Crumbling Land studies “managed retreat”—the intentional abandonment of land and infrastructure due to climate change—and its undermining of traditional conceptions of ownership and frontiers across North America. With insufficient funds to maintain existing infrastructure to protect vulnerable settlements as climate change pressures mount, local governments across North America are unpaving roads, instituting buyback programs for flood-prone communities, and leaving condemned infrastructure unrepaired. The ideals of homeownership and stability—the foundation of the American Dream—are being undone through urban triage. Once meticulously divided by fences, zoning laws, and neighbourhood covenants, these abandoned landscapes become open, undefined spaces stripped of their speculative value. Crumbling Land documents these shifting landscapes, tracing the transformation of communities displaced by climate migration. The project will be exhibited at the Citygroup gallery in New York over summer 2026.

Noah Gotlib is an architectural designer and researcher based in New York City and Toronto. He studied architecture at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the Architectural Association (AA) in London, where he recieved his MArch/AA Diploma with commendation in 2020. Gotlib has worked for a several practices in the United Kingdom and Canada and has taught at the AA and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Since 2020, he has developed Crumbling Land, a research project on managed retreat and climate migration. The project has received support from the Canada Council for the Arts, published in Real Review, and supported through the residency program of the Institute for Public Architecture on Governors Island in New York City. He is the co-founder of Eolith, a think tank engaging in spatial research, design, and consultancy.