Main Content
Date of lecture: February 26,2025
Abstract
This talk explores the integration of landscape planning and design with sustainable, community-driven action to address climate resilience and social equity. Focusing on participatory approaches, it highlights strategies that empower community leaders and residents to make informed decisions about their local landscapes. By examining the physical, social, and cultural dimensions of the landscape, the talk demonstrates how inclusive visioning can shape actionable goals and adaptive strategies that reflect community priorities. The outcome is a framework that supports long-term, incremental change, enabling communities to build resilient and meaningful landscapes as resources and opportunities emerge.
The talk also examines how individual adoption of specific practices can significantly contribute to broader watershed restoration goals. By analyzing barriers and motivations behind adoption, this research evaluates how program and intervention designs can be optimized to improve adoption rates and better quantify outcomes. Comparing programs with varying strategies to overcome adoption barriers, this work provides insights into designing more effective community-based sustainability initiatives.
Short Bio
Mahsa Adib is a Ph.D. candidate in Landscape Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. As a member of Penn State’s Hamer Center for Community Design and Stormwater Living Lab, Mahsa collaborates with multidisciplinary researchers, municipalities, and community stakeholders to advance climate resilience through co-designed, nature-based solutions. Her research enhances environmental education and civic engagement in urban stormwater management, providing action-driven strategies for equitable green stormwater infrastructure adoption. Mahsa’s interdisciplinary work includes projects like the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, where she co-develops climate action plans for underserved Baltimore neighborhoods.
Through her teaching experiences at Penn State and Iowa State University, Mahsa has cultivated a dynamic, student-centered approach that prioritizes hands-on, collaborative learning and the integration of diverse perspectives. She is dedicated to empowering students to critically navigate complex challenges while equipping them with the skills to develop innovative, socially responsive design solutions. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive, engaging, and impactful learning environment has been recognized with Penn State’s Landscape Architecture Outstanding Teaching Award.
Recognized for her leadership in sustainability, Mahsa serves as the College of Arts and Architecture’s Sustainability Graduate Fellow. As a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellow and Well-being Ambassador, she advances initiatives that promote inclusivity and equity within academia and beyond.