Letora Anderson will give a Paula G. Manship Endowed Lecture titled “Reinforcing or Reversing? Design as a Community Development Tool” to the College of Art & Design on Monday, March 16 at 3:30 p.m. in 307 Julian T.  White Hall.

Letora Anderson, PLA, AICP is a landscape architect, urban planner, and educator whose work bridges professional practice, public-sector planning, and academic research. She currently serves as Assistant Director of Community Development for the City of Greenville Texas and Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Urban Design programs at the University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA).

Anderson is a Registered Landscape Architect in Texas and a certified member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Her professional and scholarly work focuses on sustainable urban design, park and open space systems, comprehensive planning, and community-based design processes. Across both practice and research, she examines how planning and landscape architecture can foster environmental reconnection, equitable community engagement, and culturally grounded development, particularly in historically disinvested and minority neighborhoods. Her recent research investigates displacement, cultural landscape loss, and the erosion of place identity in gentrifying communities, as well as community-led approaches to green infrastructure and climate resilience.

In professional practice, her work includes parks, trails, master planning and design. In the public sector, Anderson manages planning initiatives including comprehensive planning, zoning updates, infrastructure impact fee studies, and development review.

Her academic work integrates research, teaching, and community-based design. At the University of Texas at Arlington, Anderson teaches courses in site planning, design studio, construction documents, and urban design. Her research has been supported through fellowships and grants from organizations including the Landscape Architecture Foundation, E Pluribus Unum, and the University of Texas at Arlington. She has presented her work at national conferences such as the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) and contributes to interdisciplinary conversations on climate justice, green infrastructure, and equitable urban development.