Making Space for the Public Good

View of park along winding river
A proposed park designed by a team led by PennPraxis as part of a Coastal Resilience Plan for Camden, New Jersey
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View of park along winding river
A proposed park designed by a team led by PennPraxis as part of a Coastal Resilience Plan for Camden, New Jersey

The Weitzman School of Design prepares future artists and designers to improve the quality of life in communities around the world, with an emphasis on confronting climate change and rising inequality.

As we empower the next generation of artists, designers, planners, and preservationists to do good in the world, we actively pursue a more beautiful, just, sustainable, and healthy environment.

Weitzman’s commitment to this work – which is aligned with the University’s In Principle and Practice strategic framework – is organized around four cornerstones.

  1. Design Healthy, Safe, and More Accessible Cities, Neighborhoods, and Public Spaces

  2. Promote Excellence and Interdisciplinary Innovation in the Arts and Built Environment Professions

  3. Advance Climate Solutions, Environmentally Sensitive Design, and Energy Efficiency

  4. Strengthen Communities through Cultural Exchange, Heritage Conservation, and Public Engagement

1. Designing Healthier Cities

Goals

  • Design a more inclusive and accessible public realm in Philadelphia and other communities
  • Conduct research to guide cities and states in increasing housing affordability and quality
  • Design and build community spaces at distressed, disinvested public schools in Philadelphia
  • Promote cities’ nighttime economies, historic districts, and cultural sectors
  • Research and develop plans to increase the resilience, efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability of US transportation systems

Related Projects

2. Promoting Interdisciplinary Innovation

Goals

  • Support innovation by artists and built environment professionals through interdisciplinary academic journals (Landscape Architecture Plus, Change Over Time), podcasts, public lectures, conferences, and workshops
  • Offer hands-on, real-world learning experiences to students (e.g., externships, internships, research assistantships, and the PennPraxis Design Fellows program)
  • Advance design research through state-of-the-art facilities and technology (e.g., Weitzman Hall, Fabrication Lab, Robotics Lab, Polyhedral Structures Lab)

Related Projects

3. Advancing Climate and Energy Solutions

Goals

  • Develop new materials and structures to reduce carbon emissions throughout a building’s life cycle
  • Develop new measures to protect biodiversity in the face of rapid urbanization, including promoting sustainable architecture
  • Produce online content and public programs that increase climate literacy
  • Promote global policies to combat climate change and facilitate a clean energy transition without leaving vulnerable communities behind
  • Develop new tools and plans to increase resilience of coastal communities

Related Projects

4. Encouraging Cultural Exchange

Goals

  • Research and develop plans to protect cultural heritage sites at risk from climate change and disinvestment
  • Organize travel studios in the US and abroad to establish and deepen institutional partnerships
  • Promote the exchange of ideas in art and design by inviting the public to exhibitions and conferences
  • Engage Philly residents and visitors with programs for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (the Semiquincentennial)
  • Expand the reach of the Architectural Archives through loans to museums for public exhibitions and scholarly publications

Related Projects