Communities that need help with design, planning and development projects have a new resource: Community Design and Planning Services, an outreach program being launched this fall by the landscape architecture program at the University of California, Davis. The new, multidisciplinary program has benefits for communities and students alike. Cities, public agencies and nonprofit corporations will have access to services that are not typically provided by professionals. And UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students will participate in internships that give them the opportunity for professional training. Students and faculty members from several academic departments will be involved in providing expertise to clients in the areas of landscape architecture, interior design, planning and community development. The outreach program supports the University of California's education, research and service missions. Community Design and Planning Services offers "a unique opportunity for students to work closely with community members. This experience will educate the students to the benefits of community involvement in design decision-making and instill in the students a sense of community responsibility," said Patsy Eubanks Owens, faculty director of the new program and assistant professor of landscape architecture. Owens anticipates that as many as six students will participate in each project and that the program will have five ongoing projects at a time. Owens started a similar outreach program when she taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, using a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Federal funds were unavailable for the UC Davis program, so the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences provided a $30,000 start-up loan, Owens said. Randall Fleming, former principal architect for UC Davis, will be the new program's managing director. CDPS will "help the university increase its public service capacity. We see this as an exciting opportunity to form strong and rewarding university and community partnerships," said Fleming. He worked with Owens in establishing the CDPS. Such services are very much needed in the region that UC Davis serves. "We get numerous requests from a variety of cities needing community design work. The center allows us to meet the needs and to engage our students in internships," said Mark Francis, chair of the landscape architecture program in the UC Davis environmental design department. CDPS will provide help in four areas: • small town development, which will help rural and small communities manage land use, growth, needs of culturally diverse populations and urban/agriculture issues. • urban horticulture, which offers assistance in planning and implementing community gardens, street landscaping, parks and open space. • community revitalization, which helps communities that want to improve existing neighborhoods by addressing the economic, social and physical aspects of residential and commercial development. • pre-design services, which will enable clients to study and evaluate options before commissioning professional design services. Pre-design teams will be available for short-term workshops and detailed studies. Already CDPS has two projects under way with the city of Davis. One project is to help the city and Caltrans to develop studies for an Interstate 80/Highway 113 corridor plan that would make landscape improvements using native Central Valley plants. The other project is to provide computer-generated visual simulations of the proposed Richards Boulevard underpass entrance into the city. Communities and others interested in contacting Community Design and Planning Services should call (916) 752-3907.