Envision Resilience: Imagining a Future Waterfront for Portland, Maine

Envision Resilience: Portland, Maine, is a semester-long multi-university design studio that calls on students to reimagine coastal communities and propose imaginative solutions to the current and future impact of sea level rise.

The studio will participate in the Envision Resilience Challenge developed by Remain, which connects academia, local leadership and community members, while inspiring coastal communities to envision innovative approaches to the impacts of climate change. “The program allows communities to engage in hopeful and meaningful conversations about the future, inspires real action in resilience projects and fosters the next generation of leaders to think interconnectedly and holistically about climate challenges through design and innovation.”

“Like coastal communities around the world, Portland and South Portland are at the forefront of a changing climate. The Gulf of Maine waters are warming, and sea levels are rising at three to four times the global average. Winter storms this year have flooded downtowns, damaged wharves, washed away historic structures and set record high tides. University teams will be tasked with tackling these challenges as they design novel ways of living under future conditions that address the intersecting issues of affordable housing, transportation, urban heat, equity, local industry and ecology.” — Envision Resilience, May 8, 2024

Through in-depth research and analysis, students will have the opportunity to explore coastal adaptation strategies potentially applicable to Portland’s working waterfront. In-depth community engagement, guest expert interaction, along with collaboration with the other academic institutions will facilitate a unique opportunity and encourage creative design interventions that seek to address the key challenges of our time.

The first day of classes, Tuesday, September 3rd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Tuesday, the first meeting of this course will be on Thursday, September 5th. It will meet regularly thereafter.