Landscape architecture as public pedagogy: using environmental art to engage communities with sea level rise

The discipline of landscape architecture is engaged in designing landscapes that will be impacted by climate change, yet it does little to educate the public on how the effects could be mitigated. By drawing upon the ideas of public pedagogy and environmental art as lines of inquiry, this thesis attempts to create a framework to guide design of public spaces in an educational way. Using the theory of public pedagogy, a set of guidelines are suggested, which can be used to evaluate designs. Simultaneously, a survey of environmental art is used to understand the tools artists use to engage an audience. Finally, a series of environmental art designs are suggested to address the issue of sea level rise in Charleston, South Carolina.