Abstract
Throughout history, utopic planning has captured the human imagination. It does so once again, in the face of our present climate crisis. This is particularly evident in the architecture and urban planning professions, where utopian projects have long existed in concept and in the built environment. Today, many leading architecture and urban planning firms are creating utopic proposals that project radical changes to systems and livelihoods as we know them, often in support of goals for decarbonization, resiliency, and urban efficiency. However, there is little research on how these modern climate change utopias, or ‘climatopias’ as coined in this dissertation, are conceptualized and whether they reduce or exacerbate vulnerability to and risks from climate change. This dissertation takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the growing presence and popularity of climatopias, and how they might assist in achieving the transformational changes required of societies for the climate crisis. I first conduct a historical analysis of the utopian canon as it relates to ecological matters and examine where climatopias are situated in this ongoing discourse. I then formally establish the concept of ‘climatopia’ by way of a climatopia framework, and present an evaluation approach for assessing their effectiveness, justice, and feasibility. Finally, I create a climatopia typology, determining six types that represent dominant design approaches for climate change mitigation and adaptation goals in the built environment. Overall, this thesis draws from three primary fields of inquiry – utopian studies, architectural studies, and adaptation science – and is examined through the lens of Urban Political Ecology. Together, this research offers novel contributions to the legacy of utopian thinking and experimentation in the built environment, and provides a robust foundation for design and adaptation science professionals alike aiming to create the transformational futures we need in light of climate change.