Timothy Schuler Named Inaugural Director of Kansas State's Institute for Community Design & Research
Timothy Schuler, a seasoned journalist and fifth-generation resident of Kansas, has been named the first director of the Institute for Community Design & Research at Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. The institute, which was founded in 2026 with support from the Patterson Family Foundation, aims to connect design initiatives with Kansas communities, especially in rural regions, tackling issues like affordable housing, healthcare accessibility, and climate-related challenges. Schuler will begin his role this fall, leveraging his journalistic expertise to enhance community-focused design efforts. The institute will expand on prior research, including projects in Nicodemus and the West Bottoms. An early initiative will involve mapping data center developments throughout Kansas to address local concerns regarding hyperscale facilities and AI infrastructure.
Key facts
- Timothy Schuler is the inaugural director of the Institute for Community Design & Research at Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning, and Design.
- The institute was established in 2026 and is funded by the Patterson Family Foundation.
- Schuler is a fifth-generation Kansan and has written for The Architect's Newspaper, Places Journal, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Bloomberg CityLab, and Metropolis.
- The institute focuses on serving rural communities and addressing affordable housing, rural healthcare access, and climate issues.
- One of the institute's first projects is mapping planned data center projects and moratoriums across Kansas.
- K-State's Net Positive Studio, led by Michael Gibson, designs modular zero-net-energy houses for low-income communities; this year it is working in Eureka, Kansas.
- The institute aims to build on K-State's history of community-engaged scholarship, including work with Nicodemus, a settlement established by Exodusters in 1877, and the West Bottoms in Kansas City.
- Schuler starts his new role in the fall semester of 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Timothy Schuler
- Michael Gibson
Institutions
- The Architect's Newspaper
- Places Journal
- Landscape Architecture Magazine
- Bloomberg CityLab
- Metropolis
- Kansas State University
- College of Architecture, Planning, and Design
- Institute for Community Design & Research
- Patterson Family Foundation
- Net Positive Studio
- K-State Extension
Locations
- Kansas
- United States
- Nicodemus
- Kansas City
- West Bottoms
- Eureka