Dane Carlson is a landscape designer and researcher. His practice (REALMS) is formed by a series of ongoing collaborations with colleagues and communities in trans-Himalayan Nepal. This work uses design as advocacy for adaptive, just landscapes which center place-specific knowledge as radical change unfolds. He has been visiting design critic in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University and environmental design strategist at UNOPS Nepal (United Nations Office for Project Services). Dane is also a lecturer in the Master of Landscape Architecture program at Washington University in St. Louis.
Education
- MLA II (Master of Landscape Architecture), Harvard University
- BLA (Bachelor of Landscape Architecture), Ball State University
Scholarly Interests
- Climate justice
- Himalayan landscapes
- Landscape histories
Contributions to the Field
- My practice examines chronic disaster-making and climate crisis in the landscapes of Nepal's mountains and plains. Ongoing work with Nepali colleagues focus on the ongoing retreat of a small Himalayan village. This includes supporting the collective, community-driven design of retreat as an alternative to the imposed violence of managed relocation programs.
Memberships & Affiliations
- Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Landscape Research Group
Publications & Presentations
- “Terai trajectories: Layering design action in the plains of Nepal” in Journal of Landscape Architecture, issue 3, 2023.
Awards
- Landscape Research Group grant recipient (2024)
- Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts grant recipient (2022)
- Fulbright Scholar, Nepal (2017-2018)
