RYAN SANDWICK
**under construction**
community engager + placemaker + regeneration(er) + urban designer
Education
University of Glasgow, Scotland Graduated 2013
Postgraduate: City Planning and Regeneration, MSc.
Submitted dissertation: Productive Lands: Analyzing Vacant and Derelict Land as a Regeneration Tool in Glasgow.
University of California, Davis Graduated 2011
Undergraduate: Landscape Architecture, B.S.
Completed Senior Project: Capitol Mall: Resuscitating the Heart of California - An Urban Redesign
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Work Experience
Community Design Program Manager July 2017 - Current
University of Kentucky – Lexington, KY
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Director, Winchester Design Studio May 2019 – Current
University of Kentucky – Winchester, Kentucky
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Director, Sharpsburg Design Studio March 2012 – Current
University of Kentucky – Sharpsburg, Kentucky
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Urban Designer Sept 2015 – July 2017
Chattanooga Design Studio – Chattanooga, TN
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Assistant Researcher/ Spatial Planner Sept 2013 – June 2015
Kevin Murray Associates – Glasgow, Scotland
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Landscape Designer/ Project Manager/Consultant Sept 2009 - July 2015
Sandwick Design - Sacramento, CA
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Assistant Landscape Architect, UC Davis Campus Planning Aug 2010 – Aug 2011
University of California, Davis - Davis, CA
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Principal Drafting Technician, UC Davis Grounds Division Nov 2009 – May 2010
University of California, Davis - Davis, CA
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Volunteer Activities​
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Keep Lexington Beautiful City Commission Feb 2019 - Current Lexington, KY
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Appointed by Mayor Gordon as the University of Kentucky’s representative on the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission.
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As a member of this important commission, I work with the other commissioners to preserve and protect the unique built and natural environments of the Bluegrass through the implementation of litter prevention and litter cleanup efforts.
Chattanooga Emerging Urbanists Dec 2015 – Aug 2017
Chattanooga, TN
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Founder and leader of the Emerging Urbanists group, connecting urban-minded, allied groups, and peers.
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Organize monthly meetings and social media presence; prepare press releases for our public projects and events.
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Activities have included guest lectures, pop-up movie nights in an urban alleyway, and a design thinking workshop to encourage local participation and entry into a Chattanooga-based international design competition.
ACE Mentor July 2016 - Current
Lexington KY and Chattanooga, TN
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ACE is an after-school program for high school students to learn more about careers in architecture, construction and engineering that offers scholarships to the winning teams.
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The project this year is a tiny-home village in Chattanooga’s Southside neighborhood, where I’ve emphasized the importance of scale and accounting for the surrounding context throughout the planning and design processes.
Urban Land Institute, Advisory Services Panel Feb 2012
Stockton, CA (Graphics Internship - Volunteer)
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Invited to be a part of the ULI Advisory Services Panel in downtown Stockton, California. Supported a panel of professionals by creating 3d photo-realistic renderings and graphic existing/proposed diagrams, which were key elements in presentations to stakeholders and city officials. The renderings and diagrams I prepared were included in the published report.
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Awards
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2021
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Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association (KY APA): Special Merit Award for Outstanding Plan in a Small Jurisdiction for ‘Harlan Downtown Project 2019’
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National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP): Honors in Innovation and Creativity, Team for the ‘Sidewalk Subway’.
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Kentucky Chapter of the American Society for Landscape Architects (KY ASLA): Merit Award in Recognition of Academic Achievement for ‘Harlan Downtown Project 2019’
2020
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NACDEP: Honors in Innovation and Creativity, Individual for the ‘Downtown Bracket Challenge’. First in the Southern region and first at the national level.
2019
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KY APA: Special Merit Award for Outstanding Plan in a Small Jurisdiction for ‘Downtown Plan for Manchester.’
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KY ASLA: Merit Award in Recognition of Academic Achievement for ‘Downtown Plan for Manchester’
2018
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NACDEP: Honors in Innovation and Creativity, Individual for the ‘Chalk and Talk’.
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NACDEP: Honors in Excellence in Teamwork, National. First in the Southern region and second at the national level.
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Conferences, Critiques, Presentations, and Publications
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Conference Presentations and Workshops
2022
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Placemaking in Small and Rural Communities Conference: Connecting Placemaking and Rural Downtown Revitalization in Harlan, KY
2021
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KY APA: Introducing the Mayor’s Design Workshop and Opportunities to Engage Planners in Rural Communities
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Indiana Land Use Summit: Community Engagement Strategies
2020
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NACDEP: Placemaking Modules as Part of the NEA Cooperative Extension Placemaking Toolkit
2019
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Bluegrass Tomorrow Smart Growth Workshop: Placemaking as an Incremental Approach to Downtown Revitalization
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Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA): Re-imagining Manchester, Kentucky: An urban design foundation for rural downtown revitalization
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International Placemaking Week (PPS): Shuttle Disco: Using DJs and Disco Lights to Celebrate Public Transportation in Downtown Chattanooga
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KY APA: Using the Downtown Plan for Manchester as a template for how planners can adapt their plans for rural communities across Kentucky
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NACDEP: Re-imagining Manchester, Kentucky: Using Community Design Through Cooperative Extension
2018
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Brushy Fork Institute: Chalk and Talk workshop
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Consortium for Creative Placemaking: Chalk and Talk workshop
2017
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Appalachian Studies Association (ASA): Tactical Urbanism for Rural Communities
2016
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PechaKucha: ‘The Importance Of Fun And Whimsy In Cities’
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Q Commons: ‘What I Would Do If Money Weren’t An Object’
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TN BikeWalk Summit: ‘Perception of Time & Distance in Development Patterns’
Received Grants
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PI, Sharpsburg Design Studio in Sharpsburg, KY, Bluegrass Community Foundation and the R. L. Brown Foundation (PI), Sandwick, R 03/22 - 03/24 $238,000
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Co-PI, Connecting Youth Mental and Physical Health to Green and Social Spaces in Winchester, KY, Kentucky Family Resource and Youth Service Centers - GEER II Funding, Coogle, K. (PI), Sandwick, R 09/21 - 09/23 $100,000
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Co-PI, Building Prosperity in Rural Communities through Community and Economic Development and Design Experiential Learning in Kentucky, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates Grants Program, Davis, A (PI), Kahl, D, Sandwick, R 10/21 - 10/25 $399,425
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Co-PI, Integration of Creative Placemaking into Cooperative Extension programming, National Endowment for the
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Arts, Our Town-Projects that Build Knowledge, Koo, J. (PI), Bond, M., Sandwick, R., Barton, J. S., Marietta, S., Balazs, S., Manness, M. 08/19-07/20, $100,007
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PI, Downtown Bracket Challenge, Greater Clark Foundation, What’s Your Ambition Grant?, 02/18-09/18, $5,000
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P!, First Street Slide, Causeway, Causeway Challenge Grant, 12/15 - 12/16, $3,000
Selected Publications and Adopted Plans
2021
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Housing Security Plan: Addressing Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Winchester, KY
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Rails to Trails Master Plan: Adapting the CSX rail line in Winchester, KY into a multi-modal trail
2020
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Depot St. Master Plan: Long term vision for the northern bookend of Main St. in downtown Winchester, KY
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Riverfog Park: A central social space for Williamsburg, KY
2019
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Harlan Downtown Project: Prioritizing public realm investment opportunities in downtown Harlan, KY
2018
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Downtown Plan for Manchester, KY: Adopted by the Manchester City Council as the city’s official downtown plan
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Jenkins, KY: Elkhorn Lake Recreation Master Plan: A master plan for Elkhorn Lake
2017
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Cityscapes: Baseline study of downtown Chattanooga’s public realm
2016
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Academy of Urbanism Here and Now Journal: All Change in Chattanooga
2015
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Northern Powerhouse Agenda: A Strategic Vision for ‘Renewing the Heart of Sheffield City-Region
2014
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Scottish Government: Review of the Strategic Development Plans in Scotland
2010 - present
2010 - present