The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative launched Urban Infill in 2008 as a platform for exploring critical gaps in urban design research and practice. Each volume has illuminated a distinct facet of city life—from the challenges of population loss to the opportunities found in temporary interventions, from the flow of urban waters to the unexpected delights of cold climate cities. Through stories, diagrams, preservation strategies, and future visions, the journal has traced the evolving relationships between people and place.

In Volume 9, Great Lakes Climate Mobilities, we turn our attention to a pressing question in the region: how might climate change reshape the human and physical geographies of Great Lakes cities? As wildfires rage in the west, sea levels rise along the coasts, and water grows scarce across vast stretches of the country, the Great Lakes region is in an advantageous (and possibly precarious) position. An abundance of freshwater and relatively stable climate might draw people to the region—yet the timing and scale of such movements are impossible to predict with any certainty.

We have assembled diverse perspectives—designers, planners, writers, and artists—to explore this complex terrain. Rather than promoting a simple narrative of Great Lakes cities as “climate havens,” contributors lean into the uncertainties ahead. We recognize that climate change is not about winners and losers, but rather a web of interconnected issues that demand a nuanced understanding.

Urban Infill Volume 9 - Great Lakes Climate Mobilities was published on 25 April 2025. Copies are available for sale at the CUDC (cash or check only) or on Amazon.