Congratulations to Kellogg Faculty Fellow John Onyango, whose new book Participatory Design Thinking in Architecture and Urban Planning was published last month by Actar Publishing.
The book documents social movements that led to the rise of alternative design methods exploring ways to inclucate a concern for larger social issues into the design process. Onyango critically examines both the methodologies used and their contributions to best practices in place-making. The book suggests universal application that may be incorporated in the use of the urban design laboratory model as a tool for educating future architects and urban designers.
Onyango is an associate professor of architecture who studies humane spaces and architectural designs that foster positive development outcomes and promote community engagement in those designs. His work focuses on sustainability and takes a holistic, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approach to the creative practices at the building and urban design levels. Onyango's areas of expertise include architectural and building technology, the built environment and health, community building, and environmental psychology.
He holds a master of architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in architecture from the University of Glasgow.