The dynamic relationships between cities and their rivers, a landscape
of potentially critical adaptability and resilience, is the focus of the
2015 Garden and Landscape Studies Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks. Building
on the emergence of urban humanities and urban landscape history, we
propose to consider the urban river as a city-making landscape deserving
of careful reading and analysis: past, present, and future.

The subject of this symposium builds on a new multi-year initiative in
urban landscape studies, which Dumbarton Oaks is launching in 2015 with
support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Its principal goal is to
create a dialogue between designers and scholars to address the
landscape consequences of advancing urbanization. With this task in
mind, the 2015 symposium aims to bring together the work of contemporary
designers with the historical perspectives of scholars, encouraging
practitioners and historians to bridge the gaps between their modes of
thinking. We consider historians to include those in art history, urban
history, and architectural history among others. We would particularly
welcome proposals for collaborative or paired presentations by designers
and historians working on similar topics or the same city.

Please submit a 300 word abstract to Thaisa Way (twayuw.edu) by
September 14, 2014 to be considered for the 2015 Dumbarton Oaks Garden
and Landscape Studies symposium: River Cities: Historical and
Contemporary. If accepted, full papers will be due on March 1, 2015 for
presentation in May 2015 (most likely May 8-9, 2015). For more
information, contact Thaisa Way, University of Washington / twayuw.edu/
206 685 2523.