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Mark Francis

Mark Francis, a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, is professor of landscape architecture at the University of California, Davis, and Senior Design Consultant with MIG in Berkeley and Davis. Trained in landscape architecture and urban design at Berkeley and Harvard, he is author of more than sixty articles and book chapters translated into a dozen languages. His books include Community Open Spaces (Island Press, 1984), The Meaning of Gardens (MIT, 1990), Public Space (Cambridge, 1992), and The California Landscape Garden Ecology, Culture and Design (California, 1999). His work has focused on the use and meaning of the built and natural landscape. Much of this research has utilized a case study approach to study parks, gardens, public spaces, streets, nearby nature, and urban public life.

Village Homes

Village Homes

A Community By Design

The Village Homes neighborhood in Davis, California is one of the few long-standing examples of sustainable community design. Mark Francis has been studying Village Homes for more than two decades and brings together existing research and writing...

Urban Open Space

Urban Open Space

Designing For User Needs

Research has shown that successful public spaces are ones that are responsive to the needs of their users, are democratic in their accessibility, and are meaningful for the larger community and society.