This thesis explores strategies to address environmental injustice and enhance human wellbeing in minority-concentrated neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, impacted by rapid urbanization and limited access to greenspaces. Through a multi-scalar approach combining ecological restoration, sustainable urban design, and community-led placemaking, the project proposes integrated interventions such as expanding green corridors, restoring waterways, and promoting accessible transit to improve environmental quality and social equity. Central to the research is the Green Village of Charlotte, a nature-based educational and community hub designed to empower residents through environmental education and participatory initiatives focused on food sovereignty, biodiversity, and climate resilience. By combining scenario planning, design frameworks, softGIS surveys and community engagement, the project demonstrates how holistic, adaptive, and inclusive planning can foster healthier, more equitable urban environments while minimizing displacement risks. The findings contribute to advancing urban sustainability and environmental justice in growing metropolitan areas.

As one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in China, the Greater Bay Area plays a significant strategic role in the country’s overall development, showcasing the power of urban transformation within a diverse and sociopolitically rich region. Since China’s economic reform in 1978, mega projects and world-leading developments in the region have driven rapid urbanization. Despite these achievements, rapid globalization has led to negative effects on ecology and pollution in the GBA. When paired with climate change and deltaic conditions, these issues create “double-negative” effects on various layers.

Using the concept of “state entrepreneurialism” as a starting point, this project explores the role of urban mega developments in realizing the state’s strategic and political objectives. It critiques the existing top-down, marketdriven
governance model and advocates for a paradigm shift towards localized planning approaches. These dynamics create tensions in soft locations, areas in transition which are susceptible to change and speculation.

This report outlines the shift from using megaprojects as catalysts for urban development to a more holistic framework. This new approach frames “megascapes” of place-bound strategic interventions that foster complementary relations and shifts focus from big urban cores to their surrounding territories. We define megascapes as self-directed territories consisting of functional conglomerations that respond to local sensitivities and transformations, proposing a future where soft peripheral territories are integrated into the GBA’s broader regionalization model. This vision emphasizes adaptable, place-bound development and enhanced relations between ecological and economic systems to foster sustainable urban growth.