Faculty Profile
Daniel Kletzing has taught courses in urban design and landscape architecture for seven years. His research focuses on California historical and contemporary issues in environmental justice. His research is utilized by California State Parks toward increased Indigenous cultural histories in state museums.
Students in his courses have worked with planning, engineering, and design staff of the cities of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Arroyo Grande. Additionally, environmental systems studios have worked with with the nonprofit Friends of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.
Community-based design courses collaborated with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Santa Ynez Fire Station, Mission Union Elementary School (Soledad), and the Cal Poly Preschool Learning Lab.
As a licensed landscape architect and LEED AP, he has design and project management experience for multiacre linear park, streetscape, commercial, and residential sites. He has worked as a plan reviewer for city planning departments, reviewing building code permitting and NEPA compliance. He has also worked in community development planning for people experiencing homelessness, using GIS for this service.
Publications
Kletzing, D. (2025). Indigenous history representation in the 21 California mission museums. Landscape Research, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2025.2565383
Kletzing, D. (2025). From silence to accountability: Indigenous history representation in the 21 California mission museums. In CELA 2025 Annual Conference Proceedings: Processes and Impacts.
Kletzing, D. (2024). Humility, honor, remembrance, and reverence: Collaboration principles between Indigenous environmental nonprofits and environmental design colleges. Landscape Journal, 43(2), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.43.2.35
Kletzing, D. (2022). Traditional southwest Native American soil conservation and planting practices as desertification mitigators for the Navajo Nation. In CELA 2022 Annual Conference Proceedings: Evolving Norms – Adapting Scholarship to Disruptive Phenomena.
Kletzing, D. (2022). Healing Diné, restoring Diné Bikéyah: Desertification mitigation and Indigenous cultural renewal through traditional agriculture practices on the Navajo Nation. [Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign IDEALS].