Sharon E. Sutton, Ph.D., FAIA Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture Adjunct Professor of Social Work Director, CEEDS Ph: 296-685-3361 Fax: 206-616-3993 sesut@u.washington.edu Statement of Interest Children have a natural fascination with their surroundings that can serve as the focus for creative activities and an integrated approach to learning. At the same time, their priorities for the design of the urb an environment would undoubtedly result in better places for everyone, especially older and disabled persons. What effect does children's participation in claiming and appropriating space have on their intellectual, social, esthetic, and ethical development? Can environmental design activities increase their sense of ownership and civic responsibility? Can it minimize social conflict by providing a concrete focus for intergroup dialogue? How does children's participation in the placemaking process improve communities? My research and practice suggests that the physical environment can serve as a catalyst for enhancing learning and civic participation, while also resulting in more humane urban environments. Through collaborative work with CEEDS faculty affiliates, I hope to contribute to the theory and practice of children's participation in the placemaking process. Publications of Note Sutton, Sharon E. (1996). Weaving a Tapestry of Resistance: The Places, Power, and Poetry of a Sustainable Society. Westport: Bergin and Garvey Publishers. In Giroux and Freire (Eds.), Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series. Sutton, Sharon E. (1985). Learning through the Built Environment: An Ecological Approach to Child Development. New York: Irvington Press. Sutton, Sharon E. and Kemp, Susan P. (March, 2002). Children as partners in the place-making process: Lessons from intergenerational design charrettes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, pp. 171-189. Sutton, Sharon E. (1992). Enabling children to map out a more equitable society. Children's Environments, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 37-48.