Thinking Like a Mountain critically analyzes how contemporary design pedagogy has (or has not) responded to the current climate emergency. Taking Aldo Leopold’s proposition to “think like a mountain” as a conceptual starting point, this event brings together local and international design scholars to discuss, debate, and envision potential pedagogical pathways towards just and inclusive decarbonization.

Through a series of short presentations and roundtable discussions, Thinking Like a Mountain considers how design schools can better equip students to become agents of change to accelerate the decarbonization of built environments and landscapes. What changes need to happen to accelerate this paradigm shift? How might design pedagogy support this transition? In posing these questions, this event reflects on the central role of design education in reproducing the theories, methodologies, and practises used to imagine and construct post-carbon futures.