In Fall Semester 2021, the Advanced Landscape Architectural Design I and Land Development Principles and Practices courses at WVU partnered with the non-profit organization Riverlife and the River Avenue Partnership of Pittsburgh to prepare master plans and site designs for the River Avenue District on the North Shore of the Allegheny River.

The courses were also key partner of the Brownfields Assistance Center (BAC) at WVU. In 2021, the BAC was selected by the EPA to be the Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) provider for EPA Region 3. WVU TAB technical assistance goals include, among others, project development and site design assistance. The two courses were instrumental in accomplishing this goal in a way that provided critical tools for community redevelopment in the form of data, master plans and site plans while providing students with an understanding of brownfields and redevelopment processes.