Brooklyn, Buffalo, Bangladesh (The Great Climate Migration)

Climate migration is a critical topic of study. Relationships between migration and the climate crisis are manifold and complex. In this studio, students explore these intersections on a global scale, using three anchoring points: Brooklyn, Buffalo and Bangladesh.

In Brooklyn, irreversible climate change will result in areas becoming uninhabitable, likely leading to ‘retreat’ from the coast. Migration away from the coast will, in turn, impact other areas, causing housing stress and displacement but also generating transformational opportunities for both the coastal areas and upland.

Buffalo, NY, at the other side of the Erie Canal, often seen as a possible ‘climate haven’ because of its ample water resources and temperate climate, has been working hard to attract new people to a city that has shrunk to half its original size, a decline that has exacerbated many other urban stresses. One community that is thriving in Buffalo is the Bangladeshi community that has migrated there mostly from New York City because of the high costs of living.

Bangladesh, in the low-lying delta of three major rivers, is one of the countries most impacted by the climate emergency, with many people on the move, both internally and internationally. As a country that has been living with water for centuries, and that is at frontlines of the climate emergency, it is also at the forefront of understanding its impacts, the power of local adaptation, and in the development of innovative solutions, all of which would greatly benefit the Global North.