Contact Information
Jefferson - East Falls Campus
4201 Henry Avenue
A&D
Philadelphia, PA 19144
Visiting Assistant Professor
Education
Master of Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, Ecology | Harvard University
Master of Landscape Architecture | University of Toronto
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Literary Studies | Rhode Island School of Design
Biography
Emma Mendel is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment at Thomas Jefferson University. Her work explores infrastructural systems, urban ecological networks, and community outreach. These relationships have influenced her professional, educational, and academic experience, helping her to develop novel approaches to landscape architecture and engage with an array of design thinking tools.
Previously, Mendel was the 2023-2024 Ian McHarg Fellow in the Department of Landscape Architecture at University of Pennsylvania, and was a lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture at University of Virginia. Professionally, Mendel has practiced at landscape and urban planning firms including HOK, Janet Rosenburg Studio, and Nelson Byrd Woltz.
Research
Mendel's research explores the relationship between water infrastructure and local knowledge through the concept of ephemeral material infrastructures. Using this lens, she has studied access to safe drinking water, food sovereignty, and the cultural landscapes of First Nations. And more recently, how cultural responses—such as oral stories, folklore, urban legends, and cautionary tales—emerge just as reliably as technical solutions in the aftermath of a disaster. While at Thomas Jefferson University, Mendel continues to explore how intergenerational narratives, and informal knowledge before, during, and after a disaster can be combined with infrastructural interventions to create robust mitigation strategies.
Awards
2023-24 Ian McHarg Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
2019 Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Program Fellow
2018 Graham Foundation Grantee
2017 Winning Entry LA+ "Imagination” Competition