The McHarg Center | Weitzman School of Design Alumni

Research & Practice Prioritize the Future of Life on Earth

Housed in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, The McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology was launched in 2019 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication of Ian L. McHarg’s transformative book Design with Nature. With this launch, the Center hosted a major international conference and a new publication, Design with Nature Now, as well as three concurrent exhibitions exploring McHarg's legacy. The McHarg Center funds and broadcasts original scholarly research; convenes students, faculty, and practitioners; and awards the annual McHarg Fellowship for an emergent scholar.

LARP Centennial Celebration

In 2024, the McHarg Center marked the incredible legacy of one hundred years since the 1924 founding of Penn’s Department of Landscape Architecture. The department continues to lead through its innovative ecological approach to the design of landscapes, public works, public spaces, and infrastructures, honoring the everyday and entangled relationships between humans, plants, animals, and the mineral world. For the centennial celebration, the McHarg Center hosted a symposium and exhibition highlighting the contributions of many esteemed former department chairs. In many ways, the McHarg Center is the intellectual foundation of the Department of Landscape Architecture, supporting faculty, students, and research priorities that impact the curriculum and the discipline.

The McHarg Fellowship

Tami Bahn, 2025-2026

This annual teaching and research fellowship, now in its fourth year, is awarded to an emerging voice in landscape architecture. The fellowship provides a unique opportunity to bring talented young luminaries to campus for one year, supporting and mentoring their research and teaching.

Architectures and Ecologies of Amazonia

Among numerous major convenings, the Center recently co-hosted the international symposium Architectures and Ecologies of Amazonia in February 2025. Participants addressed the existential threat of crossing the environmental tipping point in the Amazon rainforest. Global scholars participated in keynotes, symposium presentations, and student-moderated panel discussions, exploring what the study of the Amazon can reveal about climate action, coexistence, and the built environment.

Funding Priorities

The McHarg Fellowship

This fellowship creates a unique opportunity for a superb emerging practitioner or academic in landscape architecture. Each annual fellowship awardee receives faculty support and mentorship for their research and teaching at the Weitzman School, enriching the entire school community and furthering the McHarg Center’s mission.

Faculty Research

Transdisciplinary faculty research, that advances the discipline across multiple scales of the landscape, is the cornerstone of the McHarg Center. Donor investments lead to innovative design and planning research that will address current and future challenges in the field.

Student Support

Students actively seek research opportunities with faculty at the McHarg Center. They collaborate with global scholars, communities, and practitioners in an atmosphere that values original thinking on topics ranging from global biodiversity to post-carbon futures to environmental modeling and sensing. Donor support opens the door for exceptional students to engage in research, encouraging future leaders.

Lectures and Symposia

Through numerous public events, including the annual Anne Whiston Spirn Lecture, the McHarg Center convenes and connects the Weitzman community with scholars and practitioners who are expanding boundaries across multiple disciplines. Symposia bring a wide range of international innovators to campus.

We are recognized internationally for our innovative ecological approach to the design of urban landscapes, public works, and public spaces. We use teaching, collective conversations, and decisive action to develop novel approaches to address the ongoing climate crisis and improve the lives of the most vulnerable communities.

Catherine Seavitt Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture Faculty Co-Director, The McHarg Center Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism