Planning for Upland Expansion: Developing a Framework for Community-Informed Housing Design to Support Indigenous Resilience in the Context of Dynamic Coastal Landscapes

Abstract

The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe on the Pacific Coast faces many challenges,including the increasing impacts of climate change and the risks of a dynamic coastal landscape. For those reasons, they are planning for upland expansion, which involves moving their existing community from an at-risk location on the tidelands of the coast to a safer location further inland. This thesis will argue that community-based design processes are critical to developing meaningful design solutions. Through an active partnership with the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, this thesis strives for the collaborative development of a design framework for high-performance building that reflects the community's values and goals. The developed document is intended for use throughout the design processes of upland expansion, which involves moving their existing community from an at-risk location on the tidelands of the coast to a safer location further inland. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to investigate the process of community-based design for sustainable architectural frameworks. This thesis explores design planning methodologies, provides insights on how to conduct community-informed design research, and ultimately strives to contribute to resilient and sustainable design processes which prioritize community involvement.