Mission
Critical Earth advances a just socio-ecological transition toward sustainability and climate adaptation. Land is at the centre of our work. The ways land is used, managed, transformed, and contested shape the prospects for climate stabilisation, biodiversity, food and water security, and the livelihoods of human and non-human communities. Yet decisions on agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, urbanisation, and conservation are still largely taken in separate domains, and often without the participation of those most affected. We approach land as an integrated socio-ecological system and work to connect these domains across scales, from specific sites and communities to the regional and planetary processes that shape them.
Values
Justice. The costs and benefits of transition are unevenly distributed. In every project, we ask who decides, who pays, and whose knowledge counts.
Rigour. Our work rests on sound evidence, transparent methods, and critical reflection on its own assumptions.
Situatedness. Durable responses emerge from sustained engagement with particular places and the people who inhabit and work in them.
Reciprocity. We understand partnership as a two-way exchange of knowledge and capacities among researchers, practitioners, and communities.
Independence. As a non-profit association, we select our projects and partners according to our mission.
Association
Critical Earth is a non-profit association under Swiss law (Articles 60 ff. of the Swiss Civil Code), based in Zurich and founded in 2026. It acts as a platform and catalyst that connects research and practice, bringing together scholars, designers, and practitioners from architecture, urbanism, landscape architecture, regional planning, and the environmental sciences.
The association develops and implements research and design projects, provides strategic consultation, and produces and shares knowledge through publications, events, and digital media. It builds collaborative networks among scientific communities, practitioners, and local actors, creating space for experimentation, dialogue, and transformative action.
Critical Earth is governed by an Executive Board elected by the General Assembly of members. It works with Associates, who collaborate on specific projects, and an Advisory Board.