Meet CED Alums

The College of Environmental Design is pleased to announce it has received an innovative gift from alum Karen Swett Conway (BA Architecture 1982) that aims to position CED at the forefront of creative new modes of design practice and teaching. “Giving CED faculty the opportunity to explore new forms of practice is essential for sustaining the quality and rigor of design education and the profession,” says Conway.

Remembering Professor Emeritus of Architecture Lars Lerup (BArch 1968), an educator who thrilled students with his electrifying lectures and brilliant critiques, and an inspiring mentor who built a community of like-minded architectural visionaries.

Meet Arcus Social Justice Corps Fellows — Rashida Chase (MRED+D 2024), Elizabeth Garcia (MLA 2027), and Sam Rodriguez (MArch + MCP 2026) — who are using design, planning, and research to impact communities.

Master of Urban Design alum Bageshri Thakar (MUD 2024) offers a compelling example of how College of Environmental Design students can immediately make a real impact on the built environment. Her thesis project, developed for a site in Livermore, California, led to working with the city’s planning department, which is now creating a land-use and policy framework based on her concept.  

The Urban Design Lab selected theses by two 2025 graduates of UC Berkeley’s Master of Urban Design program, Shivani Atre and Styliani Kalomoira Kontogianni, for publication in the 2025 UDL Thesis Publication.