This seminar explores contemporary landscape architecture in Northeast and Southeast Asia to envision the future of sustainable design in the face of climate change. Students will meet world-leading practitioners and scholars every week.

The seminar begins with the concept of “mountain and water”–shanshui in China, sansui in Japan, sansu in Korea–a Sinographic compound rich in artistic and philosophical meaning across Asia, reflecting traditions that combine vital elements of dynamic landscapes. In the context of climate change, we ask: what contemporary elements are needed to design sustainable places for human habitation and flourishing?

The field developed differently across regions, shaped by local traditions and specific socio-political and economic changes. Initially, landscape architecture in Asia arose as states began large-scale projects to shape nature for specific social purposes, tied closely to political boundaries and modernist ideals.

The seminar moves beyond a nation-state framework by focusing on bioregions–areas defined by geography, ecology, and cultural patterns–reflecting how landscape challenges cross political borders. As climate change demands broader solutions, a transnational, bioregional perspective is needed to address issues spanning over 50 sovereign states in Asia.

By mid-semester, each student will select a landscape architect and a bioregion where the designer has completed a project. Students will analyze the designer’s responses to their chosen bioregion through readings, interviews, project documentation, and lectures. The semester’s final work will be a 1,500-word paper and a deep, comprehensive section drawing, representing the results of their semester- long research.

The seminar welcomes students from all degree programs. Please refer to the course syllabus for more detailed content of the course.