Rate My Professor C.L. Bohannon

Bohannon's research specializations include community-engaged design and pedagogy, social and environmental justice, and African American landscapes, particularly those in the American South. He explores 'uneven geographies' stemming from asymmetrical power relationships that generate social and environmental inequities, including health disparities, gentrification, forced migration, and displacement in marginalized communities. Employing his 'R3' framework—'Real People, Real Problems, Real Projects'—Bohannon incorporates community mapping and storytelling to cultivate leadership skills for service and citizenship. He advocates for leaderful community engagement as a democratic, inclusive practice driven by collective change. His place-based initiatives in Southwest Virginia Appalachia address food insecurity, community histories and narratives, and urban vacancy. Bohannon was elevated to Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA) in 2023 and served as President of the Virginia Chapter of ASLA in 2019. As a Faculty Fellow with UVA's Center for Teaching Excellence, he supports community engagement and service learning through workshops, a monthly learning community, and instructor consultations, furthering the theorization and application of community engagement in design education.