Community Lands brings together the nine researchers in the CCA-Mellon Multidisciplinary Research Program “In the Hurricane, On the Land.” Reflecting on their collaborative workshops in Tokyo, Mishima, and Kamanuma, the group of CCA-Mellon researchers will speak about what it means to work with and in impacted communities when land is in the foreground of design strategies and concerns. They will present brief propositions that address themes of navigating, coexisting with, and experiencing land in design histories and practices. These propositions will provide insight into the scope, concerns, sites, and communities their collective project will engage with over the coming months.

Funded by the Mellon Foundation and organized by the CCA, “In the Hurricane, On the Land” aims to explore how land-dependent design can address the tangible effects of the climate crisis, indigenous land revitalization, and related concerns, including methods of documenting and engaging with land-driven sites, histories, and communities. Through their research, these scholars examine and redefine the societal and professional boundaries of architecture and landscape architecture, building a collective strategy for navigating the aftermath of natural and human-made disasters.

This event is free and open to the public

Researchers:

Sam Carter-Shamai is Chair of the Neighborhood Land Trust and the 2024–2025 Early Career Canadian Urban Leader at the University of Toronto School of Cities.

Jingru (Cyan) Cheng and Chen Zhan are based in the United Kingdom and China and work at the intersection of architecture, anthropology, and filmmaking.

Tania Gutiérrez-Monroy is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Martyna Miller is an interdisciplinary artist, anthropologist, and co-founder of the DOMIE project in Poznań.

Neady Oduor is a Kenyan architect, designer, feminist, researcher, and an organizer with the Women’s Collective Kenya.

Erin Putalik is an Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture and Architecture at University of Virginia School of Architecture.

Tiffany Shaw is a Métis architect (Reimagine Architects), artist, curator, and Principal of Reimagine Gathering in Edmonton.

Masamichi Tamura is a doctoral candidate in Architecture at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.