McHarg Fellow Presentation: Narratives of the Deluge

 Join the Weitzman School of Design Landscape Architecture Department for a special presentation from McHarg Fellow, Emma Mendel.

“Run for the Hills!” This simple phrase reaches across decades and generations and instructs us on how to behave in the face of an unexpected flood event. Culturally, it is as persistent as any engineering project that also attempts to protect us from risky adjacencies to water. This parallel implies that alongside technical responses to natural disasters, cultural responses are just as durable and equally necessary for us to mitigate an uncertain environment.

This lecture discusses a body of research that looks at cultural infrastructure in the form of deluge narratives, environmental folklore, and local stories about water and how they play a crucial, yet under-examined, role in climate mitigation strategies. By exploring various stories and urban legends that emerge from the Johnstown Flood of 1889—the event from which the phrase “Run for the Hills!” first originated—the lecture emphasizes how such narratives are deeply embedded in the collective consciousness of the region and shape people’s perception of water as infrastructure, resource, recreation, and risk.  They raise an awareness of the environmental challenges posed by the mitigation of water but also foster a sensitivity to a changing climate. In combination with conventional engineering solutions—which render flooding events invisible—deluge narratives offer a reliable and adaptive approach to navigating environmental uncertainties. This lecture culminates in experimental methods that weave together infrastructure with local stories explored by students in the research seminar, The Hydrologists Almanac.  

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu. Please note, we require at least five (5) business days’ notice.