Inspiring change

The CaD Studio

The Climate-adaptive Design (CaD) Studio is an academic course that links Cornell University landscape architecture students with Hudson River Estuary municipalities to explore design alternatives for more climate-resilient communities. The purpose of this studio is to engage and inspire communities to adapt to our changing climate using natural and nature-based solutions.

From 2015 to 2022, the CaD Studio focused on adapting Hudson River waterfronts to flooding from heavy precipitation and sea level rise. After a pause, the studio returned in 2026, with an expanded scope that includes extreme heat, ecological resilience, flooding, and stormwater management. The CaD studio is led by Joshua F. Cerra at the Cornell Department of Landscape Architecture.

Explore our publications to learn more about the CaD studio:

CaD Host Communities

During the four-month design process, student teams study the community, conduct field visits, and meet with stakeholders. Students infuse their designs with details that they learn from their interactions with stakeholders and research on local climate impacts. After the studio semester ends, host communities receive educational materials featuring student designs and support from the Hudson River Estuary Program to advance select design ideas towards implementation.

woman looking at the Hudson River — Sangita Bhattacharjee, 2022, Tarrytown Climate-adaptive Design Studio

Educational materials from the Tarrytown CaD Studio featuring student designs:

Village of Tarrytown

The 2022 design team was comprised of 15 graduate and two undergraduate students. This design studio investigated climate-associated flood and inundation risks to the Village of Tarrytown’s waterfront. The waterfront area is prone to flooding during today’s extreme weather events, compounded by sea level rise associated with climate change. Studio projects explored this new climate footprint and the future of the Tarrytown’s waterfront in ways that are culturally and ecologically resilient.

image of people enjoying a barbecue at a riverfront park with sailboat in background — Flood//Land, Dom Malacaman (BSLA '22) - Poughkeepsie CaD Studio (2021)

Educational materials from the Poughkeepsie CaD Studio featuring student designs:

City of Poughkeepsie

The 2021 design team combined 10 third-year graduate and 4 senior undergraduate students. The design studio investigated climate-associated flood and inundation risks to Poughkeepsie’s popular waterfront. The studio focused on the city-owned properties, including Waryas and Kaal Rock parks, and the Southern Waterfront brownfield re-development site. This proposal elevates the existing rail line on a levee to reduce rail inundation and flooding risk while providing a measure of protection for inland waterfront locations.

Design of an elevate rail line with a pathway and waterfront area below it where people can exercise and relax. — This proposal elevates the existing rail line on a levee to reduce rail inundation and flooding risk while providing a measure of protection for inland waterfront locations. (Image by Z. Zhang, LA7010 Studio, Fall 2019 Cornell University.)

Educational materials from the Ossining CaD Studio featuring student designs:

Town & Village of Ossining

This third-year graduate design studio focused on flooding and other climate risks in the Town and Village of Ossining. This year’s design team was comprised of 11 graduate students in the LA7010 Design Studio. The proposed design concepts explored developing a buffer zone, elevating the rail line, inspiring citizen science, facilitating marsh migration and land contouring, and enhancing access to the Ossining waterfront.

Digital landscape architecture design of a waterfront with park and buildings. — Image by L. Li and X. Wan, 2018 CaD studio.

Educational materials from the Poughkeepsie CaD Studio featuring student designs:

City of Kingston

The City of Kingston hosted three CaD Studios that examined different areas of the Hudson River shoreline and the tidal portions of the Rondout Creek, a major tributary that runs through parts of the city. In 2016, students developed design concepts for the Block Park area, once a major port for the coal industry. In 2017, the studio focused on the Kingston Point Park, located at the confluence of the Rondout Creek and the Hudson River. In 2018, the studio focused on the East Strand neighborhood along the Rondout Creek.

Computer rendered image of a landscape architecture design showing two bridges connecting mainland to an island — Reimagining what it means for Piermont to be a waterfront by integrating water into the urban fabric of the village. (Image by T. Signorelli, E.Tou & C. Umaña, LA4010 Studio, Fall 2017 Cornell University)

Educational materials from the Piermont CaD Studio featuring student designs:

Village of Piermont

Cornell Landscape Architecture’s 2017 fourth year, first-semester undergraduate studio focused on the Piermont municipal waterfront situated along the mouth of Sparkill Creek as it enters the Hudson River about 25 miles north of New York City. Historically the Piermont waterfront was the location of a paper mill and coal-fired power plant. It is now a regional destination for recreation and leisure. Five alternative design concepts were developed for the Village of Piermont. Each generated options for climate adaptation providing a combination of adaptation, reinforcement, and relocation approaches.

Computer rendered image of a landscape architecture design in Hudson New York — This design focuses on the intersection and overlap of urban, industrial, and wetland fabric in the South Bay (Image by A. Chirico and G. Smith, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2016 Cornell University)

Hudson CaD Studio student designs

City of Hudson

The Climate-adaptive Design studio focused on the South Bay waterfront area of the City of Hudson as the basis for this planning and design effort. Located well inland from the mouth of the Hudson River as it exits into the Atlantic, the city was once a strategic port for America's whaling industry. Cornell Landscape Architecture’s 2016 LA6020 second year, second-semester graduate studio developed eight alternative design concepts for the South Bay project area. The proposals generated options for floodable retrofit of historic buildings, floodable park spaces, maintenance of the rail connection to NYC, and assisted marsh migration as water levels change.

Computer rendered image showing a landscape architecture design for the Catskill Creek — Three major strategies guided this design concept: restoration of urban form to energize streets and spaces, elevation of program areas, and creation of wetland habitat. (Image by M. Gawith and G. Craig-Lucas, LA4010, Fall 2015 Cornell University).

Catskill CaD student designs

Village of Catskill

The first Climate-adaptive Design studio studied the downtown area of Village of Catskill. Cornell Landscape Architecture’s 2015 LA4010 senior undergraduate design studio developed five alternative design concepts for the downtown Catskill project area. Collectively, the alternative design concepts proposed strategies to reintroduce Catskill's waterfront as a key asset to the Village by enhancing circulation and access between the waterfront and downtown, creating attractive waterfront features, and improving the ecological and recreational value of the shoreline itself.

Climate Smart Communities Videos

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Climate-adaptive Design Studio