Title
Director of Downtown Design Studio, Research AssociateEducation
Ph.D. in Design (Sustainability in Architectural Education) - NC State UniversityM.S. in Human-Environment Relations - Cornell University
Bachelor of Architecture - University of Cincinnati
Biography
Dr. Traci Rose Rider is the Director of the Downtown Design Studio and Research Associate at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. Dr. Rider’s research has focused on the relationship between the design culture and the notion of sustainability, exploring factors impacting environmental attitudes of designers including environmental education, learned associations and informal influences. Rider received her professional Bachelors of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati (2000) and her Master’s Degree in Human-Environment Relations with a focus on Environmental Sociology from Cornell University (2006). Her doctorate degree was granted from the College of Design at North Carolina State University focusing on the integration of sustainability within formal design education.Dr. Rider’s research interest involves design culture and the influence of sustainability; human – environment relations, including allowances and affordances; inclusionary and universal design; designed spaces for environmental education; and design for special populations including children and the elderly. Her research also focuses on community design, downtown revitalization, the role of design and its impact on the quality of life and the natural environment, and designed environments for all populations.
Dr. Rider has presented and been published in the proceedings of conferences such as Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) and the National Outreach Scholarship Conference (NOSC). She has also been featured in Dwell magazine, was granted the prestigious individual U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership Award in Education for 2005, and was included in a group labeled as “The Re-Inventors” in Vanity Fair’s Green Issue in May 2006, in the company of established visionaries in sustainability such as William McDonough, Paul Hawken and Sim van der Ryn. She has authored Understanding Green Building Guidelines for Students and Young Professionals (W.W. Norton, 2009), and has co-authored Understanding Green Building Materials (W.W. Norton, April 2011). She frequently presents at both academic and professional conferences on various aspects of green, sustainability, integrated design andcommunity engagement.
Dr. Rider’s professional experience over the past ten years has included work in international design firms, green building non-profits, university extension, and sustainability consulting. She is an active member of the USGBC, the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE) and ARCC.
