The purpose of this area is to address design, planning and research with regard to human settlements including discrete traditional communities such as cities, towns, hamlets, and their hinterlands, regional and rural communities connected to agriculture, watersheds and forests, and specialized communities such as institutional and corporate campuses, co-housing and new towns. The studios, seminars and lecture courses provide introductory and advanced exploration into the theories, principles and practices of design, planning, preservation, and revitalization, as well as the search for new paradigms. The courses are supported by a wide range of electives in departments at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University. There are also a significant number of opportunities for public service and research in the communities of New York state and beyond.