Travis Flohr

Flohr applies his training in landscape architecture and urban and regional planning to examine how we can design, plan, and manage our landscapes to sustain mutually beneficial relationships between people and ecological systems. His work broadly addresses the question: how can communities and households, adapt to and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and the degradation of ecosystems to ensure the continuation of mutually beneficial ecosystem services? Due to the inter- and intra-system complexities of humans, climate, weather, built environment, and ecosystems, Flohr favors a mixed spatial-methods research approach to ensure the inter- and intra-system relationships are placed in their spatial context, human, and natural landscape patterns, and different dimensions of the issue(s) under analysis. His approach has led to constructive collaborations with colleagues and students across Penn State and beyond.

Flohr’s research, teaching, and service are connected and difficult to disentangle. His work covers three thematic areas: 1) Ecology plus Design, 2) spatial design computing, and 3) design education and pedagogy.