The 2022–23 Richard W. Trott Distinguished Visiting Professor Matt Williams was interviewed in Ohio State's Engineering Forward to discuss his experience and the legacy of the professorship.

The Trott Visiting Professorship brings acclaimed architects, landscape architects and planners to Knowlton each year to teach design studios, conduct seminars and advance discourses on architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. The Professorship was first established in 1991 by Richard Trott (BArch ’61) and was expanded in 2022 through a generous gift by Trott’s daughter and Knowlton alumna Kara J. Trott (’91).

In addition to his work in studio, Williams curated the Race, Space, & The Unifying Power of Design symposium and an exhibition in the Banvard Gallery titled What Could We Do Here? Urban Design Strategies for Vacant Land in Detroit.

An urban planner and landscape designer based in Detroit, Michigan, Matt Williams is the senior advisor on neighborhood economic development for the City of Detroit.

“Matt is very plugged into the urban design and urban futures networks in major Midwestern cities. That's an area of growth for Knowlton Landscape and Knowlton as a whole,” said Professor Kristi Cheramie, head of the Landscape Architecture Section. “He’s quickly established his voice as a significant thinker in design and is already playing a leadership role in groups like the Black Landscape Network and Landscape Architecture Foundation.”

Williams led a seminar course each semester last year that focused on vacancy issues in Detroit. Students traveled to the city to meet with community members, including the Mayor’s office and planning commission, and participated in intense two- and three-day workshops on addressing vacancy and urban design revitalization approaches.

Read more at College of Engineering