Zoe Swartz

EDUCATION
Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Texas at Austin, 2023
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and International Development, Tulane University, 2015

Zoe Swartz focuses on land-based research and participatory design methods. Swartz’s past work in community-based research and engagement led her to Northeast Thailand, where she co-founded the nonprofit organization, Radical Grandma Collective, which strengthens grassroots movements led by communities on the frontlines of environmental justice, with a focus on participatory restoration in post-mining communities. She also completed an Americorp term of service with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, where she facilitated community meetings pertaining to the state’s Coastal Master Plan and documented the traditional ecological knowledge of southeast Louisiana Shrimpers in order to increase participation in coastal planning. These experiences led her to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was named a University Olmsted Scholar. She has since worked on low-impact design residential projects and coastal adaptation plans for firms in Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana.

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Participatory restoration and adaptation
Post industrial landscapes
Regenerative land practices
Narrative and storytelling for landscape design