Design Strategies for Sea Level Rise Adaptation: A practical Application in Sections C and D, Anacostia Park, Washington, D.C.

Abstract

Climate change and sea level rise present some of the most pressing challenges to contemporary urban environments. As global temperatures increase, coastal and riverine cities face mounting risks from flooding, storm surges, and the long-term submergence of low-lying land. These threats are not distant projections; they are shaping the future of urban planning and landscape architecture today. The discipline now stands at the forefront of adaptation, tasked with designing resilient landscapes that can absorb, adapt, and thrive under changing environmental conditions.This thesis investigates how landscape architecture can serve as a framework for climate adaptation, specifically through the strategic application of accommodate, protect, and retreat principles. It explores how these strategies can be integrated spatially and functionally within the landscape to create adaptive systems that are both performative and socially valuable. The Anacostia River corridor in Washington, D.C. provides an ideal context for this exploration. Sections C and D of Anacostia Park—low-lying, publicly owned, and historically disconnected from adjacent neighborhoods—present challenges common to many urban waterfronts: recurrent flooding, ecological degradation, and limited social accessibility. The project demonstrates how adaptation strategies can move beyond technical mitigation to become drivers of design, community engagement, and ecological restoration. The thesis employs Research through Design methodology, in which design functions as both a process of investigation and a mode of synthesis, integrating research, application of theoretical frameworks, site inventory and analysis, and community input. The outcome is a resilient master plan for Anacostia Park Sections C and D that integrates urban design, adaptive infrastructure, connectivity, and community use.