Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, Architecture 1994, AIA ASLA, is a professor of landscape architecture at the City College of New York and principal of Catherine Seavitt Studio. Seavitt Nordenson was born in Detroit, Michigan. A registered architect and landscape architect in New York State, she received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cooper Union and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. She also holds a degree in landscape architecture from the City College of New York. She is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome and a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for research in Brazil.

Her work explores adaptation to climate change in urban environments and the novel transformation of landscape restoration practices. She also examines the intersection of political power, environmental activism, and public health, particularly as seen through the design of public space and policy.

Her books include Four Corridors: Design Initiative for RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan (Hatje Cantz, 2019); Depositions: Roberto Burle Marx and Public Landscapes under Dictatorship (University of Texas Press, 2018); Structures of Coastal Resilience (Island Press, 2018); Waterproofing New York (Urban Research Press, 2016); and On the Water: Palisade Bay (Hatje Cantz, 2010). Her work and writing has been published widely, including the journals Artforum, Avery Review, Harvard Design Magazine, JoLA, LA+, Landscape Architecture Magazine, and Topos.

Publications (selected):

• Lewis, P., Nordenson, G., and Seavitt Nordenson, C., Four Corridors: Design Initiative for RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan, Hatje Cantz, 2019 Link
• Seavitt Nordenson, C., Depositions: Roberto Burle Marx and Public Landscapes under Dictatorship, University of Texas Press, 2018. Link
• Seavitt Nordenson, C., Nordenson, G., and Chapman, J., Structures of Coastal Resilience, Island Press, 2018 Link
• Hoffman Brandt, D. and Seavitt Nordenson C., Waterproofing New York, 2016. Link
• Nordenson, G., Yarinsky, A., and Seavitt Nordenson, C., On the Water: Palisade Bay, Hatje Cantz/Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2010. Link

Awards:

Catherine Seavitt Nordenson is a Fellow in Architecture (1997-1998) of the American Academy in Rome, and a recipient of both a Fulbright Fellowship (2001) and a Graham Foundation Grant (2002) for research in Brazil. She received The Cooper Union President’s Citation in 2011 and was inducted into The Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2011. She received the American Society of Landscape Architect’s New York Chapter President’s Award in 2018.

Links:

• The Work of Catherine Seavitt Nordenson (AR’94), The Cooper Union, 2010. Link
• Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, The Cooper Union, 2019. Link
• Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, City College of New York, 2020. Link
• 2018 ASLA New York Chapter, President’s Award for Service and Leadership: CATHERINE SEAVITT NORDENSON, November 2018. Link
• 2018 Cooper Union Alumni Lecture, Depositions, The Cooper Union, October 2018. Link
• 2016 URI Landscape Architecture Lecture, Structures of Coastal Resilience, University of Rhode Island, April 2016. Link