James Barnes

TACTICAL GROWTH: BIODIVERSITY, ATTENTION, AND TRANS-SPECIES ARCHITECTURE IN A K-5 VIRGINIA SCHOOLYARD

James is a PhD candidate in the Constructed Environment Program at the University of Virginia where he investigates human engagement with biodiversity in the context of learning environments. His work responds to the trend of adolescence (and broader society) becoming increasingly disconnected from our surrounding, often declining ecosystems. Through a “More than Human” architectural frame that centers plants, he postulates that design-mediated plant ecologies could produce novel landscape possibilities that encourage positive trans-species interactions and support broader sustainability goals. His dissertation interrogates this through plant-based tactical urbanism installations at a 1:1 scale, situated in a K-5 schoolyard. This work draws from methods in horticulture, fabrication and computation, behavioral science, education, and entomology. James’s research is tangible and applied, aiming to shift landscape management paradigms through scalable interventions. Yet it also seeks to theoretically intertwine the practices of science & design through the neutral territory of plants.

Prior to his PhD studies, James held several positions intersecting landscape-scale restoration, including with The Piedmont Environmental Council, The US Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management/Rhode Island Natural History Survey, and the Student Conservation Association. Through this work he secured grants totally over $200,000 for site work. His most recent pre-PhD work has explored the application of extended reality (XR) technologies to healthcare, education, and environmental settings. Barnes has held teaching positions at the University of Vermont, James Madison University, and The University of Virginia. James received a Masters of Natural Resource Planning and Botany from the University of Vermont where he received national fellowships from the Audubon Society and the U.S. Geologic Survey. For his undergraduate degree, he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of arts in psychology with a neuroscience emphasis from North Carolina State University. He is currently a PhD research fellow with the State Arboretum of Virginia and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.