
Office location and address
Education
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Biography
Barbara Brown Wilson’s research and teaching focus on the history, theory, ethics, and practice of sustainable community design and development, and on the role of urban social movements in the built world. Dr. Wilson writes for both academic and mainstream audiences, and is the author of Resilience for All: Striving for Equity through Community-Driven Design (Island Press: 2018), and co-author of Questioning Architectural Judgement: The Problem of Codes in the United States (Routledge: 2013). Her research is often change-oriented, meaning she collaborates with community partners to identify opportunities for engaged and integrated sustainable community development that creates knowledge to serve both local and educational communities.
Wilson teaches required classes in the MUEP program, including Methods of Community Engagement and Research and Planning Theory and Practice, as well as interdisciplinary electives such as Sustainable Community Design and Ecological Democracy. In her classes, students grapple with complex socio-environmental problems like climate change and structural inequities, and develop not only technical skills, but also skills of cultural competency and empathy. In Ecological Democracy, students work with a local community group to apply their skills in collaboration with the local knowledge of their traditionally underserved partners to propose co-designed ideas to community-driven projects.
Publications
Sponsored Awards
Courses
Honors
Select Awards/Honors
“ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen by Jeana Ripple and Barbara Brown Wilson in Gary, Indiana,” in Architectural Record, April 1, 2017
SEED Network Award: Honorable Mention for Excellence in Community Engagement, ArtHouse Gary, with Barbara Brown Wilson, ArtHouse Gary, Latent Design, 2017
Recognized in the “40 Under 40” Leaders “Designing for Social Good” in academic realms by Autodesk Foundation’s Impact Design Hub, 2016
First Place, Surface Competition, Bloomberg Philanthropies sponsored Public Art Challenge: ArtHouse Gary International Competition; with Ripple Architecture Studio, 2016
First Place, Illumination Competition, Bloomberg Philanthropies sponsored Public Art Challenge: ArtHouse Gary International Competition; with Ripple Architecture Studio, 2016
Great Places Award for Research on the Green Alley Project, Environmental Design Research Association, 2014
Austin Community Design and Development Center, AIA Austin Community Vision Award, 2013
Tower Outstanding Academic Service-Learning Professor Award, University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Center for Civic Engagement, 2013
Sustainability and Ethics Curriculum Development Award, University of Texas at Austin, 2013
Cale McDowell Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 2012
Recognized as one of the “Public Interest Design 100” Leaders in the Field, Design Observer Blog, December 5, 2012
Local Hero Award, Bank of America, Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, Austin, 2010
Austin Community Design and Development Center, Greenlights Nonprofit Award for Excellence in Collaboration, 2009
Alley Flat Initiative, Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Award for Redevelopment, 2009
Alley Flat Initiative, United States Green Building Council Excellence in Green Building Curriculum, 2008
Award for Outstanding Service to the Underserved, Structures for Inclusion, 2008