Designing for Climate Justice

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns us that to avoid catastrophe, human societies have a little more than a decade to wholly transform the way we use energy and land, making changes on a scale for which “there is no documented historic precedent.” Grassroots movements and their allies in Congress are staking out an ambitious agenda that rises to the scale and urgency of the climate crisis. These new leaders are articulating their vision as a Green New Deal—a still-abstract set of proposals for decarbonizing the economy, eliminating poverty, creating green, working-class jobs, and retrofitting communities for the coming effects of climate change.

Whatever form the Green New Deal eventually takes, it will be realized and understood through buildings, landscapes, and other public works. Landscape architects have knowledge and skills — from ecological management to systems analysis to mapping and visualization — that are essential to that project. This presentation will explore how the discipline of landscape architecture and the graduate program at the Knowlton School are engaging with the climate movement and how students can get involved.

Lunch (including vegan and gluten free options) will be provided.

Register on Handshake by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 4.