The Green New Deal Superstudio was a concerted effort to have designers give form to policy ideas by translating the core goals of decarbonization, justice, and jobs into place-specific design and planning projects. This year-long open call ran from August 2020 through June 2021 and attracted the participation of more than 180 studio courses from over 90 universities in 39 states and 10 countries, as well as hundreds of practitioners from across the design disciplines.

A total of 670 projects were submitted, ranging from adaptive reuse of degraded sites to regional-scale frameworks to visualizations of speculative futures. This work can support policymakers and advocates to advance Green New Deal ideas and approaches. The projects will also inform a national conversation on policy and design at a Landscape Architecture Foundation summit in April 2022.

The organizing partners invite you to explore the Superstudio submissions and join the discourse about how designers can meaningfully engage in a response to the climate crisis at local, regional, and national levels.

Explore the projects

All of the 670 submissions can be viewed in the Green New Deal Superstudio archive in the JSTOR digital library.

A curated set of 55 projects can be viewed on the Superstudio website. Through an extensive review process, these projects were selected to illustrate the wide variety of issues, innovation, scales, and geographic regions represented in the submissions and to catalyze conversation.

Join us October 28 to explore themes and takeaways

The Superstudio Showcase will take place October 28, 12-1:15pm EDT with an informal "continue the conversation" session until 2pm EDT. In this virtual event, four of those tasked with reviewing and curating the submissions will critically reflect on the body of work, highlight key themes, and show representative examples.

How did the submissions address issues facing their regions? What were the key strategies and ideas? What does this work say about the ability and readiness of the built environment design disciplines to make large-scale change? Presenters include:

• Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, Landscape Architecture Foundation
• Kate Orff, FASLA, SCAPE, Columbia University
• Kofi Boone, FASLA, North Carolina State University
• Kristina Hill, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
• Michael Johnson, SmithGroup
• Roberto Rovira, Florida International University

Registration is required for this free online event. 

Continue the conversation in Nashville

The 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture will feature several Superstudio-focused activities. The Education and Practice PPN will host a Campfire Session on Saturday, November 20, 1-1:45pm CDT in the EXPO with Superstudio participants sharing their work and experiences.

In an Education Session on Saturday, November 20, 4-5pm CDT, the organizing partners will hold a panel discussion on the Green New Deal Superstudio and explore the complex intersection between policy and design. Immediately after at booth #1817 in the EXPO, the Landscape Architecture Foundation will host a happy hour for Superstudio participants and others who want to continue the dialogue.

About the Superstudio

Running from August 2020 through June 2021, the Green New Deal Superstudio was an open call to translate the goals of decarbonization, justice, and jobs into local and regional design and planning projects. The organizing partners are:
 
Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)
Weitzman School of Design McHarg Center
Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA)