Halina Pyzdrowski

2024 – 2025 Global Change Research Fellow

Statement of purpose:

Like many people, the origin of my climate narrative comes from personal experience. While living and working in the Driftless Area of the Midwest—a unique topographical region characterized by high-reaching limestone bluffs and meandering rivers—I witnessed two 100-year flood events in less than a decade. For a community whose rural livelihoods largely depended upon the health of the landscape, the economic and emotional impact was devastating. In sharing moments of grief and frustration, I realized that the design of our public spaces fundamentally affected how people perceived the land, their neighbors, and themselves. My desire to study and work in landscape architecture is deeply rooted in positively influencing these perceptions in the direction of resilient and equitable communities.

Description of research:

At the heart of a changing climate are individuals whose cultural heritage are being erased. As land managers, we bear responsibility to reconcile these injustices. My research will inform community co-design processes for flood resilience and indigenous river stewardship within the Great Coharie River Watershed—homeland of the Coharie People. Through hydrologic analysis and experimental visualization techniques, I am studying how site-specific nature-based solutions improve water quality and quantity control. In partnership with the Coharie People and Coastal Dynamics Design Lab, our work will build capacity for tribal facilitation of watershed management, while enhancing culturally significant fishing habitat and access.

Contact Information:

Email: hpyzdro@ncsu.edu

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Andrew Fox (Department of Landscape Architecture)