Background
A framework for interdisciplinary climate research
The Internationalist Green New Deal is a growing body of work that examines climate change through a global lens, focusing on infrastructure, politics, and systems that shape environmental outcomes across borders.
Developed by the McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the initiative brings together essays, data visualizations, and spatial research to explore what a more equitable and globally aware climate future could look like. It is not a finished product, but an evolving collection, one that invites new voices, formats, and perspectives over time. The website needed to reflect that spirit: structured enough to guide readers, but open enough to signal that the work is ongoing.
Challenge
Create a platform that can hold diverse content types while encouraging continued contribution and growth.
Solution
A flexible framework that organizes interdisciplinary content while leaving room for expansion.
Results
A living platform that surfaces critical content and supports both exploration and participation.
Challenge
Create a platform that can hold diverse content types while encouraging continued contribution and growth.
Solution
A flexible framework that organizes interdisciplinary content while leaving room for expansion.
Results
A living platform that surfaces critical content and supports both exploration and participation.
The Objective
Build a site that informs, connects, and invites contribution
The goal was to design an experience that not only presents research, but also encourages others to take part. The platform needed to support multiple forms of content, from writing to visual media, while making it easy for users to engage, reflect, and consider how they might contribute to the broader conversation.
Design Solution
A modular system for navigating ideas
The site organizes content into clear thematic groupings, allowing different formats—essays, maps, and visual work—to sit alongside one another without friction. A simple, readable layout keeps the focus on the material itself, while the overall structure signals that new contributions can be added over time. A muted gray color palette was intentionally selected to reinforce the content’s gravitas and maximize the impact of color hover states for each featured climate crisis topic.
Bringing focus to the research confronting a global climate crisis.
Color palette & Typography
Charcoal
Dark Gray
Blue Gray
Red
Gray
Space Grotesk Medium
Space Grotesk Regular
Challenges & Accommodations
Structuring complexity without oversimplifying
The initiative spans multiple disciplines, contributors, and outputs, requiring a framework that could organize information clearly while preserving the depth and nuance of the work. At the same time, much of the research lives outside the site on independent academic domains, creating the added challenge of building a cohesive experience that guides users outward without feeling fragmented or incomplete.
Outcomes
A clear entry point into a complicated initiative
The result is a platform that does more than present information; it creates an entry point for involvement. By bringing structure to an expanded network of work, the final site helps surface critical thinking, foster connection across disciplines, and support broader engagement with one of the most urgent challenges of our time. By framing the work as ongoing, the site supports growth and encourages new contributions as the conversation around climate continues to grow in both scale and urgency.
