March 13, 2025
6:00 PM
MICA Brown Center
1301 W. Mount Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21217
AIA 1.0 LU HSW
ASLA 1.0 LA CES HSW
[REGISTER HERE]
DETAILS
AIA Baltimore and Baltimore Architecture Foundation present the 2025 Spring Lecture Series, taking place on 3/13, 3/27 and 4/10 at the MICA Brown Center.
We are happy to continue our partnership with Maryland ASLA to provide 1.0 LA CES HSW for every lecture.
AIA, ASLA and NOMA members may register at a discounted rate.
We are offering school students free admission! Please bring your school ID to show upon arrival.
Doors open at 5:30 PM. Reception with light food and drinks will be also be available immediately following the lecture at the Brass Tap near the MICA Brown Center (1205 W Mt Royal Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217).
ABOUT THIS LECTURE
In this talk, Despo will provide an overview of transformative coastal resilience projects from concept to implementation, blending urban design, resilience planning, and creative storytelling.
Drawing on projects like Climate Ready Dorchester in Boston, Salem’s Resilient Together El Punto, and Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan, Despo will highlight how tailored solutions—whether addressing flooding, extreme heat, or social equity—are grounded in local context and community needs. She’ll explore how these projects create not just physical infrastructure, but stronger, more resilient neighborhoods through inclusive, actionable plans. From visionary design to multi-scale implementation, Despo’s work shows that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution—every challenge offers a unique opportunity to innovate, collaborate, and build a more sustainable future. This talk will inspire anyone seeking fresh perspectives on how cities can adapt, thrive, and connect with the natural systems that sustain them.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Despo is the Director of Resilience at SCAPE, where she leads teams in urban design and resilience planning to forge nature-based, community-centered strategies that help communities adapt to our changing climate. Her work connects the dots between the environment, design, and people—whether through actionable resilience plans that reduce climate risk, implementation of multi-layered and multi-benefit infrastructure, or climate visualizations that make complex challenges accessible and guide decision-making. Through creative storytelling, she connects communities with the natural systems that sustain them, and advocates for the role of planning and design in shaping environmental policy, and fostering equitable, resilient neighborhoods.
Despo’s recent projects include Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, Massachusetts’ ResilientCoasts Plan, Battery Park City’s North/West Resiliency Project in New York, and Climate Ready Dorchester in Boston. Whether addressing flooding, extreme heat, or other climate impacts, her work helps communities turn design visions into tangible actions, build resilience on their own terms, and thrive today and into the future.
Despo is also dedicated to sharing these ideas with others. She has taught at Columbia University’s Urban Design program and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and in 2021, she was named a Forefront Fellow by the Urban Design Forum for her work on connecting local food systems and fostering food equity.
