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Landscape Architecture

Keyword: Environmental justice

MLA Capstone Studio 2025

“…it is now easier for us to imagine the end of the world than an alternative to capitalism.”

-Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, Speculative Everything, p. 2.

It is somehow easier to imagine the dystopian destruction of the physical world than the restructuring of socio-political and economic systems that determine the physical, structural, aesthetic, and operational outcomes of built environments. This is our starting point: challenge accepted.

Learning from utopian visions from the 20th century, the work of science-fiction writers, notably Octavia Butler, and examples of manifestos by designers put forth over the last decade, students will develop their own design manifestos not for the end of the world, but for the end of capitalism as we transition to a decarbonized future.

Please find the attached studio project description as well as individual project descriptions to learn more about the 2025 MLA Capstone Studio

DESIGN MANIFESTOS FOR THE END OF CAPITALISM

Speculative Visions + Narrative Landscapes for a Changing Climate

Project Descriptions

Image Credit: WAI Architecture Think Tank (Cruz Garcia and Nathalie Frankowski), Cities of the Avant-Garde, 2011/2020.

Planning For Pest Readiness: Building Climate Resilience in Seattle’s Urban Forest with a Community-centric Approach

The urban forest not only plays an important role in providing ecological benefits, but it is also positively associated with public health, especially for communities of color and low-income people who already suffer from environmental injustice. In the fields of landscape architecture and urban forestry, invasive tree pests have rarely received much attention in the planning and design of the urban environment. Yet, they have the potential to weaken and kill massive amounts of trees because they can spread without the control of natural enemies. With the effects of climate change, urban trees will be under greater stress, which makes them even more vulnerable to pests.

This thesis focuses on pest resilience as an integral part of urban forest stewardship through a community-centric approach. Using GIS analyses and case studies, I identify the most ecologically and socially vulnerable communities in Seattle based on their susceptibility to pest infestation and summarize best practices for education and engagement for tree care. I further develop a community engagement framework with an emphasis on environmental justice, while providing resources and recommendations for the City of Seattle and community organizations to approach the pest issue. I also discuss the implications of this research for the urban forest departments in Seattle and for landscape designers.