Environmental Studies Capstone Project Aims to Incorporate Sustainability into Southwestern University 560 Development
A group of Environmental Studies majors recently completed a senior capstone project in which they proposed recommendations to ensure the upcoming Southwestern University 560 Development is sustainable and environmentally friendly.
As Southwestern University embarks on one of the most ambitious development projects in the institution’s 185-year history, a group of Environmental Studies majors are working to ensure that the project is sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Located immediately east of the main campus, the Southwestern University 560 (SU 560) takes a purposeful path to development, preserving a strong sense of place while embracing the values of Southwestern University. It is intentionally designed to integrate housing, industry, retail, the arts, and green spaces to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff, and neighbors alike, and establish a cultural and educational hub.
With 560 acres ready to undergo transformational change over the next several years, Southwestern seniors Logan Ferguson, Meredith Lannan, Isabella Moore, Sydney Strange, Blaine ten Wolde, Brianna Westmoreland, and Abby White set out to provide sustainable design recommendations for Phase 1A of the development in their capstone project, “From Blueprint To Greenprint: Sustainable Recommendations For The SU 560 Project.”
The students collaborated with environmentalists and landscape architects currently involved in the SU 560 to contribute valuable feedback and innovative ideas to help shape the project’s direction.
Signage welcomes visitors to Southwestern University's EcoLab, located within the SU 560 development.One of the initial points of inspiration for the capstone project emerged from the students’ desire to preserve and enhance Southwestern’s existing EcoLab, located within the future SU 560. For the past decade, the EcoLab has provided an outdoor space for student learning and research across the ecology, geographic information systems, and environmental studies programs.
“A lot of us have been involved in the EcoLab, where the development is happening, and we’ve all kind of had a big stake in what’s out there at the moment,” Lannan said. “I think when we heard about the SU 560 being there, we kind of wanted to have a say in some of the stuff that’s going on out there.”
Professor of Environmental Studies and member of the SU 560 Development Committee Josh Long connected the capstone group with leaders from Austin-based RVi, a regional landscape design firm that prides itself on creative contributions in land use analysis, community planning, and the design of outdoor spaces. RVi served as the landscape architect for the nearby Mueller development project in central Austin and is consulting on the environmental design of Phase 1A of the SU 560. Through bi-monthly meetings, the students gained professional perspectives on their suggestions and recommendations.
“It was actually a lot of fun to nerd out with environmental people that are in their career and making a difference,” Strange said. “They were showing us projects that were really inspiring to me, like one where they took an airplane hanger and made it into a blackland prairie, which was beautiful. It was so inspiring to see that it’s possible to have development and sustainable aspects in urban spaces.”
Using RVi’s feedback and previous success stories from other developments across the country, the group expanded on the Development Committee’s idea to transform the EcoLab into a larger EcoGateway. Their vision is that this area will serve as a home to the region’s native plants and animals as well as an EcoHub, a multi-use outdoor classroom and meeting space.
“This project is definitely an excellent opportunity for Southwestern University to be a leader in environmental stewardship and knowledge.” – Sydney Strange ’25
Included in the vision for the SU 560 is a commitment to thoughtful design and long-term impact,guided by 12 core principlesthat emphasize connection, creativity, and purpose. While initial plans for Phase 1A of the SU 560 are designed to promote walkability, the students are expanding on this principle to enhance the area’s current trail system, recommending the addition of miles of trails and accessibility features.
“Georgetown prides itself on San Gabriel Park and having all of these beautiful trail systems, and I think that [this development] will be another avenue for people to enjoy nature, and enjoy accessible, walkable shopping districts, which is something that I feel like we are absent of in Georgetown,” ten Wolde said. “We’ve had a huge shift toward becoming very car-centric, and this development is pushing against that and promoting walkability.”
Other recommendations include a bioretention pond that uses natural soil and vegetation to treat and manage stormwater, restoration of the natural blackland prairie, and incorporation of micro prairies throughout the development to provide habitat and allow safer travel for pollinators and small wildlife. The students also recommend a rehabilitation of Smith Creek, a small offshoot of the San Gabriel River that runs through the acreage, including the widening of the creek’s riparian zone, the area of land that borders the water to help filter out pollutants. The group hopes that interpretive signage can be incorporated into the SU 560 to explain the functionality behind many of these design features.
“This is a great opportunity for the Georgetown community and the Southwestern community to learn a lot more about some of the stuff that we proposed,” Lannan said. “A lot of people don’t know what a blackland prairie is. A lot of people don’t know what a riparian buffer is. A lot of people don’t know the functionality of bioretention ponds. I think our interpretive signage that we want to put in would be a great way for the community to learn about these things and see how they can be incorporated into developments. I think that’s really important.”
In December, the group presented their full recommendations to a standing-room-only crowd of Southwestern students, professors, and community members. Following the presentation, SU President Laura Skandera Trombley personally invited the group to present their findings to the Board of Trustees in February.
“I was really touched at how the University all wanted to hear our recommendations. It’s a testament to how much they value their student body.” – Isabella Moore ’25
“Getting trust built up between us, SU, and RVi was really important,” White said. “We were able to hopefully share a lot of information with people. It’s inspiring to work with all these different entities to make something that’s very cohesive.”
With guidance from RVi, the students intentionally built recommendations that could be implemented in an efficient and cost-effective way, a point that the group is optimistic will resonate with University leadership.
“We chose recommendations specifically and carefully for their feasibility, and that’s why we worked with RVi so carefully,” Strange said. “They gave us amazing suggestions and helped us focus on the EcoGateway, riparian zones, and micro-prairies. A big part of our project was choosing things that could actually be implemented in a financially feasible way.”
The group also hopes that through their project, they can reinforce the importance of including student perspectives and ideas in the SU 560 while simultaneously encouraging more students to get involved and let their voices be heard as the development comes to life.
With all seven members of the capstone project set to graduate from Southwestern this spring, the group hopes that their ideas will inspire the next wave of students to carry on their legacy of thinking creatively about the sustainability of the space.
“For future students, the work isn’t done,” Westmoreland said. “This is just Phase 1A, and it hasn’t even happened yet. There’s more research and more innovation that can happen in future phases. Who knows what else? I’d really like to see future students make sure that the student perspective keeps getting put in there.”
As the group continues to look to the future, the students are excited about the potential for their capstone project to leave a permanent impression on the SU 560 and the University as a whole.
“I love the idea that we can leave a lasting impact on SU,” White said. “That’s what really inspired me. My parents both went to SU and they were here when the trees around the mall were planted. They always say it’s cool to come back and see them as fully grown trees. I would love to have that same experience.”
More information about the SU 560 is set to be released in the coming weeks and months, but one thing is certain – Southwestern, and its students, are at the leading edge of sustainable property development and design.
“This project is definitely an excellent opportunity for Southwestern University to be a leader in environmental stewardship and knowledge,” Strange said. “With this project, we can incorporate student-inspired sustainability that could change the face of how universities develop from now on. Everybody looks toward a good example, but it’s hard to be the first. And we are the first.”
