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Design

Turning the desert into an oasis
People gather around a large map placed on the floor.

In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.

(Image: Courtesy of Chaowu Li)

Turning the desert into an oasis

Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.
Jessica Varner on the long arc of built environment and its materials
Jessica Varner.

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Jessica Varner on the long arc of built environment and its materials

Varner, an assistant professor of landscape architecture at the Weitzman School, explores the intersections between architectural, environmental, and chemical history.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Lisa Servon wins award for community partnership
Lisa Servon talks with students in her practicum course.

Lisa Servon talks with students in her practicum course. 

(Image: Weitzman School of Design)

Lisa Servon wins award for community partnership

A professor in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Lisa Servon was recognized for her work with the Kensington Corridor Trust. The honor was presented by Provost John L. Jackson Jr. and Netter Center director Ira Harkavy on Dec. 16.

Kristina Linnea García

Protecting Indigenous heritage in an age of climate vulnerability
Wupatki Pueblo in Arizona at dusk.

Wupatki Pueblo, north of Flagstaff, Arizona, is among the villages built by Native peoples in the desert Southwest centuries ago. “We look at those sites as still alive, as offering us the opportunity to connect with our ancestors and to continue the work, and legacy of that work, of communing with that place,” says Chas Robles, ALCC’s executive director.

(Image: Colin Cohan)

Protecting Indigenous heritage in an age of climate vulnerability

A preservation plan being developed by researchers in the Weitzman School in consultation with local stewards conserves a millennium of human settlement.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Preservation studio teaches preservation planning practice
Liz Trumbull and Cameron Moon in the hospital ward of Eastern State Penitentiary, wearing hard hats.

Weitzman Historic Preservation Studio students Liz Trumbull and Cameron Moon in 2022 in the hospital ward of Eastern State Penitentiary.

(Image: Elizabeth Donison)

Preservation studio teaches preservation planning practice

The Weitzman School of Design’s Preservation Studio promotes sound decision-making practices in the face of contemporary preservation challenges.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Penn Vet’s Wildlife Futures Program launches habitat initiative for Philadelphia bats
Nick Tanner and Daniel Flinchbaugh with a finished bat box.

Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services assistant landscape planner Daniel Flinchbaugh (left) and Penn undergraduate Nick Tanner (right) with a nearly finished bat box in the Weitzman School of Design Fabrication Lab.

(Image: John Donges/University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine)

Penn Vet’s Wildlife Futures Program launches habitat initiative for Philadelphia bats

With the bat population on a sharp decline since 2008, the Program collaborated with Penn Sustainability and Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services to develop bat boxes designed to mimic tree habitat and support the daily needs and overall health of bats.

From Penn Vet

Penn solutions to climate change
Banner that reads climate week at Penn

At a Climate Week event, Penn’s Climate Solutions Showcase, a group of faculty and researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Weitzman School of Design presented innovative strategies to combat the causes and effects of climate change.

(Image: Felice Macera)

Penn solutions to climate change

As society grapples with the impacts of a worsening climate—from the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events to rising sea levels and deadly heat waves—the need for actionable solutions has never been greater, Penn researchers say.