New Book ‘Design with Nature Now’ Amplifies Ian McHarg’s Seminal Manifesto on Ecological Planning and Land Use  

With climate change posing imminent risks that range from rising seas to more extreme weather events, cities must work with ecology rather than against it to develop sustainably, according to the new book Design with Nature Now, forthcoming in October from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

Released on the fiftieth anniversary of pioneering landscape architect Ian McHarg’s influential manifesto Design with Nature, the new volume features more than 160 color images that illustrate 25 cutting-edge projects that address biodiversity loss, sea-level rise, water and air pollution, and urbanization. These instructive interventions include a park taking shape on the site of a New York City landfill that once accepted 29,000 tons of refuse a day; a wetland in China constructed to filter pollution from a planned city of 50,000 people; a proposal for built landforms in coastal Norfolk, Virginia, that would absorb stormwater and tides; and an ambitious concept for a wind turbine farm in the North Sea. Featuring essays and analysis from leaders in the field of ecological planning, design, and landscape architecture, Design with Nature Now pays tribute to McHarg’s philosophy and impact while demonstrating the continued relevance of his work for a swiftly changing era.

“Design with Nature Now reminds us of the urgency that led Ian McHarg to write his seminal work—and the unavoidable fact that, in many ways, that urgency has only increased,” said George W. “Mac” McCarthy, president of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. “With urbanization occurring rapidly and climate change demanding that we rethink nearly everything about where and how we live, McHarg’s ideas are more apt than ever.”

Highlights of the book—which documents three exhibitions on view at the University of Pennsylvania through September 15—include:

• Fresh insights from leading practitioners behind renowned contemporary public works. These former students or colleagues of McHarg include James Corner, project lead for New York City’s celebrated High Line Park; Anne Whiston Spirn, who has spearheaded an effort to restore nature and rebuild community in West Philadelphia; and Laurie Olin, whose projects include the master plan for the Los Angeles River and the design of Manhattan’s Bryant Park.

• A behind-the-scenes look at the roots of GIS technology. While teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, whose landscape architecture program he founded, McHarg developed—and trained generations of students in—a system of “landscape suitability analysis” that relied on layered maps and photographs to guide sustainable development. His work is broadly credited with pioneering the concept behind GIS (Geographic Information System) technology, now a widely used planning and development tool.

• Compelling evidence that thoughtful design principles can help combat climate change. McHarg drew new connections between ecology and cities in the 1960s and is widely credited with launching the multidisciplinary field of ecological planning. Today, The Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology at the University of Pennsylvania brings environmental and social scientists together with planners, designers, policy makers, and communities to develop practical, innovative ways of improving the quality of life in the places most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These approaches—detailed in the book—range from reclaiming industrial areas for parkland to improving the resilience of urban coastlines.

The editors of Design with Nature Now, who are McHarg’s successors at the University of Pennsylvania, affirmed the importance of his principles in the climate change effort. “We are plunging, headlong, into an epoch of global environmental change at an unprecedented scale and pace,” write Frederick Steiner, Richard Weller, Karen M’Closkey, and Billy Fleming in the introduction to the book. “How we learn to live with that change is the central challenge for the next half-century of design. In the work we have collected here there are real clues as to how, through design, we can better tune our cities and their infrastructure to the forces and flows of the Earth system.” 

Praise for Design with Nature Now

"Like Ian McHarg’s classic Design with Nature, this beautiful and fulsome reprise of his earlier work inspires us with its sheer virtuosity. Yes, it looks back at the pioneering work of McHarg but, much more, it elucidates contemporary challenges with boldness and precision. Human destruction and climate change are front and center, but so is dynamic planning and deep understanding of the places we inhabit and the ecological threats they face. A true manual for spaceship Earth!"
—Jerry Brown, Former four-term Governor, California

"Ian McHarg would be heartened to see the range and quality of thinking he’s inspired. Each of these essays will leave you with an enlarged sense of possibility, which is a great gift in a constrained world."
—Bill McKibben, Author, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

"One of the most overlooked aspects of dealing with our environment, climate change, sustainable water supply, and clean air is land use planning.  Where and how we build have an enormous impact on our health and the world around us. We must help nature do what she does best."
—Christine Todd Whitman, Former United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and New Jersey Governor; Founder and President, The Whitman Strategy Group

"This exceptional book presents the enduring wisdom of Ian McHarg to a new generation. His insights, freshly interpreted in the pages of landscape designs and drawings, give me hope for the future of our planet."
—Bruce Babbitt, Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Arizona Governor

About the Editors

Frederick Steiner is dean and Paley Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, where Richard Weller and Karen M’Closkey are professors of landscape architecture. Billy Fleming serves as the Wilks Family Director at the school’s Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology, where Steiner and Weller are also co-executive directors.

To learn more, visit: https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/books/design-nature-now

About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide.

Media Contact: Will Jason, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 617.503.2254.