WHAT HAPPENS IN WATER LAB
2025
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Save the Date! February 5-6, 2026 -- ASLA Great Lakes Chapters will host the 4th Great Lakes Regional Climate Action Seminar (GLRCAS) with the theme of “Climate Disaster - Resilience & Refuge.” This is a Virtual Event, with CEU credits offered. The Call for Proposals will go out in August 2025!
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Save the Date! June 16–20, 2026 -- National Depave Summit. First national convening of Depave affiliate organizations from across North America. Hosted by Depave
and Depave Chicago
in Chicago, at The Montessori School of Englewood.
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Mary Pat McGuire receives $25,000 research grant from the UIUC Campus Research Board to support public engagement for the Depave Chicago program and the pilot project with partner The Montessori School of Englewood. Thank you University of Illinois for sustaining our work together!
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Save the Date! – October 28, 2025 – Mary Pat invited to give a talk titled “DEPAVING: The Groundwork for Urban Climate Adaptation,” at the Champaign County Green Infrastructure Conference
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Mary Pat McGuire gave an invited talk “Paths Toward Depaving,” as part of the David B. Williams - Visiting Artist Series, School of Creative Technologies, Illinois State University, April 11, 2025. Thank you ISU - this was so much fun!
2024
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JUST RELEASED! Special issue “Creating Knowledge in Common,” (Fall 2024) published in Grounds Works (A2RU). The issue shares 10 powerful stories of university-community partnerships for engaged arts- and design-based research. Criss, Shannon, Kevin Hamilton, and Mary Pat McGuire served as Guest Editors. Contributors include: Emilie Taylor, Jackie Sumell, Jose Cott, Andy Fox, Carla Delcambre, Amy Hillis, Richard Marsella, David Shanks, Lily Song, Tania Fernandes Anderson, Suzan Hampton, Keith Van de Riet, Ann Holt, Cindy McGuire, Leaan Andrews etal., Aidan Ackerman, and many more!
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Mary Pat McGuire and Vidhan Goel publish “Depaving for Sequestration, a scalable story of one site,” in Decarbonize Design, a Special Issue edited by Matt Willams and Karen May, in Landscape Paysage, William, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. Fall 2024, pp 14-15.
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ASLA Great Lakes Chapters hosts the 3rd Great Lakes Regional Climate Action [Virtual] Seminar (GLRCAS) with the theme of “Design for Biodiversity”, June 6–7, 2024. Mary Pat serves as Co-chair for the Call for Presentations.
2023
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We’re in the Chicago Architecture Biennial! “Depaving is Liberation. Depave Chicago + The Montessori School of Englewood” a large-format 7’x 7’ drawing is on display as part of the 5th CAB “This is a Rehearsal” exhibition, curated by The Floating Museum as Artistic Directors. Chicago Cultural Center, Drawing Room, November 1, 2023 - February 10, 2024.
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We’re planting! The first 50 trees of an air quality tree buffer were planted in September at Perspectives Academy, Chicago, IL. This project is part of a partnership among The Morton Arboretum - Chicago Region Trees Initiative, US-EPA, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and University of Illinois/Depave Chicago.
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Lucy Sherriff covers our Depave Chicago start-up in three stories: “Cities are Depaving for a Cooler Future,” in Discover Magazine, September 7, 2023; “These Cities are Depaving for a Cooler Future,” in Next City, September 1, 2023; and “A cooler future means a world with less pavement,” in The Nation, August 31, 2023. Thank you Lucy!
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Getting the word out! Mary Pat McGuire shares “Depave Chicago” with the Morton Arboretum, Chicago Region Trees Initiative Trees and Green Infrastructure Work Group Quarterly Meeting in Alsip, IL, July 27, 2023. We also toured a 2.5-acre depave/restoration project with Zach Wirth and Collete Copic of CRTI and Amanda Arnold of PlanIt, the landscape architect on that amazing prairie and savannah project.
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We’re excited to announce that “Illinois GROUNDWORK” is live! This website, launched early 2023, offers published research and resources on green stormwater infrastructure design, planning, and stewardship for use by communities in the State of Illinois and beyond. There are some amazing tools on there including a Plant Finder (over 150 plants categorized by growing conditions, soil, sun exposure, and moisture type) and a GSI Sizing Tool (want to know how large and deep to design your rain garden based on storm intensity and your soils? Go there!) illinoisgroundwork.org.
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Irene Miles and Jenna Brasch publish a story on our major website release above “Illinois Groundwork provides community resources and guidance for creating community green infrastructure,” in Illinois News, March 29, 2023.
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Mary Pat McGuire published a chapter called “Grounding the Site: Uncovering Concepts in the Landscape Architecture Design Process” in Simon Bussiere’s edited volume Conceptual Landscapes: new perspectives in the earliest stages of design (Abingdon: Routledge, 2023). Mary Pat discusses her methods for teaching students to engage with the ground as their primary medium for design. Email Mary Pat for a PDF.
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Mary Pat McGuire was appointed in Fall 2023 as Dean’s Fellow for Research , College of Fine & Applied Arts, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Mary Pat will be leading the integration of the Public Engagement Research Option in the college and its academic units, to support faculty in their partnered research which results in projects, programs, and priorities that directly benefit the public.
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So Kids Can Breathe! Morton Arboretum and Chicago Region Trees Initiative engage Mary Pat and her UIUC Landscape Architecture students Nital Gundecha, Amy Roberts, and Anne Wong in an air quality tree buffer design project for Chicago Public Schools. “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Vegetation Buffer Program – Pilot Project,” launched with a $6,000 start-up grant. Partners include US-EPA Region V, ELPC, USFS, and Nordsen Green Earth.
2022
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McGuire shares urban flooding design research as part of the international panel “Climate Change and HydroMeteorological Hazards: Quebec, Canada and USA Cross-Border Collaboration for Resilient Cities,” The United States at University of Quebec in Montreal, RIISQ Quebec InterSectoral Flood Network, September 21, 2022.
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Coverage of Depave Chicago by Monca Eng “Combating climate issues through depaving,” in Axios, September 20, 2022
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WBEZ Chicago “Chicago was drenched this past weekend and many Chicagoans are dealing with flooded basements and water damage,” on Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons, Environment & Public Health. Story HERE McGuire starts at 28:41-35:53.
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McGuire participates on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance/Trust for Public Land's NATURAL SOLUTIONS TOOL , an open database to inform site selection for green infrastructure planning. The site is open here: https://web.tplgis.org/chicago_nst/ Click Mapping Portal to start an account.
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“Depave Chicago Joins a National Movement” article by Patty Wetli published by WTTW , August 24, 2022
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Mary Pat McGuire participates in Roundtable Summit hosted by Illinois Environmental Council on conservation in Chicago South and West Side communities, August 15, 2022
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Mary Pat McGuire gives “Depave Chicago: a design approach and program to renature paved ground in communities” talk in the Netsch Re:design Lecture Series , hosted by Friends of the Parks, on August 9, 2022
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Water Lab launches first two Depave Chicago training webinars hosted by Depave on June 16 & July 28, 2022
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McGuire invited to City of Chicago, Museum Campus Working Group to talk about depaving and surface parking reduction strategies for its New Vision Plan for the Museum Campus, May 13, 2022
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Mary Pat McGuire and Katya Reina (of Depave) appear on the Mike Nowak Show (link to show) on June 12, 2022.
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McGuire presents Depave Chicago program to the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, June 3, 2022
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McGuire participates in Research Roundup: Coastal Resiliency and Green Infrastructure in the Great Lakes, panel hosted by IL/In Sea Grant, April 6, 2022
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Story by Irene Miles published on Water Lab collaborator’s design research in the Calumet “Digging into soil data helps inform green infrastructure design,” lllinois-Indiana Sea Grant, March 10, 2022
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WaterLab/McGuire
Mary Pat McGuire invited to discuss opportunities for water in cities on Inside Out & About Podcast with Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, aired February, 2022
2021
2020
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McGuire and UIUC Water Lab join the Chicago-Calumet Rivers Watershed Council.
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McGuire invited to speak at 2020 Chicago River Summit, November
12, 2020
- McGuire
invited to speak at Integrated Design for Sustainable Water Management panel at Cities Alive conference, November 12, 2020
- McGuire invited to speak
at Climate Justice Panel, Woodbury School of
Architecture , October 20, 2020
- Water Lab
maps exhibited at “well-ness at the Commonwealth” at
Sweetwater Foundation, Chicago, opened October 7, 2020.
- McGuire invited to participate in Calumet
Lakefront Park panel hosted
Blacks in Green and the Black Chicago Water Council , August 11 2020
- McGuire
publishes research article ‘Is Landscape Surface,” in The
Journal of Landscape Architecture, 2020.
- McGuire joins Editorial Board for Ground Works (a2ru).
- McGuire publishes research
article ‘Surface Design Operations in Landscape Architecture,” in
Landscape Journal , 2020.
- McGuire publishes research article
‘Retrofitting Urban Landscapes,” in
Topos: international review of landscape architecture and urban design , 2018.
- Fresh Water:
Design Research for Inland Water Territories book reviewed in
Journal of Architectural Education .
2019
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Illinois’ landscape architecture, geology and engineering students win
National ASLA Honor Award in Collaboration for Chicago-Calumet design research project,
from American Society of Landscape Architects
- McGuire (Co-PI)/Water Lab are
part of $50,000 award “Hearing the Ocean, Seeing the Rain: Water, the Arts, and the Future of Human
Life on Earth” from University of Illinois' Presidential Initiative
- Fresh Water symposium and exhibition reviewed by Danika Cooper
for Landscape Journal.
- McGuire
participates in Sustainable Justice Roundtable "Flint and Beyond: Sustainable Water” at
iSEE Sustainable Cities Congress , September 24, 2019
- McGuire invited
to speak at BUILD CHICAGO, Chicago, September
19, 2019
- Fresh Water: Design Research for Inland Water Territories, book
edited by Mary Pat McGuire and Jessica Henson, is released by Applied Research & Design Publishing,
September 2019.
- McGuire’s students present green stormwater designs to Calumet City,
IL April 29, 2019
- McGuire’s students present green stormwater designs to Village of
Midlothian, IL , April 26, 2019
- McGuire invited to speak at Illinois Green Industry Association,
Annual Conference , January 14, 2019
2018
- McGuire invited to lecture
at Rutgers University, Common Lecture
Series, December 5, 2018
- McGuire and Water Lab
team's work profiled in a "Storied" article: Weathering the
Storms by Abigail Bobrow.
- McGuire presents at National ASLA Conference in ‘Watershed
Futures: Intersections of Design and Policy,’ panel October 22, 2018.
- McGuire joins Illinois Geologic Mapping Advisory Committee.
- McGuire participates in panel
Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities at iSEE Sustainable Cities
Congress, September 24, 2019
- McGuire co-hosts with
Jessica Henson, and the Department of Landscape Architecture, at University of Illinois, Fresh Water: design symposium , September 13-15, 2018.
- McGuire
publishes research article ‘Cities as Hydrogeological Terrain,” in
The Plan Journal , 2018.
- “Water Works” exhibition opens at Temple Buell Hall, University of
Illinois, September 1-30, 2020.
- McGuire/Water Lab interviewed by NPR’s Here & Now aired June
13, 2018.
- McGuire/Water Lab interviewed by Houston Public Media, aired
May 12, 2018.
- McGuire participates at CELA National Conference ‘Transforming
(the) Surface,” March 24, 2018.
- McGuire (PI)/Water Lab and collaborators win $175,000
IL/IN Sea Grant
(NOAA - National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration) to research design solutions to
urban flooding in the Chicago-calumet region, 2018-2020.
2017
2016
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McGuire’s research profiled by Zach Edelson in The Architects
Newspaper , October 24, 2016.
- McGuire
named Design Research Fellow in the Design Research Initiative
at the College of Fine & Applied Arts, University of Illinois, 2016-2018.
- Water Lab (McGuire, PI) receives
Elizabeth W. Ingraham Grant from
Wright Ingraham Institute .
- McGuire participates in MEGA, as
part of the Uncorked & On-Topic
Series at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, April 14,
2016.
- McGuire participates at CELA National Conference ‘Surface
Design in Landscape Architecture,’ March 26, 2018.
- McGuire presents research at the Illinois State Geological Survey
Seminar Series, March 7, 2016
- McGuire presents
at the WATER +++ Atmosphere Conference ,
Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, February 27, 2016.
- McGuire
serves on Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, Policy &
Planning Workgroup