Rate My Professor Hans Klein

Hans Klein-Hewett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University of Science and Technology, where he was recently promoted effective 2025-2026. He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University, earned in 2005, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University in 2009. A licensed professional landscape architect (PLA, ASLA), Klein-Hewett previously served as an Assistant Professor in the same department. His academic career emphasizes innovative teaching and research that bridges design practice with scholarly inquiry, particularly in experiential learning programs such as the Savanna Studio, a regional traveling design initiative for first-year students.

Klein-Hewett's research specializations center on rural parks and recreation, landscape tourism, and landscape architecture pedagogy. His work explores rural park classification systems, their role as quality-of-life amenities, equitable park distribution and planning, park equity in rural spaces, the history and design of tourism landscapes, scenic tourism, and experiential learning methods including construction detailing through flipped-classroom approaches. Current projects include a multi-county study classifying rural parks by resources and amenities, utilizing classifications for equitable rural park planning, updating J.B. Jackson's 'An Almost Perfect Town' in 'An Almost Perfect Memory,' and digital documentation for landscape architects. He received a 2023 research grant from Iowa State University's Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities to investigate rural parks' perceptions and impacts. Key publications include 'The Savanna Studio Travel Experience: From My Backyard to Broader Benefits,' co-authored with Ann M. Gansemer-Topf (Landscape Journal, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 37-52, 2021), which evaluates the program's benefits for communication skills, cultural awareness, and professional understanding; 'Design as an Indicator of Tourist Destination Change: The Concept Renewal Cycle at Watkins Glen State Park' (Land, vol. 10, no. 4, 367, 2021), proposing a model for tracking landscape concept evolution; 'Classifying Rural Parks: A Case Study in Iowa' (Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 2024); and 'Can Rural Parks Adopt Urban Funding Strategies?' (2023). Klein-Hewett contributes to signature research areas such as design education and pedagogy, design for health and wellness, community engagement and social issues, history, culture and heritage, and sustainability, environment, and planning.