Clients FAQ

• Small-scale design projects – sites include private residences and small public spaces (e.g., library, schoolyard).
• Large-scale design projects* – typically larger areas that are open to the public, with multiple design and stakeholder considerations.
• Community & ecological planning projects* – broad geospatial analyses across an area such as a watershed, municipality, or region.

* Large-scale design projects and community & ecological planning projects are often referred to as “community projects” and incorporate stakeholder engagement.

The Conway School works with a variety of community clients, including municipalities, land conservation organizations, regional planning agencies, watershed associations, friends groups, housing associations, community land trusts, tribes, educational institutions, and more.

Small-scale design projects are open to community groups (noted above) as well as private residences.

Learn more about clients here.

Small-scale design projects are open to clients within a 30-mile radius of the Conway School’s campus in Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Community projects, which include large-scale design and planning-scale projects, are open to clients across the northeastern United States. 

• Small-scale design projects begin in early September and end in December.
• Community & ecological planning projects – municipal or regional in scale–occur from early January through late March (12 weeks). Development of project scope occurs with the School’s Projects Manager several months earlier.
• Large-scale design projects occur from early April through late June (12 weeks). Development of project scope occurs with the School’s Projects Manager several months earlier.

Learn more about projects here.

• Small-scale design projects have one student assigned to each project. 

• Two to three students work on each community project (including large-scale design and community & ecological planning).

Small-scale design projects are offered on a sliding scale: $750, $1,200, and $1,500. All funds received above the base fee of $750 are used to fund projects in underserved communities. We may also offer a few reduced rate small-scale design projects where there is a special need and their project would be especially instructive in meeting the Conway School’s program goals.

Winter planning projects and large-scale design projects are comprehensive and community-driven, costing the school significantly more. Projects are offered on a sliding scale; please contact Emily Johnson, Projects Manager, at projects@csld.edu.

A few weeks after the project is completed, all clients receive a comprehensive final report as outlined in the project contract, including analysis of existing conditions, maps, graphics, and recommendations. Clients receive a printed and digital copy.

Planning and large-scale design projects both include stakeholder engagement, which may include a survey, public feedback sessions, and/or small group meetings. Planning projects may also include GIS data.

Large-scale design projects may also include conceptual site plans, perspective drawings, cross sections, a plant set, plant pallettes, and preliminary cost estimates.

• For community projects, prior to the project start, develop a project scope with the Projects Manager.
• For community projects, assemble a “core team” of 3-5 individuals to guide the project.
• Meet biweekly, sometimes weekly, to review progress and provide recommendations.
• Attend a juried presentation in the middle of the term.
• Review the final report in a 3-day window at the end of the term.

In consultation with the client’s core team, the students will determine stakeholder groups and engagement methods to employ during the project. Many projects include an initial meeting – often public – to discuss the project scope and gather information. A second stakeholder meeting may include the students’ presentation of alternatives to inform the final design. Projects may also include public surveys, small group interviews, and workshops.

Design projects typically involve multiple site visits, particularly small-scale design projects that allow students to practice newly-gained skills in the fall. Community and ecological planning projects may include site visits as discussed during the scoping process. 

In addition to site visits, stakeholder engagement sessions typically occur in-person.

Regular meetings between the students and the client’s core team typically occur virtually via Zoom. 

While often including significant detail, any drawings of structures and landscape elements are conceptual only and should be finalized with an engineer prior to implementation. 

No, the short timeline of the program does not allow students to prepare permit documents or complete project installation. We maintain a directory of Conway alum businesses, some of which offer additional landscape design, installation, and/or maintenance services.

Interested clients, regardless of project type, should submit an inquiry using this form.

Inquiries are received on a rolling basis. Small-scale design project inquiries received after July 31 will be considered for the subsequent year (e.g., if received August 1, 2027, it will be considered for the fall 2028 term). 

Questions can be directed to Emily Johnson, Projects Manager, at projects@csld.edu. 

You should expect an automated email confirming that your inquiry form was successfully submitted. 

Clients interested in community projects should hear back from our Projects Manager by email within two weeks.

Small-scale design inquiries received before July 31 are reviewed beginning in early August for the fall term beginning that same year. If your project appears to be a good match for our curriculum, a faculty member will contact you directly in early August to speak further and schedule a site visit. Applications received after July 31 will be considered for the following year. Projects that are selected begin with a client interview in early September.

Several months prior to the start of the term, the Conway School’s Projects Manager will meet with prospective clients and subsequently develop a scope of work, which is then reviewed by faculty. Clients are given numerous opportunities to provide feedback prior to signing a contract with the School.

With community clients, projects are developed across a variety of timelines. The Conway School often develops project scopes in partnership with clients applying for grants, which may not be awarded until the subsequent fiscal year. While some clients wait a year or two before committing to a project, many clients approach us about 3-6 months prior to the start of the term to begin developing a scope.

Ideally, the Conway School has finalized scopes within 2-3 months of the start of the term, leading to a contract within 1-2 months from term start.

Projects developed earlier in the process and with prompt client feedback may be given priority. 

Faculty choose projects predominantly based on the educational opportunities they promote, the relevance to current issues faced in the field, the anticipated community benefit, and the amount of geographic, community, and curricular variety they provide compared to other projects that have been selected that term. 

While the cost of recovery is not a primary consideration when selecting projects, the amount that a client is able to pay is one of several factors that the School takes into account.