David Hopman, M.L.A.

Associate Professor, School of Architecture,
College of Architecture, Planning and
Public Affairs

Service Learning Course(s):

• Design Studio III - Site Planning (LARC 5663)
• Planting Design (LARC 5331) 

“An intellectual class at a university is so prescribed, and it’s not the way the real world is. There’s always resistance, you have to overcome obstacles, and you have to double back. Students get a little feeling of what the real world is like."

Professor David Hopman is no stranger to service learning and has been actively engaged in it prior to becoming a faculty member at UTA. From building a small farm for homeless teenagers to designing for the Fort Worth Botanical gardens, Professor Hopman and his students have taken on multiple projects ranging from small to large-scale redesigns of various locations in the DFW metroplex. In doing so, he has partnered and established relationships with various community partners over the years to work on multiple projects, including but not limited to; 

• Redesign of 2 acre therapeutic/healing gardens, parking, and courtyards for patients, families, and caregivers of Hospice House in Burleson, Texas: for Community Hospice of Texas (LARC 5663). 
• Redesign of entrance and transition space of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the concert greens: for the Fort Worth Botanic Garden 
• Redesign of 40,000 sf. therapeutic/healing garden for the Dallas Veterans Administration Spinal Cord Injury Hospital (LARC 5663 and LARC 5331). 
• Complete redesign of two block campus of Saint Luke ‘Community’ United Methodist Church in Dallas. (LARC 5663): Texas ASLA Award of Merit.

Professor Hopman advises faculty interested in service learning to create on outline of the plan you had in mind and make sure you go through with it. He believes once things begin, it becomes easy as long as you have the right service learning project in mind.