Date: Ongoing

Full Name: Atlas of Urban Landscapes: Cities Beyond Boundaries

The Atlas of Urban Landscapes is an ecological framework that places Philadelphia and cities like it within a broader network of urban areas shaped by environmental systems rather than political boundaries. By mapping watersheds, climate zones, and terrain, it reveals how natural forces connect regions across borders. These connections are essential to the future of landscape architecture, where large-scale systems thinking guides how we plan, design, and intervene. Grounded in geospatial computation and national-scale datasets, the atlas groups cities by shared watershed dynamics. It starts with systems, then zooms to the site, linking regional patterns to local form. This perspective reframes urban space as both spatial and ecological, uncovering latent connections and potential alliances. Process, challenges, and lessons. Self-driven research project led by Ernest Haines and Conner Corbett of ijk Solutions.