Envision Resilience: Imagining a Future Waterfront for Portland, Maine

Envision Resilience: Imagining a Future Waterfront for Portland, Maine is a Studio Report from the fall 2024 semester at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design based on the option studio of the same name taught by Pamela Conrad and Michael Blier.

This studio called on students to reimagine coastal communities and propose imaginative solutions to the current and future impact of sea level rise. The GSD participated 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. Our focus was on Portland’s working waterfront. This historic waterfront community on the Gulf of Maine’s Casco Bay is experiencing rising sea levels at three to four times the global average, causing record high tides and the destruction of historic structures and wharves.

Through a participatory design process, the studio included hands-on engagement with the community and students, fostering social and ecological understanding. Local and international experts shared their knowledge, deeply embedding the studio in the cultural and ecological fabric of the region. The studio embarked on study of natural and cultural processes at various scales, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the landscape’s potential for adaptation. Through dialogue and collaboration, students co-created solutions that honor the waterfront’s heritage while embracing its future potential.

This collaborative approach was rooted in risk responsiveness. Mapping exercises allowed students to assess the climate risks and impacts on both human communities and ecosystems. Analyzing climate multi-hazard risk assessments provided valuable insights that were shared with all stakeholders. Additionally, the studio explored comprehensive compound flooding models that identified scalable adaptation measures tailored to Portland’s diverse working waterfront. Leveraging resources and insights from invited experts, the studio assembled a comprehensive toolkit of adaptation strategies. The goal was to equip the students and community with the knowledge and resources needed to navigate climate risks effectively, ensuring the long-term resilience of Portland’s future waterfront.

While the studio was rooted in transformative planning and design, students were charged with identifying performative interventions ranging from immediate actions with minimal resources to long-term strategic initiatives. The students looked to catalyze change at both the local and regional levels and were encouraged to develop holistic spatial solutions that mitigate risks while maximizing benefits for community health, biodiversity, heat reduction, water conservation, and carbon drawdown. Through innovative tools such as the Climate Positive Design Pathfinder, students quantified the carbon impact of their interventions. By refining visual representation and communication techniques, the studio strives to inspire collective action and envision a resilient future for Portland’s waterfront.

The studio was made possible with the generous support of the Envision Resilience Challenge and Remain.

Series Design by Zak Jensen and Laura Grey
Report design by Shan He

129 pages, 17 x 24.5 cm