As cities and communities confront the accelerating effects of climate change, the question is no longer simply how to reduce harm, but how design can help restore, renew, and sustain the systems that support life. This is the premise of regenerative design: an approach that asks the built environment to give more than it takes, strengthening ecological health, community resilience, and cultural connection in the process.
Pratt Institute President Frances Bronet recently joined architects, urban planners, ecologists, and international policymakers at the United Nations for the CSU Flagship 2026: Regenerative Communities Summit. The conversation examined how multidisciplinary teams can advance regenerative design at the scale of neighborhoods, cities, and regions, while drawing on culture, place-based knowledge, and long-standing Indigenous traditions. Bronet also highlighted Pratt’s campus as a living laboratory, where students engage directly with the built and natural environments around them to explore regenerative practices.
“Whether we call this approach giving back more, regenerative, or repairing, we have to stop treating it as a separate track,” Bronet said. “It really is embedded in everything we do, and we have to see all of us not as spectators, but as practitioners.”
From climate-resilient housing and coastal adaptation to circular materials research, environmental justice, and community-led planning, Pratt students, faculty, and alumni are developing creative responses to urgent environmental challenges. Explore a selection of recent stories on sustainability and regenerative solutions at the Institute.
Creative Solutions for a Changing Climate
From mapping coastal flooding and building more resilient homes to developing agricultural interventions and exploring sustainable textiles, this article showcases the many ways creative practice at Pratt is helping to build a more equitable, regenerative future. Read the article.
Exploring Design, Collaboration, and Real-World Impact
Pratt’s Research Open House 2026 brought together faculty, students, and partners to showcase interdisciplinary research addressing contemporary social, environmental, and technological challenges. Read the article.
When One Person’s Trash Is an Artist’s Treasure
Fine arts students recently examined creative approaches to reuse, repair, and material circularity, showing how discarded objects and materials can be reconsidered as resources. The article describes the environmental and cultural value of designing systems that reduce waste and extend the life of everyday things. Read the article.
Weaving Creative and Cultural Leadership in Dublin
Creative Enterprise Leadership students visited creative and cultural communities in Dublin, examining how artists, designers, and civic leaders are building connections across disciplines and borders. The article highlights the role of cultural exchange and creative leadership in shaping more vibrant, collaborative cities. Read the article.
Exploring Alternative Futures for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal
Undergraduate and graduate architecture and planning students envisioned new possibilities for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, considering how the waterfront site might support equitable development, resilient infrastructure, and public life. The project invites broader conversation about the future of New York’s working waterfront and the role of design in shaping it. Read the article.