Kongsgaarden

Helen Kongsgaard is an American urbanist and research associate at Harvard University. Her research examines models and methods of contemporary urbanism, situating the design disciplines in relation to contemporary urban transformations. This work locates landscape architecture within the emergent field of urban adaptation, examining the relevance of design to urban planning and policy as cities adapt to shifting environmental conditions. 

Initially trained as a landscape architect, she leads a collaborative design practice focused on the reclamation, adaptation, and conservation of urban landscapes. Prior to establishing her firm, Kongsgaarden, she practiced professionally in the US and Europe and led research initiatives at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Contemporary City Institute. 

She earned her Master of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University, where her research was supported by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Geographic Analysis, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.