Kawthar Alrayyan, Ph.D., MLA
Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture
Contact
Richard A. McMahan School of Architecture
Website: https://kawtharrayyan.wixsite.com/kawtharrayyan/landscape
Email: kalrayy@clemson.edu
Education
Ph.D. in Architecture and Design, Landscape Architecture Track, Virginia Tech (2023); Masters in Landscape Architecture, University of Arizona (2013); BSc in Architectural Engineering, University of Jordan (2008)
Courses
Landscape Architecture Design Foundation studio; Graduate Colloquium; Terminal Project; Design Implementation II
Research Interests
Cultural Landscape, Post-industrial Landscape, Parkification
Kawthar Alrayyan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Clemson University. She holds a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech University, a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Jordan. Before pursuing her doctorate in 2020, Kawthar taught at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the German Jordanian University for seven years. Her research interests are centered on cultural landscapes, post-industrial sites, and the human-driven transformation of these landscapes. Kawthar is particularly focused on the impact of such transformations on disturbed landscapes and is committed to exploring innovative strategies for their preservation. Her dissertation investigated the "parkification" process of post-industrial sites, highlighting three transformed sites in Jordan. Kawthar's journey into landscape architecture began while working on landscape-focused projects during her architectural practice. This hands-on experience, combined with her academic background, enabled her to skillfully navigate the cultural, contextual, and environmental landscapes of Jordan. Her passion for the intersection of these fields led her to focus her Master’s research on desert and semi-arid landscapes. During her time as an educator, Kawthar established a strong academic foundation in interpreting, designing, and exploring the cultural landscapes of Jordan. She also collaborated on numerous projects with both Jordanian and German universities, further enriching her expertise in the field.
Selected Professional Works
Journal Articles & Book Chapters (Published)
Alrayyan, K. (2025). Parkification of Post-Industrial Sites: A Catalyst for Greenway Development in Ruseifa, Jordan. In Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning (Vol. 8, No. 1). University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/fabos.2386
Abukhalaf, A. H. I., Okhai, R., Naser, A. Y., & Alrayyan, K. (2025). Studying the Impact of Multiple Behavioral Variables on Hurricane Preparedness Behaviors Among Employees at Institution of Higher Education in Florida. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105752.
Alrayyan, K. (2025). Landscape Transformation of Post-Industrial Sites: Parkification as a Revitalization Approach in Jordan. In Sustainable Landscape Planning and Natural Resources Management, Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation (ASTI) series. Springer Nature.
Ha, J., Alrayyan, K., & Alam, M. L. (2024). Virtual reality technology for learning detailed design in landscape architecture. Discover Education, 3(1), 39
Okour, Y., Alrayyan, K. and Zidan, R. (2024). "A spatial scientometric analysis of urban planning publications from 2010–2020: geographic disparities in urban planning knowledge production", Open House International, Vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 369-391. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-12-2023-0297
Alrayyan, K., Hamarneh, C., & Abu-Jaber, N. (2022), Fortified in Time: An Adaptive Reuse of Wadi Rum Fort. Chapter 42, in: Cultural Heritage: At the Intersection of the Humanities and the Sciences, ed. Hani Hayajneh, Archäologie: Forschung und Wissenschaft Bd. 7, Berlin, pp. 623-636.
Alrayyan, K. & Clements, T. (2022). Genealogy of cultural landscape definitions: a comparative review of scholarly and institutional definitions. Landscape Research Record, (11), 140-155.
Tawil, M., Utku, Y., Alrayyan, K., & Reicher, C. (2019). Revierparks As an Integrated Green Network in Germany: An Option for Amman?. Plos one, 14(12), e0226842.
Alrayyan, K., Hamarneh, C., Sukkar, H., Ghaith, A., & Abu-Jaber, N. (2019). From Abandoned Mines to A Labyrinth of Knowledge: A Conceptual Design for A Geoheritage Park Museum in Jordan. Geoheritage, 11, 257-270.
