Values-Based Approaches and Indigenous Leadership in Flood Adaptation
Time: 12:30pm to 1:20pm
Location: West Mall Swing Space, Room 407 (2175 West Mall)
No food and no drinks allowed.
If you would like a Zoom link, please contact Bonnie Leung (bonnie.leung@ubc.ca) or Hannah Wittman (hannah.wittman@ubc.ca).
Talk summary:
Values-based approaches to coastal adaptation ask us to move beyond technical fixes and instead foreground the cultural, ecological, and social priorities that shape how communities live with water. Indigenous leadership is central to this shift, offering governance, stewardship, and knowledge systems that open space for more just and care-centered futures. This talk will share insights from Living with Water, a collaborative research project advancing values-based adaptation in British Columbia. Drawing on the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Shoreline Adaptation Project, Vancouver’s Sea2City Design Challenge, and ongoing restoration efforts at the Maria and Hope Sloughs, the seminar will explore how design can support Indigenous priorities, revitalize ecological and cultural relationships, and reimagine adaptation as an act of reciprocity and responsibility. Together, these projects point toward new pathways for living with water in a time of change.
Bio:
Kees Lokman is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at UBC. His research and design practice focus on climate change adaptation, flood risk, and the design of water-based landscapes. He leads the Living with Water project, a multi-year initiative that brings together First Nations, municipalities, NGOs, and researchers to reimagine adaptation pathways across British Columbia’s South Coast. His work foregrounds values-based approaches and Indigenous leadership in adaptation, emphasizing design as a means to restore relationships with land and water, strengthen ecological health, and support community futures in the face of sea level rise and flooding.