Community Gardens of Tucson pursues funding, the students’ proposals offer a foundation for imagining a garden that brings together outdoor education, ecological stewardship and community connection.
