Noah Billig is an associate professor of landscape architecture in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, where he’s taught since 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Verna C. Garvan Distinguished Visitor in Landscape Architecture. He joined the school’s faculty in 2013. He has taught design studios and courses in public participation, urban design, environmental design and planning, the American landscape, and study abroad in Italy and Turkey. He serves as the Honors Program director for the Fay Jones School and as chair of the Urban and Regional Planning Minor. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Billig’s research concentrates on adaptive design and planning. This includes participatory design and planning, ecological justice, informal settlements and perceptions of environments. His research on Istanbul’s informal settlements includes analyses of how these settlements contribute to a modern typology in generative urban design theory, as well as explorations of how the processes and patterns found in these settlements can provide lessons for designers and planners. Billig’s work also includes investigating residents’ perceptions of environmental amenities and trade-offs associated with various spatial densities and patterns.
Billig has taught, researched and practiced in Minneapolis; Istanbul, Turkey; and Vienna, Austria. This included working as an urban design instructor at Istanbul Technical University and as a landscape designer for Arzu Nuhoglu Peyzaj Tasarim in Istanbul.
How did you become interested in landscape architecture?
I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, and additional training in education, and was teaching in Minneapolis public schools. In my mid-20s, I decided that I wanted to go back to school to study urban planning.
I became interested specifically in landscape architecture from my neighbor and friend who was an architect in Minneapolis. I was interested in how people create public spaces. I learned the possibilities of the landscape architecture field and decided to pursue dual master’s degrees in landscape architecture and urban planning.
How has your time abroad influenced your approach to teaching, especially landscape architecture?
My experience living abroad changed my perspective on how other people value landscapes and experiences.
Living in Istanbul, I experienced this burgeoning megacity. It’s interesting partly because it’s an ancient city that has all these layers of history. But living there also made me think about the realities of urbanism in the 21st century, and how a lot of landscape architects work primarily in the formal and more developed world. However, a quarter of the earth’s population was living or is going to be living in informal settlements. So, studying Istanbul’s informal settlements gave me a window into this larger trend.
I also lived in Vienna. It was kind of a counterexample where, from the landscape architecture perspective, everything was very well organized. There is also fairly high density relative to United States cities. It gave me experience living, especially just day-to-day living, in a very livable environment.
Those two counterexamples are quite influential in terms of what I bring to the students about the realities of the 21st century.
What is a difficult aspect of your job?
I was going to say something to do with time management, but I think it’s more about energy management. Part of my biggest difficulties is being both organized and energized throughout the day, the week, and the semester. I try to bring a high level of energy to the classroom when I am engaging directly with students.
Between a large lecture class, which is usually 120 to 150 students, seminars and studios, there’s a pretty wide range in terms of size, and the students’ energy levels and engagement.
What are your talents or hobbies outside of teaching?
I’ve been a runner since junior high. I still do that regularly. But it varies from month to month and year to year how dedicated I am.
I also like to garden. From the time I was a teenager, I have liked to maintain some kind of garden life, even if it’s small. I also try to have some plants that are didactic for my kids, like planting some foods to get them excited about growing vegetables and something to attract different pollinators.
Is there something you wish students knew about your approach to teaching?
One of my philosophies on teaching is giving students autonomy. I force students to make decisions about what direction they want to go on projects. I think they might get decision fatigue early on, but I think it’s important to help them be autonomous as designers.
When students make decisions, they care more about the process and the final work. I think most students understand this approach, especially if they’ve taken a studio with me. Sometimes giving autonomy is not the easiest option, and I question whether I have caused too much decision fatigue.
Why are you passionate about interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary experiences for students?
I think it’s important for the future of the built and natural environments, and it’s more akin to realities as professionals. I think the conversations that students have with students outside their discipline are just as valuable as the content they’re learning in class. That’s who they might be designing for; understanding that perspective is helpful to the non-designer mind and vice versa.
What’s the next step in your career?
I have accepted a new position teaching high school at Cairo American College in Egypt next year. I am excited to make the move with my family, but of course I am sad to leave our school and the community we have in Fayetteville.