09/15/2026: LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR, The Public Realm as Infrastructure: Rethinking Streets, Parks, and Civic Spaces as Interconnected Systems, Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 11am-1pm Eastern

$198.00

add to cart Get More With a Subscription! Request a Demo For Your Company

Public spaces—streets, parks, and civic areas—are often viewed in isolation, but in reality, they are critical components of urban infrastructure that support mobility, health, and social interaction. This 2-hour continuing education webinar reframes public spaces as interconnected systems and explores their role in enhancing city livability and resilience. Participants will examine planning and design strategies that maximize public value, addressing connectivity, inclusivity, and long-term performance in the context of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

This course will focus on key elements such as access to public transportation, equitable design, green infrastructure, and the resilience of public spaces to climate change. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how public spaces serve as essential urban systems that contribute to a city’s overall function.

This is a live webinar delivered via GoToWebinar. Session instructions will be emailed to you 24-48 hours prior to the webinar and the morning of the webinar. If you have not received your instructions for any reason, please call Customer Support (1-866-546-1212) the day of the event. Webinars are live and interactive. Students will have the ability to interact with and ask questions of the presenter directly.

Objectives SME

Course Objectives

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

Define the role of streets, parks, and civic spaces as integrated systems within the broader urban infrastructure.
Understand how the design of the public realm can support environmental, social, and economic sustainability, with a focus on HSW (Health, Safety, and Welfare) factors.
Identify strategies for creating accessible and inclusive public spaces that enhance social interaction and mobility.
Discuss the long-term performance and resilience of public spaces, especially in the context of climate adaptation.
Examine case studies that demonstrate best practices for designing public spaces that function as cohesive urban systems.
Explore the impact of policy, regulation, and community engagement in shaping successful public spaces.

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: Rumanda Young, Ph.D.

Dr. Young is a Registered Landscape Architect (RLA) in the state of Texas and a Certified Planner (AICP). She holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture (BLA) from the University of Arkansas, a master’s degree in city and regional planning (MCRP) with environmental planning emphasis from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Ph.D. in urban planning and public policy. Dr. Young also spent time abroad in Cheltenham, England at the University of Gloucestershire focusing on sustainable development practices, environmental planning, and resource management.

Dr. Young has eight years of private practice experience, six of which working with the firm Carter & Burgess, Inc. She was involved in a variety of work including a wide range of park and recreational planning and design projects. Landscape Architectural experience ranges from preparation of detail site design plans, inventory and analysis documents, park, recreation and open space master plans, city-wide comprehensive plans, interpretive prospectus documents, construction document preparation, and preparation of grant applications and rezoning applications for cities throughout Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

Dr. Young currently works as a Military Master Planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the Planning, Environmental, and Regulatory Branch. Dr. Young is involved in a variety of work including a wide range of military planning, programming, and design projects. Project Management experience ranges from installation design guides to campus master plans. Projects also focus on the impacts of development on human health and the environment, and improvements through better siting, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of military projects.

Dr. Young is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, School of Architecture. She teaches master’s level landscape architecture design studio course(s).