Indigenous Communities and Tallgrass Prairie Resilience in the Face of Changing Climate: A Science, Education, and Co-Design Research Collaboration

Changing climate requires resilient ecological systems, human communities, and built environments. This research examines coupled human–environment systems of tallgrass prairies, Indigenous peoples, and their ways of living and learning. UVA faculty and students from architecture, environment science, global studies, and education are collaborating with Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate NGO partners Nis’to and Makoce Ikikcupi on their Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota. Intersectional research objectives and implementation encompass three areas: Science best practices to restore and maintain vital tallgrass prairie ecosystems with climate change; Design strategies for ecologically and culturally sustainable architecture, landscape, and infrastructure; and Education methods and knowledge co-production.