Theodore Eisenman

PhD in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania
MLA, Cornell University
MPS in Natural Resource Management, Cornell University
BS in Journalism, University of Maryland

Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Theodore Eisenman, PhD, is an associate professor of landscape architecture and regional planning and the Director of the Master of Regional Planning Program at UMass Amherst. He also serves as the Honors Program Director for the Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning (LARP).

Professor Eisenman's principal scholarly interest concerns the historical, scientific, cultural, and design bases of urban greening, which he defines as a social practice of organized or semi-organized efforts to introduce, conserve, or maintain outdoor vegetation in urban areas. This research encompasses urban tree planting initiatives (TPIs), urban ecosystem services and disservices, human health and wellbeing links with urban flora, design and planning norms, equity, and governance. It also includes emerging areas of interest: 1.) urban greening in a globalizing world, encompassing international comparative analysis of landscape design and governance norms; and 2.) travelscapes, the spaces people move through on a daily basis that are a prominent way people experience landscapes.

Professor Eisenman believes that design is a powerful tool for enhancing human and ecological potentials, and this informs his approach to landscape architecture and urban planning education and scholarship. Prior to starting at UMass, he was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the Humanities Institute at The New York Botanical Garden, and his work is animated by the environmental humanities and themes related to the Anthropocene.

Professor Eisenman has been a regular contributor to Landscape Architecture Magazine on ecological design topics, and his career spans research and practice with a range of federal, municipal, and nonprofit organizations. Raised in Sweden and the U.S. and having traveled extensively including work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, he is broadly interested in international and cross-cultural perspectives on landscape planning and design.

Office Hours

• SUSTCOMM 314: Writing in Community Development & Landscape Architecture
• HONORS 391AH: The Anthropocene – An Introduction and Contemplative Inquiry
• LANDARCH 494LI: Landscape Planning & the Cultural Landscape
• LANDARCH 502: Introduction to Landscape Design II
• SUSTCOMM 533: Urban Greening Theory & Practice
• LANDARCH/REGIONPL 635: Research Issues

• Eisenman, T.S. & Laskey, A.B. (2025). Reflecting on urban greening at an historic inflection point with Theodore Eisenman. Nature Cities.
• Eisenman, T.S., Roman, L.A., Östberg, J., Campbell, L.K., & Svendsen, E. (2024). Beyond the golden shovel: Recommendations for a successful urban tree planting initiative. Journal of the American Planning Association.
• Eisenman, T.S., Flanders, T., Harper, R.W., Hauer, R.J., & Lieberknecht, K. (2021). Traits of a bloom: A nationwide survey of U.S. urban tree planting initiatives (TPIs). Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.

• Schuler, T. (2025, February). What City Trees Need Now. Landscape Architecture Magazine.
• Kupec, A. (2024, August 30). UMass Amherst Researchers Map Chicopee's Urban Forest. Inside UMass.
• (2019). Pioneering an Innovative Approach to Urban Greening. SBS UMass YouTube.