News

The Nation re-printed Kate Orff’s conversation with journalist Laura Flanders, host of PBS’ The Laura Flanders Show, about the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in New York and Louisiana and the need for a more forward-thinking approach to natural infrastructure across the U.S., especially in light of the reconciliation bill currently moving through Congress. Read the

The McCoy’s Creek Restoration & Recreation Plan received a 2021 Honor Award in Analysis & Planning from ASLA Florida. This summer, restoration efforts kicked off along McCoy’s Creek—a stream flowing through an historic neighborhood in downtown Jacksonville. After its channelization in 1930, the creek became a community hazard, with chronic flooding, limited access and poor

This week, the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) announced a $1.4 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for an original artwork by internationally-acclaimed artist Theaster Gates at Tom Lee Park. The working title for the artwork is “A Monument to Listening” — and beyond the physical intervention, it will be activated with a

This NYC Climate Week, Kate joined PBS’ The Laura Flanders Show to discuss Hurricane Ida’s impact in her home borough of Queens; Living Breakwaters, which just kicked off construction last week; and the need for robust funding for natural infrastructure in the reconciliation bill currently working its way through Congress. Colette Pichon Battle, Founder and

Tottenville, NY | September 13, 2021 – Today, the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) announced the start of in-water construction for Living Breakwaters, a $107 million project with a layered approach to risk reduction —enhancing physical, ecological and social resilience for the South Shore of Staten Island. The project consists primarily

We’re happy to share that SCAPE won three awards in ASLA-NY’s 2021 Design Awards: The Chattahoochee RiverLands received an Honor Award in Analysis, Research, Planning & Communications. Developed with a large, multidisciplinary team and a coalition of over 200 stakeholders, the RiverLands envision a 125-mile network of greenways and blueways spanning the entire Metro Atlanta

This week, Kate joined journalist Christiane Amanpour on CNN International / PBS to discuss the urgency for broad-based federal investments in natural infrastructure and frontline communities. Reflecting on the release of the latest IPCC report—which discusses the science behind climate change and its disastrous effects on earth systems—Kate said, “One emotion that I refuse to

“We’ve spent the past one hundred years dredging out everything for shipping and hardening the edges. Now we have a different climate, and we need a different approach.” In the August 9 print issue of The New Yorker, sociologist Eric Klinenberg profiled Kate and SCAPE, covering over a decade of projects and advocacy to reconceive

Climate Ready Dorchester won a Merit Award in Analysis & Planning in the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) 2021 Design Awards. “The design team encouraged a diverse community to come together to make something collaboratively, considering best practices for resilient shorelines. An emphasis on programming was clearly incorporated into the community engagement process, and

Today, Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center released a new Framework for the Future, following a seven-month engagement and planning process led by SCAPE. In conjunction with the framework’s release, Reflection Riding also launched a new website: www.reflectionriding.org. At its core, the vision characterizes a shift in conservation ethic relative to native landscapes in the