News

In May 2025, our faculty had the honour of hosting the esteemed Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) annual conference - EDRA56 - at the beautiful Halifax Convention Centre in the heart of downtown Halifax. This prestigious gathering marked a significant milestone for both our university and the city.

Locally organized by Dr. Susanne Marshall, Publications Manager at Dalhousie Architectural Press, and Dr. Chad Walker, Assistant Professor in the School of Planning, for Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Architecture and Planning, and in collaboration with HalifACT and Discover Halifax, EDRA56 brought together over 450 researchers, practitioners, and changemakers from more than 20 countries to explore pressing issues in environmental design, human-centric design, environmental psychology, sustainable building, climate adaptation, and allied fields.

EDRA's mission centers on bringing together scientific research within the fields of architecture, planning, social science, and psychology, emphasizing human experience at its core. The organization challenges traditional academic approaches by incorporating holistic and ecological worldviews, including indigenous ways of knowing, while engaging meaningfully with local communities rather than imposing external expertise.

This philosophy was beautifully embodied in the conference's opening ceremony, featuring an Indigenous welcome by Dalhousie Elder in Residence, Ann Labillois, which set an important tone: emphasizing belonging to the world and participating in meaningful work. As Dr. Marshall reflected on EDRA's approach: "They want to know: who are the people? What is the land? What is the context? What are we doing here? To have an experience that feels whole and not separate from the world."

Highlights and Community Impact

The conference theme, "Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience," focused on innovative, community-driven solutions to complex urban challenges. Highlights included a Halifax-centered plenary addressing climate change, Truth and Reconciliation, and homelessness, and the closing keynote by Dr. Ingrid Waldron, which addressed environmental injustice and racism in Nova Scotia.

A standout feature of the conference – placed in the centre of the principal gathering area for delegates – was the stunning community quilt created through a collaboration between OSO Planning + Design and Millbrook First Nation, which won an EDRA Great Places Award. This impactful project engaged community members in creative workshops where they drew, carved, printed, and sewed their visions for the future, creating a giant patchwork quilt that showcased indigenous perspectives and directly informed the Millbrook Comprehensive Community Plan.

Legacy and Reflections

For Dalhousie, hosting EDRA56 provided tremendous benefits. “The conference emphasized the place of our faculty on the international research map, showcasing Canadian research practices, contexts, challenges and solutions, and national values to a global scholarly community,” comments Dr. Marshall. As well, “Dalhousie students volunteered and networked with delegates from across the world, gaining valuable exposure to the norms and processes of academic conferences, and to their counterparts in other disciplines."

Dr. Walker reflected: "As local co-chair and alongside the EDRA board, we worked hard, and I believe it paid off. The conference was a great success... Learning about environmental design from such a diverse group of people and places was truly inspiring."

The impact extended beyond exposures to conference topics. Lewis Blagogie, a Master of Planning Studies student who was an integral part of the local team, noted how his involvement "provided valuable exposure to conference planning, abstract review, and logistical coordination" while expanding his professional network. Dr. Walker emphasized the lasting professional relationships forged, particularly with EDRA board members, opening doors for future international research opportunities.

Jeff Nearing from Discover Halifax highlighted the broader significance: "EDRA56 in Halifax demonstrated how environmental design can drive climate action, resilience, and inclusive growth, leaving a legacy that advances sustainable solutions locally and globally... helping position Halifax as a living lab for environmental innovation."

Dr. Marshall captured the essence of the conference, sharing that many participants spoke about how Halifax supported the "spirit of EDRA"- welcoming, human-centred, progressive, and interdisciplinary.

EDRA56 was more than a knowledge exchange platform; it was a celebration of collaboration, community, and design's power to shape a more just and resilient future, while firmly establishing Halifax and Dalhousie as important voices in global environmental design discourse.