ABOUT

Kevan Klosterwill, PhD

I am a designer, planner, and writer, residing in Decorah, Iowa, with my wife, Zoe, our two children, and our old hound dog Tug. My experience has ranged broadly, from gardening for public landscapes and private homes with my hands in the dirt and writing about urban affairs for a local newspaper to planning parks, researching the historical development of our country’s historical landscapes, and teaching design students.

Throughout, I’ve been driven by the belief that design is a practice that belongs to everyone, and my role, as a professional, is to help build design literacy, so we can all work together to build a better world.

My Research and Writing

As a writer and researcher, my interests have ranged, from the development of indigenous vernacular cultural landscapes of North America to the practice of contemporary alternative gardening practices like permaculture and regenerative agriculture. This interest in alternative design practices has sometimes led me to strange places, like the development of genetically engineered ornamental plants or the historical use of live animals as decorative features in the landscape. This breadth of experience researching alternative spacemaking practices informs my confidence in the power of individuals and communities to design their own spaces.

Learn more about my forthcoming book: Our Whole Country A Park: Community Days and Civic Horticulture in Warren H. Manning’s Modern Planning Practice.